Te Taura Ora IMPB Warns Pae Ora Bill Worsens Inequities Urges Abandonment
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki, the Iwi Māori Partnership Board (IMPB), will make a formal submission before Parliament’s Select Committee on Tuesday 2 September at 9:50am on the Pae Ora Bill. Deputy Chairperson Jenny Kaka-Scott will present to Subcommittee A, chaired by Sam Uffindell, with members Dr Carlos Cheung, Cameron Luxton, Hūhana Lyndon, and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
“This Bill undermines the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by stripping away statutory protections that give Māori genuine influence in health service design and delivery decisions impacting our people,” Jenny Kaka-Scott said.
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki opposes the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill because it reduces Māori from being meaningful decision-makers to advisors to the Minister’s advisors, which represents a constitutional regression.
“The Pae Ora Act 2022 is one of the few modern health laws that truly embeds Te Tiriti into governance, service design, and monitoring, and the proposed amendments would weaken those protections nationwide.”
She said that IMPBs must be strengthened to maintain statutory authority to monitor the health sector independently, partner in local service design and delivery, and hold the power to appoint a majority of Hauora Māori Advisory Committee members who are accountable to iwi.
“This ensures real influence over our local health services, rather than tokenistic consultation. Weakening IMPBs also undermines Crown credibility, Tiriti compliance, and accountability in Māori health,” she said.
Kaka-Scott said the Bill also risks dismantling mechanisms that are already delivering positive outcomes for Māori. Te Taura is one of 15 IMPBs operating across Aotearoa, providing a vehicle for rangatiratanga in health. Removing their statutory functions would undermine these proven approaches and weaken local voices in health planning.
“In our Te Arawa rohe, Te Taura Ora o Waiariki has successfully partnered with Rotorua Hospital, local PHOs, Hauora Māori providers, Bay of Plenty Public Health, and community leaders to embed local priorities into Regional Health and Wellbeing Plans. Our partnerships demonstrate how IMPBs improve outcomes on the ground through genuine Te Tiriti-based engagement and co-design.”
These local successes highlight what is at stake, as the Bill’s proposed changes risk undermining the very mechanisms that are improving Māori health outcomes and addressing persistent inequities in Te Arawa.
“Evidence shows that Māori continue to experience shorter life expectancy and higher rates of preventable hospitalisations. By removing mandatory engagement, cultural responsiveness, and independent monitoring, the Bill would reduce culturally safe care, allow inequities to go unreported, and impose one-size-fits-all universalism solutions that fail to meet local Māori needs,” Kaka-Scott said.
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki is calling on Parliament to abandon the Bill or at worst, redraft it to retain and strengthen statutory Te Tiriti protections, IMPB powers, and co-design mechanisms. Until such changes are made, the Pae Ora Act 2022 remains in force, and Te Whatu Ora Health NZ must fully comply with its current statutory requirements.
Media Liaison: Sarah Sparks Email: Sarah.sparks@sparksconsulting.co.nz Mobile: 021318813
Proposed Pae Ora Bill Sparks Concern as Local Iwi Māori Partnership Board Warns of Silenced Māori Voices
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki, the Iwi Māori Partnership Board (IMPB) has just returned from a landmark national hui in New Plymouth, where 15 Iwi Māori Partnership Boards united to oppose government plans that threaten to silence Māori voices and weaken decades of hard-won health partnerships guaranteed under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“What we’ve learned is the public health system is actually not doing really well for our people, and we have known this for many years,” said Te Taura Ora Chair, Hingatu Thompson.
The first monitoring report released by Te Taura Ora o Waiariki IMPB revealed critical gaps in prevention and access for Māori in Te Arawa, highlighting low cancer screening rates and the country’s lowest child immunisation coverage, underscoring the urgent need for greater investment in Māori-led health solutions.
“What was encouraging with the original Pae Ora Act was that mana returned to Te Arawa to take control, to analyse data ourselves with our Whānau Voice surveying that gathers our own information from whānau our rohe to influence priorities.”
“However, now the government’s proposed changes in the Pae Ora Bill threaten to remove iwi’s meaningful participation and advice on the future of hauora for our people.”
Thompson said Te Arawa has maintained strong hauora partnerships across successive governments and will continue to do so. However, the proposed legislation risks sidelining iwi voices by channelling feedback primarily through the Minister-appointed Hauora Māori Advisory Committee (HMAC) which lacks representation from Waiariki, instead of empowering locally appointed Iwi Māori Partnership Boards to engage directly at regional and community levels, where real, meaningful change occurs.
“As Iwi Māori Partnership Boards, we have unique regional and local priorities and accountability to our whānau at home. We must work directly with Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand at these levels to influence how services are delivered, who delivers them, and ultimately to achieve better outcomes for Māori in our rohe. The government’s talk of ‘streamlining’ feels like a convenient way to reduce Māori engagement,” Thompson said.
Te Taura Ora o Waiariki IMPB strongly supports:
- Retaining and clarifying the accountability of HMAC to iwi Māori through IMPBs.
- Strengthening IMPB roles to provide regional and local advice to Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand.
- Developing new health strategies with specific actions to improve Māori health outcomes.
- Opposing any amendments to the Pae Ora Act that weaken or replace the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“The government’s own analysis shows these changes will have minimal positive impact on Māori health outcomes, yet they risk diminishing Māori involvement. We firmly believe that continuing and enhancing the current partnership model will lead to genuine improvements and reduced inequities.”
“While that national hui is only the beginning of a national conversation, common themes are emerging, iwi and IMPBs do not support these proposed changes and question their necessity.”
“We are committed to working together nationally to form a single, strong voice, but improving life expectancy, child immunisation rates, accessibility to health delivery services locally and regionally is where we need to make the ultimate progress.”
Each IMPB, including Te Taura Ora o Waiariki, will submit their own detailed submission to the Health Committee on the proposed legislation by 18 August. Thompson intends to present in person to the select committee on behalf of whānau in Waiariki.
Media Liaison: Sarah Sparks
Email: Sarah.sparks@sparksconsulting.co.nz
Mobile: 021318813
See the photo gallery below for a snapshot of the conference.
Māori voices silenced in health, again
Cabinet has approved a suite of amendments to the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act, including changes which the health minister says will “clarify” and “streamline” the role of Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards.
But the boards say it’s another structural attack designed to shut out Māori decision-making, writes Tūwharetoa board chair Louisa Wall.
The government’s Pae Ora amendment bill proposes to relegate Iwi Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs) to “advisory status”.
IMPBs were established under the Pae Ora Act in 2022 to ensure the health needs and priorities of Māori communities are met. Boards can commission services, set priorities, and monitor performance.
Under proposed changes to the act, the boards will report only to the Hauora Māori Advisory Committee, which provides advice as requested by the Minister of Health.
We will no longer be tasked with local service design and delivery. Instead, our job will be to “engage” and “advise”. These changes take us from active partners to passive recipients.
This is not partnership. It’s the erosion of partnership by bureaucratic design.
At our recent national hui, we rejected these new constraints. Our boards are not community noticeboards or consultation panels.
We are iwi-led system partners with both the capacity and the accountability to shape investment, monitor performance, commission kaupapa Māori services, and hold the health system to account to save lives.
Without empowered IMPBs, Māori health equity will remain out of reach.
This is a national issue that affects everyone. When the system fails Māori, it fails us all.
That’s because structural inequities are not only unjust, they’re inefficient. A health system that sidelines local expertise wastes resources, reduces responsiveness, and entrenches poor outcomes.
The reason our boards were formed in the first place was to make access — and early access — to the health system possible for Māori. That’s what we’ve been focused on.
We provide the most direct path to ensure investment decisions are grounded in the realities of our communities. That is what gives the system integrity.
Our national hui this week affirmed that IMPBs are seeking partnership. Authentic, equitable partnership where responsibility is shared.
Our kōrero reminded us that Te Tiriti is not symbolic. It establishes mutual responsibilities between the Crown and Māori. To diminish our boards’ role is to undermine the very essence of the partnership promised under Pae Ora. We cannot allow structural disempowerment to be disguised as reform.
Our collective call is clear:
- Restore and strengthen IMPBs’ statutory functions under sections 29 and 30 of Pae Ora.
- Activate section 90 to give IMPBs the power to nominate Māori members to the Hauora Māori Advisory Committee.
- Resource IMPBs properly so we can lead commissioning, planning and monitoring with integrity.
- Require Te Whatu Ora to engage in genuine co-design, not consultation after the fact.
As we left the hui, one phrase echoed in my mind: “Whakakotahi te ngākau.” Uniting our hearts. Kotahitanga gives us strength.
The future of hauora Māori can’t be decided in Wellington offices alone. It must be shaped by iwi and hapū at the flaxroots, in partnership with the Crown, accountable to whānau, and driven by the vision of healthier, stronger communities for all.
The latest iteration of changes is designed to diminish our role, but we are servants of our people.
All of us have a mandate from hapū and iwi to represent our whānau voices, so we will continue to do that in spite of this government.
That is the promise of Pae Ora. That is the promise we intend to uphold.
Submissions on the proposed amendments close on August 18.
Article by: Louisa Wall
Original Source: https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/maori-voices-silenced-in-health-again/
IMPBs uniting against Pae Ora amendments in bid to protect Māori voice
Leaders from all 15 iwi Māori partnership boards are in New Plymouth to present a united front against the Government’s proposed changes to the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022.
Speaking to media attending the hui this morning, Tūwharetoa IMPB chair Louisa Wall says the Government’s actions are “appalling”.
“We had a stunning relationship with our first minister, Peeni Henare, and then a stunning relationship with our second minister, Dr Shane Reti,” Ms Wall says.
“This minister hasn’t even met with us, so it’s appalling behaviour for our partners in the system who say they put patients first.”
But, given boards are now incorporated societies or charitable entities, she says they will continue pushing for system changes within their role regardless of any new legislation: “None of that will change, but it’s easier if we have a formal relationship.”
“This move silences our voices and severs a critical connection”
Proposed changes to act
The amendment bill, which will also change the act’s name to Healthy Futures (Pae Ora), takes away current board functions relating to business planning, service design and service monitoring, and replaces them with the single task of collecting the “whānau voice” on healthcare priorities.
This feedback will then be passed to the Hauora Māori Advisory Committee which will inform the new board of Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora.
The amendments are also likely to include the creation of new IMPBs for Tūhoe and the Chatham Islands.
Critical connection severed
In a media release, Hiria Te Paki, chair of hosting Taranaki IMPB, Te Punanga Ora, says the amendments reduce boards from active partners to passive recipients and undermine long-standing partnerships: “Telling us after the fact is not consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“This move silences our voices and severs a critical connection between Māori communities and the health system,” says Mr Te Paki.
“Māori are still dying, on average, seven years younger than non-Māori. Diluting our leadership and input will only deepen these inequities.”
Ms Wall, a former Labour Party MP, says the dilution of the IMPB role undermines the health system and shows achieving equity is no longer a priority: “(The Government), I guess, will put (the health system) back to first come, first serve. Whoever knows the system is going to be able to access the services…”
Parliamentary debate kicks off
The amendment bill was presented to Parliament for its first reading by health minister Simeon Brown on 22 July.
In the Hansard report of the debate Mr Brown, when presenting the bill, says the changes bring “greater focus” to the role of IMPBs, while HMAC, which is made up of members appointed by the minister who work part-time and meet monthly, will have “a clear statutory function”.
In response, Labour Party health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says the changes are ideological and will cause “a terrible loss of Māori voice, and our health system will be worse for it”.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer stood “in fierce opposition to this ridiculous bill” which she says goes against the advice of healthcare experts.
“I can’t wait to get the opportunity in government in 2026 to repeal this bill fast as we can.”
National MPs defend bill
After National Party MP and health select committee chair Sam Uffindell called Ms Ngarewa-Packer’s speech “the worst I’ve ever heard in the House” his colleague, specialist GP Vanessa Weenink, attacked the previous Labour Government’s reforms as an “omnishambles” that disrupted decision-making and communication: “No one has had either the authority, or, frankly, temerity to make any decisions, and the responsibility for the consequences of that have been opaque as well.”
The bill has been sent to Parliament’s health committee for public submissions and is scheduled to be reported back to the house by 24 November.
The National Iwi Māori Partnership Board Hui Tahi is being held in New Plymouth’s Devon Hotel from 7 –8 August.
Article by: Alan Perrott
Original Source: https://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/article/news/impbs-uniting-against-pae-ora-amendments-bid-protect-maori-voice?check_logged_in=1