Te Taura Ora Slams Pae Ora Bill as Blow to Māori Health Equity
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.
Original Article: https://waateanews.com/2025/09/03/te-taura-ora-slams-pae-ora-bill-as-blow-to-maori-health-equity/
Māori health front and centre from cancers to overall hauora
Waatea News Radio Interview
Rawiri Bhana is a strategic leader with Te Taura Ora o Waiariki, bringing deep expertise in Māori governance, tikanga, and land development to advance iwi aspirations across the Te Arawa rohe. As Aotearoa faces deepening health inequalities and the ongoing fallout from the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority (Te Aka Whai Ora), Māori-led health solutions are proving to be not just necessary-but transformative. Grounded in whakapapa, wairua, and whānau-centred care, iwi, hapū, and Māori providers across the motu are building a parallel system of care designed by Māori, for Māori.
Despite decades of health reform, Māori continue to experience:
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A 7-year life expectancy gap compared to non-Māori
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Higher rates of preventable diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease
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Barriers to accessing care, including institutional racism, cost, and cultural disconnection
These disparities have led to a rising demand for Māori-led responses that prioritise mana motuhake-self-determination-and reflect a holistic view of health grounded in te ao Māori.
Original Article Source: https://waateanews.com/2025/07/08/ata-tu-rawiri-bhana/
Insights From Rawiri Bhana on Te Arawa Hauora Data Stories
Te Hiku Radio Interview
I te ata nei kōrero tahi ai mātou ki a Rawiri Bhana e pā ana ki ngā “Te Arawa hauora data stories”, me ngā hua o tēnei mō te iwi o Te Arawa. Anei āna kōrero.
[This morning we had a conversation with Rawiri Bhana about the “Te Arawa hauora data stories” and the benefits of this for the Te Arawa people. Here is what he said.]
Original Article: https://tehiku.nz/te-hiku-radio/kuaka-marangaranga/53517/insights-from-rawiri-bhana-on-te-arawa-hauora-data-stories