10,000 signatures reached
To: Minister of Health, Hon Dr. Shane Reti
Protect Te Aka Whai Ora
We call on you to change course and keep Te Aka Whai Ora.
This must include:
✅ The truly Māori-led structure, independent from Te Whatu Ora
✅ The power and resources to commission hauora services that work for Māori
✅ The freedom to advocate unapologetically for Māori health
Why is this important?
Our health system has failed Māori for far too long. Report after report has demonstrated institutional racism and exclusion of Māori leadership that has led to devastating outcomes and inequity.
For all those years, hapū, iwi, health workers, lawyers, health researchers, and many more have fought for better, and called for practical solutions they knew would work.
Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority) is the result of their vision for a health system that better honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and better cares for whānau. A truly Māori-led agency that has the power to resource and lift up kaupapa Māori, and iwi and hapū health services, can improve health for Māori, and all communities in Aotearoa.
Without a clear plan to improve hauora Māori, the National, ACT, and NZ First parties have vowed to disestablish Te Aka Whai Ora. The coalition Government plan to introduce the disestablishment legislation just days before the hearing of the Urgent Waitangi Tribunal claim is set to begin. This bad-faith move restricts the jurisdiction of the Tribunal to fully consider this breach of Te Tiriti, and the impact on Māori. It is unacceptable for the Crown to unilaterally move ahead and block tangata whenua from being heard.
We demand a health system that treats everyone fairly, in ways that uplift them and their whānau, and honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We stand with people on the frontline of the health system: allied, public, and mental health practitioners, nurses, doctors, and many more health professionals, who know Te Aka Whai Ora is important and necessary to deliver healthcare well.
Disestablishment is a major threat to Māori health. That’s why we’re calling for the Government to change course now and protect Te Aka Whai Ora.