· $168 million to the Māori Health Authority for direct commissioning of services

· $20.1 million to support Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards

· $30 million to support Māori primary and community care providers

· $39 million for Māori health workforce development

Budget 2022 invests in resetting our health system and gives economic security in good times and in bad.

“For Māori, this means reforming our health system so the health needs of Māori are met consistently,” Peeni Henare said.

“What Māori have always wanted is a health system that takes care of them and that meets their needs in a way that makes them feel comfortable, but that is not what our health system has delivered to date.

“Māori deserve to live longer and healthier lives, and that is why this Government is reforming our healthcare system, and why we established a new Māori Health Authority as part of the reform.

“Māori die at twice the rate as non-Māori from cardiovascular disease, Māori tamariki have a mortality rate one-and-a-half times the rate found in non-Māori children, Māori are more likely to be diagnosed and die from cancer, and Māori die on average seven years earlier than non-Māori.

“To ensure our healthcare system and the Māori Health Authority can provide better health services to whānau, Budget 2022 invests $168 million over four years for direct commissioning of services.

For our whānau, this means the Māori Health Authority will be able to fund services that best suit our people and the services they are asking for. It means Māori will now be treated by the right people, in the right way.

“We must also ensure that we provide space for Māori to exercise their own rangatiratanga at a local and regional level.

“A further $20.1 million over four years has been allocated to support the development of Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards and ensure the voice of iwi and whānau is strongly represented across our new healthcare system.

“The funding for the Iwi-Māori Partnerships Boards will enable them to assess the health services Māori and whānau need at a local level, and the funding provided to the Māori Health Authority will then be able to pay for the services to meet those needs.

“The Māori Health Authority can also work with Health New Zealand to better align the services they provide to deliver what Māori need and want in their own communities.

“In addition, this Budget rightly acknowledges the critical role Māori providers and health workers played in our response to COVID-19 and are central to ensuring we can implement new models of care through our reformed health system. We are providing $30 million to support providers and sustain capital infrastructure.

“We are also investing $39 million to provide the Māori health workforce with additional access to training and development to support them within the new health system, so they can continue to deliver much needed services to whānau Māori across Aotearoa.

“Budget 2022 is about investing in our new healthcare system, a system that will see better health outcomes for Māori.

“Māori deserve a healthcare system that takes care of them and that responds to their needs. We are delivering that and more, in building a health system that takes care of Māori,” Peeni Henare said.

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