The Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation (WBOP PHO) has made a formal submission opposing the Government’s proposed Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill.
This Bill weakens the equity and Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles at the heart of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022, removing legal obligations to address health inequities and dismantling proven mechanisms for improving Māori health outcomes. It disregards the recommendations from Wai 2575 (Waitangi Tribunal) Report and also reduces the decision-making role of Māori in the health system, downgrading Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards (IMPB) to advisory-only status.
Our community knows that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to healthcare does not work. Removing culturally safe, equity-focused requirements risks widening the gap for Māori, Pacific Peoples, Disability, Migrant, Rainbow and other underserved communities. Outsourcing more services to the private sector will further fragment care and shift focus away from collective wellbeing.
We believe this Bill moves us backwards, away from a healthcare system that truly works for everyone. For these reasons, we are calling for the Amendment Bill to be abandoned.
