A leading disability advocate is calling for urgent reform of New Zealand’s health system after new research revealed disabled people—particularly Māori and Pacific communities—continue to experience significantly poorer health outcomes, while remaining largely invisible within national health data.
Bernadette Jones (Ngā Wairiki, Ngāti Apa), Associate Professor and long-time advocate for disability equity, says the findings expose a fundamental problem at the heart of the health system: disabled people are often not counted properly, making it harder to identify inequities and address them effectively.
The research points to persistent disparities in access to healthcare, preventable illness, and premature mortality while highlighting the lack of comprehensive disability data across many areas of the health sector.
For Jones, the issue is not simply about statistics—it is about whether disabled people are seen, heard, and included in decisions that affect their lives.
One of the report’s most significant findings is the absence of reliable disability information across many health datasets.
Without accurate data, policymakers and health providers can struggle to identify where services are failing and where additional support is needed.
Jones says the consequences are felt every day by disabled people attempting to navigate healthcare systems that are often not designed with their needs in mind.
When disability is poorly measured or omitted entirely, barriers to care can remain hidden, making inequities more difficult to address.
The result is a cycle where poorer outcomes persist because the evidence needed to drive change is incomplete.
Advocates argue that meaningful reform begins with understanding who is being left behind and why.
The report found particularly concerning outcomes for Māori and Pacific disabled people, who often experience multiple layers of disadvantage.
Many already face barriers associated with ethnicity, socioeconomic status and geographic location. Disability can compound those challenges, creating additional obstacles to accessing healthcare, education, employment and community support.
Health experts say this intersection of inequities contributes to higher rates of preventable illness, delayed treatment and poorer long-term health outcomes.
For Māori, the findings also raise questions about how effectively the health system is meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Advocates argue that equity cannot be achieved without acknowledging the different experiences and realities faced by disabled Māori and Pacific peoples.
Jones says one of the most important changes required is ensuring disabled people have a genuine role in shaping health policy and service delivery.
Too often, decisions are made about disabled communities without their direct involvement.
Advocates have long argued that people with lived experience bring essential knowledge about what works, what barriers exist and how services can be improved.
Meaningful engagement goes beyond consultation and requires disabled people to participate in leadership, governance, and decision-making processes.
The principle of “nothing about us without us” remains a central message across the disability rights movement.
Jones says health agencies must move beyond symbolic engagement and ensure disabled voices influence outcomes from the beginning of policy development through to implementation.
The research also highlights evidence of preventable deaths and barriers to care experienced by disabled people.
These findings have intensified calls for urgent action from the Ministry of Health, Health New Zealand, and other agencies responsible for delivering health services.
Advocates say immediate priorities should include improving data collection, reducing physical and communication barriers, strengthening workforce training, and ensuring health services are accessible and culturally appropriate.
There are also calls for greater investment in disability-specific expertise across the health system, particularly in areas where disabled people continue to report poor experiences.
The challenge is not only improving healthcare delivery but ensuring disabled people can access services safely, consistently, and without discrimination.
The findings arrive at a time when debates about health equity are increasingly prominent across Aotearoa.
Recent reports have highlighted disparities affecting Māori, Pacific peoples, disabled communities, and other groups who continue to experience poorer outcomes than the wider population.
For Jones, disability equity must become a core part of those conversations rather than an afterthought.
She argues that improving outcomes requires recognising disability as a fundamental health equity issue and addressing it with the same urgency applied to other forms of disadvantage.
The report provides some of the clearest evidence yet that disabled people continue to face significant barriers within New Zealand’s health system.
For Māori and Pacific disabled communities, those challenges are often magnified by existing inequities across housing, education, employment and healthcare.
Advocates hope the findings will prompt action rather than simply adding to a growing body of evidence documenting disparities.
For Bernadette Jones, the path forward begins with visibility, accountability and genuine partnership.
Because until disabled people are fully included in the data, the decisions and the solutions, the health system will continue to fall short of delivering equitable outcomes for all.
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