Pharmac Minister David Seymour has parried questions on the agency’s commitment to engagement with Māori through its strategy, Te Rautaki Whai Oranga, following the disestablishment of its Māori advisory group, Te Rōpū Māori, earlier this year.
That tussle between Seymour and Green List MP Huhana Lyndon kicks off Scrutiny Week, during which MPs grill sitting ministers on their various portfolios.
Lyndon asked a question about the agency’s commitment to Māori during the health subcommittee sitting.
“Te Rautaki Whai Oranga is our strategy for Pharmac, established in 2022. I’m really interested in hearing from the minister in terms of the board’s decision to disestablish te rōpū Māori, considering patient voices are so important."
Seymour dodged the question by stating that Pharmac is primarily concerned with the health and well-being of all New Zealanders.
“My expectation of Pharmac is to listen to and hear the voices of all New Zealanders.”
“We treat people first, as human beings, and to not make assumptions of people based on their background.”
Te Rōpū Māori was established in 2022 following a damning report detailing health outcomes for Māori, Pacific, and people with disabilities.
Seymour, as associate minister, is responsible for Pharmac, which saw an enormous increase in government spending, an additional $604 million over four years to fund or widen access to many more medicines, including cancer medicines.
Seymour said this year that it would be “inappropriate” for the agency to keep considering the Treaty of Waitangi’s place in the health sector, which saw the disestablishment of the advisory group.
Lyndon said after the meeting, “It’s disappointing to not be able to scrutinise Minister Seymour in a fulsome way especially when seeking to explore equity for Māori in strategy and policy.”
“Te Rautaki Whai Ora, the Pharmac Māori Health Strategy, sets out how the organisation will uphold Te Tiriti and prioritise outcomes for Māori.”
“Yet the minister refused to acknowledge the existence of the strategy, ignoring my questions. Does that mean Te Rautaki Whai Oranga is now redundant?”