4. Question No. 4—HealthARENA WILLIAMS (Labour—Manurewa) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 4—Health4. ARENA WILLIAMS (Labour—Manurewa) to the Minister of Health: What progress has been made in establishing the new health entities as part of the Government's health reforms?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): The Government is well on track to deliver the transformational health reforms needed to address the inequities in our systems and capture the lessons of COVID-19. We have been making significant progress while the Health Committee has considered the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill. The interim Health New Zealand and Māori Health Authority entities have boards and also have appointed chief executives. The transition to and preparation for 1 July this year is well under way and this includes the transfer of personnel from the Ministry of Health to Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority. Alongside this there has also been a substantial engagement programme featuring more than 500 meetings with community and workforce stakeholders and a national roadshow to communicate the objectives and benefits of the reform. Considerable progress has been made on the strategic documents which will steer the new system. These include the Government policy statement and the New Zealand health plan.Arena Williams: Why have some functions already transferred?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: We've consistently balanced the urgent need to make the changes New Zealanders expect while making sure the health system continues to function. It's important that the new entities are able to hit the ground running from day one. It's equally important that there is minimal disruption to day to day functions including the ongoing response to the COVID pandemic. For this reason transfer of personnel has already commenced; the aim is to ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible.Arena Williams: What support in particular has the Minister seen for establishing the new Māori Health Authority?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: As I visit health services across New Zealand I hear time and time again how important it is that the new system addresses longstanding inequities in health. Front-line health providers see this every day and I've been overwhelmed by the support that I've seen for the authority. For instance I note former Minister of Māori Affairs the Hon Tau Henare who said on 5 April that This is the last shot at it at fixing up some of the poor Māori health statistics. This is our one and only shot at fixing up what has been going on for the last hundred years." I also appreciated the open letter from more than 35 health system providers and organisations including the Cancer Society of New Zealand General Practice New Zealand the New Zealand Dementia Foundation and Hāpai Te Hauora who stated "The establishment of the Māori Health Authority / Te Mana Hauora Māori is central to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and will help ensure everyone has the same access to good health outcomes." I look forward to the vital contribution the authority will make to our health system.Dr Shane Reti: Has the Māori Health Authority veto been removed in the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill reported back today; and if so why?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The Māori Health Authority in the original legislation that entered the House never had a veto and the member has the bill available to him to read over the long Easter weekend."