January 24, 2024
Health claim nothing news says Reti
Health Minister Shane Reti says nothing he’s heard over the past three and a half years has convinced him a Maori health authority has any merit.
Dr Reti says he won’t comment now a claim against the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora is before the Waitangi Tribunal and on track for an urgent hearing.
But he says the intention of National and its coalition partners to scrap one of the centrepieces of Labour’s health reforms was clearly flagged throughout the election campaign, and he’s been critical from the beginning.
“These are the same discussions, the same points we’ve talked about every week so nothing new I’m hearing that I haven’t heard the past number of years. Do I understand? I listen and understand the concerns as they are raised and then we make our way through them,” Dr Reti says.
The Waitangi Tribunal says it will set a date for the urgent hearing after January 31, when the crown has been asked to file a memorandum on its proposed alternative to Te Aka Whai Ora.