12. Question No. 12—HealthRAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader—Te Paati Māori) (remote) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 12—Health12. RAWIRI WAITITI (Co-Leader—Te Paati Māori) (remote) to the Minister of Health: Talofa lava Mr Speaker. Fa'afetai i le Atua ua atoa nei le 60 tausaga talu ona tutoatasi Samoa. Malo lava o le vaiaso o le gagana Samoa. Does he stand by his statement that If we're going to have a Māori Health Authority I'm determined that it genuinely has the authority to really make a difference for Māori"; if not why not?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): Yes.Rawiri Waititi: How can he stand by his statement when the Government consistently blocked attempts at select committee to include greater recognition of Māori authority in the Pae Ora bill such as acknowledging tino rangatiratanga and establishing a Māori Director-General of Health?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: It's a matter for the select committee to determine how it deals with the bill and the changes that it recommends back to Parliament. The bill has had its second reading and today Parliament will be able to examine closely the bill as it has been reported back from the select committee.Rawiri Waititi: Will he support Te Paati Māori amendments during the committee stage of the Pae Ora bill to strengthen the Māori Health Authority's powers acknowledging tino rangatiratanga and establish a Māori Director-General of Health; if not why not? Hon ANDREW LITTLE: No I won't be supporting the proposed amendments from Te Paati Māori. We do not want or need two directors-general of health. We have the Ministry of Health which is headed by the Director-General of Health and we will have Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority who already have established a track record of working closely together. The Māori Health Authority will be supported by iwi Māori partnership boards whose membership will be determined by iwi and urban Māori. The Māori Health Authority Board will be the subject of advice from the Hauora Māori Advisory Council to the Minister. And so the input of Māori I am satisfied will be consistent with the Crown's obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.Rawiri Waititi: Can you explain how the Māori Health Authority will have the authority to really make a difference for Māori when in Budget 2022 it only receives 0.6 percent of the Vote Health budget despite Māori making up more than 17 to 19 percent of Aotearoa's population?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: A number of points on that. Firstly the funding in Budget 2022 for the Māori Health Authority was additional funding on top of what had been appropriated for the health reforms in Budget 2021. In addition to that the current funding that DHBs and the ministry manage for funding kaupapa Māori health services will transfer to the Māori Health Authority. That's roughly $1.2 billion over four years. And the third point I would make is that funding for health services in the Budget is funding for health services not for any particular health entity and it's my expectation that as Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority get to work on the health plan and work out the various activities that they will each undertake there will be agreement over funding that the Māori Health Authority will have sole responsibility for to continue its commissioning work and also to grow and develop kaupapa Māori health services.Rawiri Waititi: What is his response to the many Māori health experts who have come out since Budget 2022 to challenge Government on the Māori Health Authority being short-changed and that it will mean the health system will continue to fail at eliminating entrenched inequities in Māori health?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: To the extent I've seen some of that commentary my observation is that much of it is ill informed. And to the extent that I've seen well-informed commentary that takes into account the points I made in answer to the previous question what I've seen is expressions of support for the Māori Health Authority and the new regime that the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill if enacted by this Parliament will herald."