Pae Ora (Disestablishment of Māori Health Authority) Amendment Act 2024: further Crown breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi

17 May 2024

Came et al.

The Waitangi Tribunal in their Wai 2575 Report recommended the establishment of Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority) to remedy some of the contemporary breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Te Aka Whai Ora was the culmination of decades of Māori advocacy for the establishment of independent Māori health leadership, policymaking and commissioning. Under urgency, the new National-led coalition Government passed the Pae Ora (Disestablishment of Māori Health Authority) Amendment Act 2024 in February.

In this paper we use Critical Tiriti Analysis (CTA), a five-stage process, to review the extent to which the Act is compliant with the five elements of Te Tiriti (the authoritative Māori text), the preamble, the three written articles and the oral article. We found that the Act had very limited Tiriti compliance and the potential to do great harm. We offered practical suggestions how this could have been avoided.

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New Zealand Pae Ora Healthcare Reforms 2022: Viable by Design? A Qualitative Study Using the Viable System Model

New Zealand Pae Ora Healthcare Reforms 2022: Viable by Design? A Qualitative Study Using the Viable System Model

The New Zealand (NZ) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) health reforms came into effect in July 2022 with the establishment of Health New Zealand (HNZ) (Te Whatu Ora) and the Māori Health Authority (MHA) (Te Aka Whai Ora) – the organisations charged for healthcare provision...

Key issues

HEALTH SERVICES AND SYSTEMS

Covering developments in the provision, funding and organisation of health care services.

EQUITY

Exploring the impacts of the health system on minorities within the population, notably including Māori, Pacifica, Asians and LGBTQI.

DRUGS, DEVICE AND DIAGNOSTICS

Covering prescription medicines and medical devices.

PUBLIC HEALTH

Focusing on efforts to promote health and prevent disease through social and economic interventions.

DIGITAL HEALTH

Exploring the potential digital transformation to provide a more connected and accessible health system.

TE TIRITI

Monitoring how the health reforms and the performance of the health sector uphold Te Tiriti obligations.