Dangerous in what sense?
That is a fair question, because "dangerous" is an extraordinarily serious accusation. It suggests that Māori are placed at risk by the health system itself—not by illness, not by lifestyle factors, not by socio-economic disadvantage, but by the doctors, nurses, hospitals and institutions entrusted with caring for them.
There is no doubt that Māori experience poorer health outcomes than many other New Zealanders. Rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic illnesses are higher, while average life expectancy remains lower. These disparities are real and should concern every New Zealander.
However, poorer health outcomes do not, by themselves, prove that the health system is discriminatory or unsafe. A difference in outcomes does not automatically identify the cause.
New Zealand's public health system does not refuse treatment based on ethnicity. Emergency departments do not ask a patient's race before providing lifesaving care. Hospitals perform surgery according to clinical need. Ambulance crews respond to emergencies regardless of ancestry. Every doctor, nurse and paramedic is professionally and ethically bound to treat patients according to medical need, not ethnicity.
That is not to suggest the system is perfect. Long waiting lists, workforce shortages and unequal access to primary healthcare affect many New Zealanders. Rural communities, lower-income families and elderly patients frequently experience barriers to healthcare. These are genuine problems that deserve attention.
The question is whether those problems demonstrate institutional racism, or whether they largely reflect broader social and economic realities.
If the health system itself is dangerous, what is the evidence? Are Māori denied surgery because they are Māori? Are they turned away from emergency departments? Are they refused medication because of their ethnicity? These would indeed demonstrate a dangerous system. But where is the evidence that such practices are occurring?
Health outcomes are influenced by many factors outside the healthcare system itself. Smoking rates, obesity, alcohol misuse, housing quality, educational attainment, income, family circumstances and the willingness to seek medical treatment all play significant roles. These factors affect many communities across New Zealand and cannot simply be attributed to the actions of the health system.
Successive governments have long recognised disparities in Māori health and have responded by directing substantial additional funding into Māori-specific services. Māori health providers have operated for decades. More recently, Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority, was established to improve Māori outcomes through targeted funding, planning and policy. Between 2020/21 and 2024/25 alone, Māori health providers received well over $4 billion in taxpayer funding, with annual funding increasing from around $585 million to more than $1.09 billion.
If, despite these targeted programmes, the outcomes remain stubbornly unequal, surely it is reasonable to ask whether the policies themselves should be evaluated before concluding that the entire healthcare system is fundamentally unsafe for Māori.
Unfortunately, describing the health system as "dangerous" risks undermining public confidence in the very professionals who dedicate their lives to caring for others. Thousands of doctors, nurses, specialists, ambulance officers and first responders work under immense pressure every day, treating patients according to medical need rather than ethnicity. To characterise the system they serve as inherently dangerous because of race is a sweeping claim that requires compelling evidence.
Improving Māori health should remain a national priority. But lasting improvements will come from honestly addressing the underlying causes of poor health, strengthening primary care, encouraging healthier lifestyles, improving prevention and ensuring timely access to treatment for all New Zealanders.
We should certainly debate how best to improve health outcomes. But that debate must be based on evidence, not rhetoric; on solutions, not accusations. New Zealanders deserve a healthcare system that treats every patient with dignity, compassion and equal commitment, regardless of race.
Geoff Parker is a passionate advocate for equal rights and a colour blind society.
However, poorer health outcomes do not, by themselves, prove that the health system is discriminatory or unsafe. A difference in outcomes does not automatically identify the cause.
New Zealand's public health system does not refuse treatment based on ethnicity. Emergency departments do not ask a patient's race before providing lifesaving care. Hospitals perform surgery according to clinical need. Ambulance crews respond to emergencies regardless of ancestry. Every doctor, nurse and paramedic is professionally and ethically bound to treat patients according to medical need, not ethnicity.
That is not to suggest the system is perfect. Long waiting lists, workforce shortages and unequal access to primary healthcare affect many New Zealanders. Rural communities, lower-income families and elderly patients frequently experience barriers to healthcare. These are genuine problems that deserve attention.
The question is whether those problems demonstrate institutional racism, or whether they largely reflect broader social and economic realities.
If the health system itself is dangerous, what is the evidence? Are Māori denied surgery because they are Māori? Are they turned away from emergency departments? Are they refused medication because of their ethnicity? These would indeed demonstrate a dangerous system. But where is the evidence that such practices are occurring?
Health outcomes are influenced by many factors outside the healthcare system itself. Smoking rates, obesity, alcohol misuse, housing quality, educational attainment, income, family circumstances and the willingness to seek medical treatment all play significant roles. These factors affect many communities across New Zealand and cannot simply be attributed to the actions of the health system.
Successive governments have long recognised disparities in Māori health and have responded by directing substantial additional funding into Māori-specific services. Māori health providers have operated for decades. More recently, Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority, was established to improve Māori outcomes through targeted funding, planning and policy. Between 2020/21 and 2024/25 alone, Māori health providers received well over $4 billion in taxpayer funding, with annual funding increasing from around $585 million to more than $1.09 billion.
If, despite these targeted programmes, the outcomes remain stubbornly unequal, surely it is reasonable to ask whether the policies themselves should be evaluated before concluding that the entire healthcare system is fundamentally unsafe for Māori.
Unfortunately, describing the health system as "dangerous" risks undermining public confidence in the very professionals who dedicate their lives to caring for others. Thousands of doctors, nurses, specialists, ambulance officers and first responders work under immense pressure every day, treating patients according to medical need rather than ethnicity. To characterise the system they serve as inherently dangerous because of race is a sweeping claim that requires compelling evidence.
Improving Māori health should remain a national priority. But lasting improvements will come from honestly addressing the underlying causes of poor health, strengthening primary care, encouraging healthier lifestyles, improving prevention and ensuring timely access to treatment for all New Zealanders.
We should certainly debate how best to improve health outcomes. But that debate must be based on evidence, not rhetoric; on solutions, not accusations. New Zealanders deserve a healthcare system that treats every patient with dignity, compassion and equal commitment, regardless of race.
Geoff Parker is a passionate advocate for equal rights and a colour blind society.
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