Govt axes specialist Māori body advising Pharmac without consulting Māori

The Government is again turning its back on improving health outcomes for Māori with Pharmac’s decision to axe the three year old Māori advisory group - Te Rōpū.

Pharmac only established Te Rōpū in 2021 after a damning independent review of the agency and health outcomes for Māori, Pacific and people with disabilities. The decision was announced by the new Pharmac Chair and former National Deputy PM Paula Bennett.

"This is another sad indictment of the priority the National-led Government places on improving the health of Māori," said Fleur Fitzsimons, Assistant Secretary for Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Public Service Association.

"It ignores all the evidence that specialist advice is exactly what Pharmac wanted to ensure it did better at delivering the health solutions tailored to Māori needs."

The eight member Te Rōpū included doctors, pharmacists, researchers, and directors.

"These are medical specialists providing timely and expert advice. After just three years, how can that still not be an incredibly valuable service for Pharmac?

"But Pharmac didn’t even bother to consult Te Rōpū. Again, the Government has taken a decision based on ideology which fundamentally impacts Māori without consulting Māori. This is simply insulting to Māori.

"This also comes on top of the Government directing Pharmac not to consider te Tiriti in its funding decisions.

"The decision continues the Government’s health agenda to deprioritise Māori health following the abolition of Te Aka Whai Ora despite evidence from public health experts that it was needed.

"Across the public service, we are seeing the Government overriding its legal obligations under te Tiriti and washing its hands of the partnership between the Crown and Māori that previous governments embraced.

"All government agencies have been directed to ensure public services must be delivered by need and not race. Specialist Māori advisors have been axed across Ministries and agencies.

"The Pharmac decision just continues this destructive agenda of the Government at a time when Māori remain disadvantaged across so many leading indicators. It’s wrong."