Nā te korenga o te Māori e rīpoata ō rātou wharanga, he nui ka mahue te āwhina e tika ana i a ACC. Ko 'Whāia Te Tika' te rautaki a ACC hei whakapūmau i ngā korowai āwhina e wātea ana ki te Māori.
Ko te Mema Paremata o Reipa, kāpene ō mua hoki o Ngā Mamaku, ko Louisa Wall e mārama ana ki ngā uauatanga o te whakawhirinaki atu ki a ACC.
"I know historically for a lot of Māori its really difficult to get into the system", te kōrero a Wall.
E waru ō rau noa iho o ngā kerēme ACC ka ahu mai i te Māori, ko te tatau iti rawa tērā mō ngā kerēme katoa. Heoi ehara i te mea he haumaru rawa atu te noho a te Māori i te mahi, i ngā papa tākaro rānei, e ai ki a Kahurangi Paula Rebstock, hea o te Poari o ACC.
"Māori take up ACC services at a lower level than the wider population. We have no reason to believe their injury rates are lower in fact in some injury types they may be higher", tā Rebstock kōrero.
Hei tāna anō, ko tā ACC e aronui nei, he whakapūmau i ngā ara e wātea ana ki te Māori. Ko te pātai kē, he aha ia te take kaare te Māori i te whai i aua ara?
O te 238,800 o ngā wharanga i te wāhi mahi i kerēmehia i te tau ki muri, ko te nuinga i ahu mai i ngā ahumahi ahuwhenua, ngahere, hao ika anō hoki, he tū mahi muia e te Māori.
E ai ki a Wall, ko te āhei kia haere ki te tākuta, he mea nui.
"I think it’s about access, because if you can’t see a doctor to get a diagnosis or get referred to a specialist then it’s very difficult to have your problem determined and therefore what treatment options are available”.
E ai ki te Tāhuhu Rangapū o ACC, ki a Scott Pickering, mā te whakarite huarahi e hāngai pū ana ki te Māori pea tēnei take e whakatika.
"From our perspective it is in some cases its education but it is also creating models that will actually fit for Māori as well. And we recognise the need to change".
Ko tā Pickering anō, "Rehabilitation may not necessarily fit with Māori principles so we're just trying to be more flexible to allow greater access, and greater understand to drive better outcomes for Māori. And it is not something that is a one year strategy this is something that we must inbed, it must be authentic and it must be long term”.
Ahakoa te manawanui me te māia o ACC, arā tonu ngā ārai nui.
"We've got a real lack of resources”, te whakatau a te Minita Āwhina Take ACC, a Willie Jackson.
“I have already talked to my officials about a possible national hui in terms of Māori before the end of the year".
E mārama ana ngā kaimahi o ACC ki ngā āhuatanga hei mahi e pai ake ai te tirohanga atu o te Māori ki a rātou, te kauhau hoki i ngā painga a ACC ki ngā whānau.