Te Taura Ora IMPB Oral Submission
Deputy Chairperson Jenny Kaka-Scott presented the Te Taura Ora oral submission to Subcommittee A, chaired by Sam Uffindell, with members Dr Carlos Cheung, Cameron Luxton, Hūhana Lyndon, and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
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
15 Iwi Māori Partnership Boards sign collective submission on the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill
History has been made. All 15 Iwi Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs) across Aotearoa spanning from Te Tai Tokerau down to Te Waipounamu, have worked together to review, provide feedback, and endorse a united submission on the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill. While IMPB’s have collaborated on many kaupapa before, this milestone cements their combined impact and influence at the national level.
This follows the National IMPB Hui held in Taranaki earlier this month. It was there that momentum was galvanised, and the respective boards committed to continue moving as one voice.
“This is a historic moment,” says Kandi Ngataki, Chair of Ngaa Pou Hauora oo Taamaki Makaurau.
“Fifteen Boards, representing iwi and whānau from every rohe in the country, are standing as one. It is kotahitanga in action, Te Tiriti-centred, a united voice coupled with a firm commitment to shaping the future for whānau.”
The submission itself makes clear that IMPB’s do not support any changes to the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 that weaken obligations to Te Tiriti. IMPB boards are particularly concerned about the repeal of sections that remove the statutory obligation of Te Whatu Ora to engage with and be accountable to Iwi, and provisions that undermine Māori authority over matters affecting hauora Māori.
The collective IMPB submission has been officially lodged to the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill Committee.
He waka eke noa.
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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.
Iwi Māori Partnership Boards concerned their role minimised under Pae Ora Act changes
This article was first published on RNZ.
Iwi Māori Partnership Boards are concerned changes to the Pae Ora Act minimises their role.
A national hui hosted by Te Punanga Ora in Taranaki brought all 15 Iwi Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs) together for the first time since their establishment in 2022.
The gathering followed the first reading of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Amendment Bill which is set to ‘rebuild the health system’.
There are four things within the proposed changes that Hingatu Thompson from Te Taura Ora o Waiariki IMPB wants the government to reconsider.
“One is we don’t agree that te Tiriti should be removed out of all legislation. The second thing is, there is a Hauora Māori Advisory Committee (HMAC), we support them having a national role, but we think they should be accountable to iwi and we can provide that channel.
“The third thing is there’s a Māori health strategy still within the Act, and we just want to endorse that. There’s no way New Zealand is going to achieve improvement in Māori health without having a plan.”
His fourth concern was the role of IMPBs. Thompson said if their roles were taken away, it would be harder for Māori health to improve.
“It’s about the Treaty relationship, te Tiriti o Waitangi, how Māori engage with the Crown to ensure Māori are well and to make sure there is a difference for all of the inequity that we see because Māori do die younger. We do have access to the same services, but the outcomes are worse.”
It was announced last week that life expectancy for Māori had increased more than any other ethnic group in New Zealand, but the 3.1 year increase still kept Māori at the bottom of the rung.
“It would be interesting to see where those statistics are generated from,” Te Pununga Ora deputy chair Mitchell Ritai said.
From heart conditions to gout, Ritai said certain medical conditions contributed to Māori dying earlier than non-Māori.
“These are all historical issues and we need a system that helps to ensure that these inequities that we’re experiencing as Māori are addressed in the correct way.”
He believed it should be up to local people in communities who should lead the way.
“Interventions, programmes, initiatives to help improve health statistics should be led locally. The change to the Pae Ora Act stops that and that’s one of our concerns is that our voice, and the voice of our whānau, may potentially be silenced with these amendments.”
It was through the Tino Rangatiratanga clause under article two of te Tiriti o Waitangi that got IMPBs off the ground, Ritai said, it was an ability for Māori to have a direct connection to decision makers at a local level around addressing health inequities for Māori.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the Pae Ora legislation was the last of the changes that the “government has made to strip out te Tiriti, to strip out equity approaches to Māori health”.
“It’s gutting for a lot of entities that have been around forever and tried the mainstream health way and seen how it’s failing Māori.
“The sadness is that we’re tangata whenua. We’re the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa. And the government doesn’t think that we’re worth protecting. It’s quite heartbreaking when you look at the level of commitment that iwi have given.”
With the backing of whakapapa and mana, IMPBs are iwi-led and iwi-appointed, therefore they hold aspirations within each of the regional iwi, Ngarewa-Packer said.
“What we’ve been trying to do is go out to create health services in a regional bespoke way that makes sure that you can either go out to marae or go to the kaumātua wānanga, be where rangatahi are and deal with it as best suits for those communities in a regional sense.
“And that’s what the Iwi Māori Partnership Boards are mandated to do… advise and determine where investment should be.”
Public submissions on the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill close Monday, 18 August.
By Emma Andrews of RNZ.
Original Article: https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2025/08/10/iwi-maori-partnership-boards-concerned-their-role-minimised-under-pae-ora-act-changes/
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
Our Submission to the Draft Rotorua Local Alcohol Policy 2025
We recently submitted feedback to the Rotorua Lakes Council on the Draft Local Alcohol Policy 2025. Our submission, reflects our ongoing commitment to whānau wellbeing and harm reduction. We support evidence-based measures that prioritise community safety, limit alcohol-related harm, and uphold the mana of our people and places. See our submission below: