The Deputy Chair of Te Taura Ora o Waiariki says the Government’s proposed Healthy Futures Amendment Bill is a major setback for Māori health.

The bill, introduced in July, would restructure the Pae Ora Act by shifting iwi Māori from decision-makers to advisors, and increasing Health New Zealand’s focus on infrastructure and centralised planning.

Jenny Kaka-Scott says the bill strips away Te Tiriti protections and downgrades iwi partnership boards.

“We shift from being meaningful decision makers to advisers to the minister’s advisors. Advisory only powers mean that our advice can be ignored, whereas the statutory power ensures our iwi voices have to be factored into that decision making, and without that, you know, Māori will remain consulted, but excluded,” says Kaka-Scott.

Kaka-Scott says the changes risk worsening inequities in regions like Waiariki, where suicide rates are high and life expectancy is low.

She’s calling for the bill to be scrapped or rewritten to uphold Māori-led solutions.