Waatea News Column: Chris Luxon’s argument against the Māori Health Authority doesn’t make sense
National Party Leader, Christopher Luxon is struggling to make sense in the race relations debate we are currently having in this country.
At Ratana he had the audacity to describe the 3 Waters and Co-Governance debate as ‘divisive and immature’ but with the NZ Right being the loudest and most toxic voices in that debate, it’s a bit like an arsonist blaming the matches for the fire he has lit.
Christopher doubled down by questioning why we have the Māori Electorates and then managed to denounce the Māori Health Authority as speartisim while promising Iwi the health cash.
Christopher knows your average ACT and National voter have no idea what the Māori Health Authority actually is. Most of them think it’s an actual Māori Hospital that won’t allow white people into it which couldn’t be further from the truth.
The Māori Health Authority is simply a bureaucratic structure that attempts to prioritise better health outcomes for Māori, out of a Health budget of tens of billions it is a mere $170m.
Christopher is denouncing it and painting it as separatist while then promising the cash go direct to Iwi health providers.
While Iwi Health providers SHOULD be given extra funds, replacing the Māori Health Authority simply means National will ghettoise Māori Health.
Our public health services must be attuned to providing Māori with culturally appropriate services that lead to better outcomes but by handing the money directly to Iwi providers, a National Government could simply shrug off criticism that the public health services are failing Māori because we’ve given Iwi providers the money.
Māori health isn’t either or.
We need more funding of Iwi health providers AND we need more Māori Health Authority influence in the Public health system.
National are playing political games with Māori health and that is as deeply saddening as it is outrageous.
First published on Waatea News.
This guy is definitely White, Pale and Stale. Typical Sheep Sh****** from Canterbury IMHO.
Luxton, Seymour and Winston all appealing to the Red Neck Voters.
Both policies are wrong.
What will “ghettoise Māori health” is leaving everyone living in a ghetto!
Of course the neoliberals seem to have banned any discussion of slum clearance, Full Employment Policy, or desegregationist housing projects.
Social Security was supposed to provide entirely free healthcare: medicines were originally free, and primary care clinics were supposed to bulk bill the government for G.P. appointments (which meant those were free also).
The mistake M.J. Savage made was that he didn’t make primary care clinics a permanent part of the national health service. At one time there were free primary care clinics being operated by the hospitals, which should have become the centre of the entire system.
Native language services is one area where something “separate” is required. The Department should liase with the tribes to ensure this is available at major clinics.
Maori Health Authority just sounds like money for bureaucrats. Probably what is really needed is just a lot more maori doctors and nurses. Especially nurses so that maori have first contact with scientific medicine through a nurse in their family, family friend circle, local community.
You need to remember Graham Hart was initially gifted a State Asset “The National Printing Press Business”, for a pittance by Roger Douglas and his cronies. That’s how he started on the road to his fortune, right place at the right time, knowing the right people, nudge, nudge, wink, wink.