NZ Prime Minister Luxon has criticised Hawke’s Bay health professionals for focusing on young Māori and Pasifika for free GP and nurse services. Now, people aged 14 to 24 from these ethnic groups will no longer get free services based on their ethnicity.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that the policy was wrong. He stated that healthcare should be provided based on need, not ethnicity, and that the health minister has intervened to fix the issue.
Health Minister Shane Reti agreed, saying the policy went against the government’s guidelines. He emphasized that healthcare resources should be distributed based on need first, and then focus on vulnerable groups.
Labour MP Cushla Tangaere Manuel argued that targeting Māori in the health system is important due to their historically poorer health statistics and limited access to care. She believes that addressing these needs is not divisive but necessary.
Reti supported ending the policy, stating that both Māori and non-Māori can have high needs, so healthcare should be distributed based on need, not ethnicity.
Luxon added that healthcare should be provided to all New Zealanders based on their needs, not their ethnicity.
