New Zealand Health Minister Shane Reti announced on Tuesday that the Māori Health Authority, also known as Te Aka Whai Ora, would be shut down by the end of June this year. Its functions will be absorbed into the country’s national healthcare system. This decision comes amidst nationwide protests and legal actions by the Māori community, who believe the government’s new policies encroach upon their rights.
The proposal to shut down Te Aka Whai Ora came from a recommendation by the Waitangi Tribunal. This statutory body hears claims from the Māori people and has been functioning since the 70s.
Māori make up 17.3 percent of New Zealand’s population and face systemic discrimination and inequalities, including poorer health conditions and higher fatality rates. Te Aka Whai Ora was established in 2022 to manage Māori health policies and services, aiming to improve the health outcomes of the Māori people.
The current Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, appointed Reti to his post following his office-taking in October 2024. Reti claims that the integration of Te Aka Whai Ora into the national health service will enable them to preserve the necessary expertise to enhance health outcomes for all New Zealanders, including the Māori people.
However, the announcement resulted in widespread criticism and demonstrations by the Māori community. Rahui Papa, the co-chair of the Iwi Charis Forum’s Pou Tangata, referred to the government’s intent to pass the amendment bill as “dishonorable and a contemporary breach of Te Tiriti of Waitangi”. Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, an indigenous Māori journalist, labeled Te Aka Whai Ora as the “answer for Māori Health” and criticized the national health service as fundamentally ineffective here.
The community’s apprehension is not unfounded. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s center-right coalition had earlier pledged to reverse policies of the previous Labour government, especially those promoting the official use of the Māori language and others designed to improve the quality of life of indigenous people. Luxon denied allegations of undermining indigenous rights and freedoms, asserting that his policies aim to provide equal rights to all New Zealanders.
A claim has been lodged with the Waitangi Tribunal over the amendment bill, but it is anticipated that the bill will be passed and the closure made official before the tribunal hears the claim. With all this, it’s important to consider Peeni Henare’s, the former health minister’s description of the Māori Health Authority’s disestablishment as “evasive and cowardly“.