Groups endorsed a Māori Health Authority because it would honour te Tiriti

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-09-24 03:00

New Zealand

Photo by Marcelo Leal on Unsplash

A new study analyses why groups endorsed setting up the Māori Health Authority, which was established in 2022 as part of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act, then disestablished in 2024. Researchers identified 155 public group submissions on the proposed Pae Ora Bill in 2021 that talked about the Māori Health Authority. They looked at why submitters endorsed it and how they recommended strengthening it, finding that reasons for support included honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi and having Māori led-solutions to address health inequity. The study authors conclude that abolishing the Māori Health Authority was in "stark contrast to the overwhelming majority of group submitters" and say submissions by health professionals, hapū, and iwi should have been considered when deciding on its future.

Journal/
conference: MAI Journal

Organisation/s: University of Waikato

Funder: This work was supported by the MBIE Endeavour Fund in 2020 (UOWX2002). We acknowledge the effort, time and resources invested by various health professional bodies, hapū, iwi, government sectors and community groups in composing detailed and comprehensive submissions supporting the establishment of the Māori Health Authority.

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