Te Pāti Māori co- leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is not happy with David Seymour's plans for Pharmac. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Te Pāti Māori co- leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is not happy with David Seymour's plans for Pharmac. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Te Pāti Māori is calling for David Seymour to stand down as the Associate Health Minister after he directed Pharmac to refrain from considering the Treaty of Waitangi.
Seymour, who has long campaigned for decreasing the Treaty’s application in Government, said on Tuesday the drug-buying agency had “burned a lot of energy” considering the Treaty as part of its work.
He inferred paying staff to do so was a waste of money as it was not directly tied to Pharmac’s core role to purchase drugs and technologies.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said Seymour was unfit to serve as Associate Health Minister and the party were calling for his resignation as people’s lives were at stake.
“It is absolutely rotten to the core for a minister to be asserting his bias, prejudice or influence over a board in that way,” Ngarewa-Packer said.
“Seymour thinks it is inappropriate for Pharmac to consider the Treaty, I say it is inappropriate for a racist to decide the Treaty’s place in the health sector.
“We are more likely to die from cancer and preventable illnesses but are the least likely to receive medical treatment. If David Seymour is willing to turn a blind eye to data because it doesn’t serve his anti-Tiriti agenda, then he is unfit to serve as a minister. People’s lives and oranga are at stake.”
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Photo / Mark Mitchell
In a statement, Seymour said he considered “Te Pāti Māori’s opposition an endorsement.”
“They speak for perhaps one in six Māori. The vast majority of New Zealanders, including the vast majority of Māori, want nothing to do with their race fanaticism.”
The directive was one of several included in Seymour’s letter of expectation sent to the agency in May but released publicly yesterday. Others included improving public trust and increasing consultation with patients and advocacy groups.
On the directive related to the Treaty of Waitangi, Seymour said the previous letter of expectation to the agency had included a specific expectation to consider how it could contribute to “embedding Te Tiriti o Waitangi across the health sector”.
“I do not believe this is an appropriate expectation to place on Pharmac.
“Pharmac’s role should focus on delivering improved health outcomes underpinned by robust data and evidence, in accordance with its statutory responsibilities. This should serve all New Zealanders based on actual need, without assigning their background as a proxy of need.”
Associate Health Minister David Seymour during his presentation at Pharmac in Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell
While he said there was no proof considering the Treaty had led to poorer health outcomes, Seymour believed it distracted from good outcomes. He noted he wasn’t opposed to considering ethnicity when delivering healthcare in cases where it was warranted, but said that was rare.
Labour’s health spokeswoman Dr Ayesha Verrall claimed Seymour’s directive took New Zealand backwards.
“There will be a lot of missed opportunities for improving the healthcare of New Zealanders without considering Te Tiriti.”
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon said ignoring the Treaty would “betray Māori” and aggravate already severe health inequities.
“Māori have been historically under served by our health system resulting in some shocking disparities across a wide range of indicators. Support for Māori health is a step towards equity.
