Misleading and Deceptive

A Cancer of Histrionic Exaggerations

The Waitangi Tribunal has come out claiming that the Government is responsible for "failing Maori in the health system."  For our part, we confess we are bored to tears by the endless panoply of histrionic claims about Maori needs and the failure of the Government to provide for those needs.  

Waitangi Tribunal claimant Tureiti Lady Moxon wants the Government to apologise for failing Māori in the health system.  "It's our people dying of preventable diseases, who are the worst off in this country, in a democratic society that's supposed to look after everybody," she said.  "They've failed us constantly."

The tribunal has just released its comprehensive, stage one report from the Health Services and Outcomes Kaupapa Inquiry. It found multiple Treaty breaches and serious failings by the Crown to fix Māori health inequities.  "The prejudice suffered by Māori because of these Crown failures is extensive," said the tribunal in its report.

It said despite the Crown investing some $220 billion into the health system since 2000, there's been little improvement in outcomes for Māori.  The tribunal considered the issue of Māori health to be so urgent it released its 256-page report within three months of finishing the hearings. It also wanted the report and evidence to be included in the Government's health and disability system review currently underway.

During its deliberations the tribunal released screeds of data which gave evidence of the appalling health statistics of Māori.  In its final statement the tribunal asked the Crown to acknowledge its overall failure to improve Māori health outcomes since implementing major reforms nearly 20 years ago. [Stuff]

What is a genuine puzzle, however, is how and why large numbers of Pacific Island migrants to New Zealand don't seem to suffer from a similar malaise.
  Pacific Islanders don't have the "support" and "benefits" of the Treaty of Waitangi, but somehow seem to establish themselves in fairly short order in this country and go on to prosper.  Maybe the Treaty of Waitangi is impeding the improvement of Maori health. Maybe Moxon and her colleagues are part of the problem, not the solution.

What about the assertion that there has been "little improvement in (health) outcomes for Maori"?   David Farrar at Kiwiblog begs to differ.

There is no doubt Maori New Zealanders have worse health outcomes than non-Maori. Incidentally males have worst health outcomes than females also.  But to say there has been no improvement is simply wrong. Life expectancy is arguably the most important health outcome. Let’s look at the stats:

The increase since 2000 is:

Non-Maori females 2 years
Non-Maori male 3.1 years
Maori female 3.9 years
Maori male Maori male 4.0 years

And if we go back to 1951, the increases have been:

Non-Maori females 12 years
Non-Maori male 12 years
Maori female 21 years
Maori male Maori male 19 years

There has been a stunning increase in life expectancy for Maori in New Zealand over the past eighteen years.  Let's repeat the actual statistics:

The increase since 2000 is:

Non-Maori females 2 years
Non-Maori male 3.1 years
Maori female 3.9 years
Maori male Maori male 4.0 years !!!

The most pressing disease we now need to focus upon in order to improve Maori health is to inoculate everyone against the cancer of extremist, emotive, codswallop issuing forth from the Waitangi Tribunal.