9. Hon MITA RIRINUI (Labour) Link to this
to the Associate Minister of Health
He aha ngā whakapaitanga kei te rapua e ia mō te hauora me te oranga o ngā tamariki me ngā whānau Māori?
[What steps is she taking to improve the health and well-being of Māori tamariki and their whānau?]
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) Link to this
Kei roto i ngā kaupapa o Te Manatū Hauora ngā tikanga hei whāinga kia tautokohia ngā whānau kia tae ake ki te taumata o te ora. Ko tāku ki te mema, tirohia taua kaupapa.
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[The honourable Minister Tariana Turia states that support for families to achieve maximum health and well being is in the Ministry of Health’s statement of intent. I refer the honourable member to it.]
Ki te Minita anō, he aha a ia i tautoko i te whakakahore o te hōtaka hua rākau o roto i ngā kura, ngā hōtaka HEHA me te pūtea a ngā kura mō te kai ora ahakoa, ko te matehuka me te mate mōmona tinana te tino mate o ngā tamariki Māori, otirā, ko te mahi o ngā hōtaka kua whakakorengia, he ārai atu i ēnei mate?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Why did the Minister vote to scrap the Fruit in Schools programme, the Healthy Eating - Healthy Action programme, and the Nutrition Fund, when one of the biggest threats to the health of Māori children is diabetes and obesity, which all these now scrapped programmes were aimed at preventing?]
Hon TONY RYALL: I can advise the member that the Associate Minister has not voted to scrap the Fruit in Schools programme; in fact, the Fruit in Schools programme will continue. What the Government is concerned about is that in the last year the programme cost $12 million, but only $6 million was spent on the fruit. We think that more effective use could be made of those resources.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Kia ora tātau katoa. Ki te Minita Tuarua, me pēhea e taea ai e te whānau ora te hāpai i te hauora me te noho ora o ngā tamariki Māori me wā rātau whānau?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[How will the work of the Whānau Ora task force advance the health and well-being of Māori tamariki and their whānau?]
The priority of the task force is to review funding and delivery policies as they relate to whānau to ensure that the interconnectedness of health, education, welfare, employment, and lifestyle aspects of whānau well-being are taken into account. We know that the best outcomes for whānau will be arrived at through a holistic approach, and such an approach is often the most cost-effective and efficient way of delivering services for whānau.
Ki te Minita anō, kei te tū kaha tonu anō ia i runga i te mana tāna kōrero e pēnei nā “Me āta titiro tātau kāhore he kaupapa here o te Kāwanatanga hei whakataumaha i te oranga o ā tātou tamariki.”, mēna ka kī āe, he aha ai a ia i tautoko taumaha tamariki me ō rātou whānau mā te tapahi i te hōtaka hauora, pūtea tautoko me te huarahi whai mātauranga hoki?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[To the Minister again, does she stand by her statement that “We must ensure that no policy of this government creates greater hardship for our children.”; if so, why did she vote to cut health programmes, financial support, and educational opportunities?]
No such claims can be made and justified. That member will recall that he was in a Government where his health Minister, David Cunliffe, cut over $100 million out of health programmes, including $26 million cut from public health promotion.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Ki te Minita, he aha ngā mea kua oti nei i a ia kia eke te māiatanga ā-hauora mō te iwi Māori ki tōna teiteitanga?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[To the Minister, what action has he taken to ensure that the health potential of Māori is maximised?]
I can reply that at the Maori Tobacco Intelligence Summit in May, the very busy Associate Minister announced that she would be reviewing smoking cessation services to ensure that they support improved health outcomes for Māori. She has also asked the Ministry of Health to focus its work to make sure it works for Māori, including reducing the incidence and impact of cancer on Māori, ensuring high-quality interventions for diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, and providing early detection screening and quality, integrated primary health care services. The major initiative that the Minister is leading is the ground-breaking Whānau Ora approach, which will completely redesign the way that services are provided to whānau.
Ki te Minita anō, he aha tōna kōrero ki ngā whānau Māori mēnā ka whakahē rātou ki te kaupapa here hauora o tēnei Kāwanatanga, ka kore e ia e tohatoha atu i ō rātou ritenga ki ngā nūpepa me ngā reo irirangi o te motu pērā anō i tōna Minita a Paula Pēneti?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[To the Minister again, what assurances can she give Māori families that she will not follow the precedent of Paula Bennett and release personal health-related details about individuals to the media if by chance they make a complaint against the health system?]
I can give the member an assurance from the Associate Minister that she will ensure that public debate is fully informed on all the matters that they need to be aware of. I know that the Associate Minister works very, very constructively with Minister Bennett in her other portfolios, but her main focus is on improving services for Māori, and particularly on the development of Whānau Ora.