The Māori Affairs Committee has completed its inquiry into health inequities for Māori and has presented its final report. You can read the committee’s report here.

The inquiry was initiated in March 2019 and focused on cancer care. It explored barriers that Māori experience relating to prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care.

The committee’s report contains 19 recommendations to the Government. They include recommending that it:

· introduce an equity-positive lung cancer screening programme

· make primary human papillomavirus (HPV) screening and HPV self-testing available

· require healthcare workers to undergo accredited cultural safety training as part of their professional development

· establish a te ao Māori Health Promotion Agency run by Māori for all Māori, regardless of their geographic location.

Māori Affairs Committee Chairperson Rino Tirikatene said that he is proud of the committee’s handling of the inquiry and the resulting recommendations.

“Our committee is made up of half Government and half Opposition members. It was important for us to have a collegial approach to this inquiry and form recommendations that we could all stand united behind. We hope this inquiry will provide practical measures that the Government can take to address the vast disparities between Māori and non-Māori seeking cancer care.”

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