9. TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Māori Party) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
What percentage of the $34 million allocated to Plunket is dedicated to addressing Māori health, and how is this demonstrated in the contract between the Ministry of Health and Plunket?
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) Link to this
Just over one-fifth of all new babies in Plunket’s care are Māori, but they probably receive somewhat more services than that, because Plunket’s services are targeted somewhat towards lower socio-economic groups.
Is it correct that Plunket has not performed well in the highest-deprivation area, deciles 8 to 10; and what will the Minister instruct the Ministry of Health to do about that in the development of its Well Child contract?
I substantially disagree with the member’s assertion that Plunket has not performed well in the area of deciles 8 to 10, though it is true that it took Plunket a while to get there. The Government believes that Plunket’s face-to-face contracts are generally of a very high standard.
Sue MoroneyHas the Government’s investment in Plunket increased since 2000; if so, by how much has it increased?
This Labour-led Government has increased public investment in Plunket by more than 60 percent since 2000. This Government values the Well Child services that have made Plunket the institution it is today, and this Government is willing to invest heavily in these services in order to improve the health of all New Zealand children.
Why is Plunket negotiating with the ministry to use the $2 million of underspent funding that should have been spent on Māori and Pacific health to pay for the multi-employment collective agreement with nurses; and what action will the Minister instruct the Ministry of Health to take?
The member has raised a matter about which I was unaware. I say to her that funding for Plunket is targeted not by ethnicity but by socio-economic deprivation, therefore it is difficult for me to agree with her assertion that some Māori and Pacific funding has gone somewhere else.
Does the Minister consider that this underspend and reallocation of funding will address the disparities in Māori health; if not, why not?
The Government’s approach to the Well Child contracts, be they with Plunket—which provides about 80 percent of the contracts—or with the other 60 or 70 Tāmariki Ora Well Child Schedule providers throughout the country, is based in part on socio-economic deprivation, but it is not based on ethnicity.