National Urban Māori Authority chair, Lady Tureiti Moxon, is encouraging the Crown to formally include the 2019 Hauora report of the Waitangi Tribunal by including it in the whakapapa of the health reform historical record. Photo: Supplied
Rōpū claimants who have been fighting for the past 17 years in the long-running Waitangi Tribunal Hauora inquiry are a step closer to closing the final chapter on underfunding grievances with the Crown.
Last year a 66-page report calculated Māori Primary healthcare providers' losses could be as high as $531 million.
Claimants met for 90 minutes in Parliament with Health Minister Andrew Little, Associate Health Minister, Peeni Henare and government officials on Thursday.
It was the first chance to hear the Minister's reaction to the report and address unfinished parts of the contemporary claim centred on historic health inequities.
National Urban Māori Authority chair, Lady Tureiti Moxon, commended their leadership.
"I think that they have been very brave and courageous in being able to do that, given that this is the first time in the history of this country, that Māori have actually been given recognition by the Crown as being an important partner under to Te Tiriti O Waitangi," said Lady Moxon.
Moxon also encouraged the Crown to formally include the 2019 Hauora report of the Waitangi Tribunal by including it in the whakapapa of the health reform historical record.
She wants to see more funding given to Māori healthcare providers, especially when a lot of their patients are around 80 to 90 percent Māori.
"It takes a lot more time for brown doctors to spend with them to make sure that they're doing what needs to be done correctly, that it takes a lot more resource. And we're actually spending a lot more on our people than what other medical centres might be might be doing," said Lady Moxon.
She also wants support behind Te Aka Whai Ora - The Māori Health Authority.
The other outstanding issue in the meeting, included an apology to Ngāti Pikiao from the Crown for the way they were treated in 2005.
"So the Ministry of Health are dealing and working together with Ngāti Pikiao to look at what that apology might look like, and to talk about when that might happen," said Lady Moxon.
For the first time, Ministry of Health officials attributed the Sapere report to changing health reforms in areas such as workforce development, infrastructure, and commissioning.
Claimant, Taitimu Maipi said: "We stated our people were dying due to an unjust and racist New Zealand health system. We are now ready to settle after 17 years."
The next steps being progressed between parties are addressing the last remaining recommendations by the Waitangi Tribunal.
Chief executive of Te Arawhiti, Glenn Webber, remarked that he was struck by the length of time the claimants have been trying to address the issue.