In light of David Seymour directing Pharmac to no longer consider Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Te Pāti Māori has called for his resignation as associate Health Minister.
Seymour said Te Tiriti isn’t relevant to the work Pharmac does and the removal won’t impact Māori health outcomes.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and health spokesperson, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said, “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.”
While Seymour thinks it’s inappropriate for Pharmac to consider the treaty, Ngarewa-Packer says “it is inappropriate for a racist to decide the treaty’s place in the health sector.”
Ngarewa-Packer said Seymour admitted himself there was no proof that considering Te Tiriti led to bad health outcomes, meanwhile Māori disproportionately have worst health outcomes and the presence of Te Tiriti o Waitangi serves the bridge that gap.
“David Seymour couldn’t care less that Māori die 7 years earlier than the rest of Aotearoa,” she said.
“We are more likely to die from cancer and preventable illnesses but are the least likely to receive medical treatment.”
The health sector should be guided by the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, she said, and emphasised the document is what consents to this government’s existence.
Ngarewa-Packer said the health sector should not be guided by the leader of a party who received 8% of the vote.
She called the announcement “nothing more than a racist dog whistle” and message to his supporters that he is doing his real job, “erasing Māori rights and whitewashing Aotearoa.”
“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.”
In a statement to Te Ao Māori News, 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.”