Legislation to disestablish the Māori Health Authority, as moved in Parliament today, heralds the start of a new vision for Māori health, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.

“My dream for the health system isn't about bureaucratic structures and endless plans and reports; it's about identifying need and responding to it.

“One of the fundamental differences in approach to health is enabled by this legislation: this Government believes that decisions should be made closer to the community, to the home and the hapū. Local circumstances require local solutions rather than national bureaucracies.

The iwi-Māori partnership boards will have a role in planning and delivery of healthcare in their communities. Local input into health services, especially primary and community services, is good for everyone and a priority for this Government.

Key differences from the previous government across all of Health include:

• health workforce as the biggest hurdle
• targets at the forefront of our health policy
• we believe in decentralising as close to the home and hapu as possible

There will be more to say and more thinking to be done. We need to have ways of working that identify and support local solutions to local health challenges. That means using data, measuring progress, and working with people who know their communities best.”

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