Pharmac sacks Māori advisory group

Tuesday, 12 November 2024

Pharmac chairperson Paula Bennett personally advised the co-chairs about the distestablishment on October 18.

Medicines-buying agency Pharmac has sacked a group of eight Māori advisors, a rōpū which cost the agency a total of $75,000 a year.

The ousted co-chairs say the move is the latest in a pattern of poor engagement with Māori and believe Pharmac is in breach of its obligations under the Treaty and the Pae Ora Act to reduce health disparities for Māori.

“Pharmac now doesn’t have dedicated resource to provide them with advice to ensure they meet the needs of Māori when it comes to pharmaceuticals and medical devices,” former co-chair Rebecca Mason said.

“For everyday New Zealanders, it's about lack of voice in their decision making processes.

“[With] millions of dollars of additional budget, $75,000 is just laughable isn’t it?”

Former co-chair Eugene Berryman-Kamp added the rōpū was the only group of 21 others to get booted. “With that not in place, who actually asks Pharmac, are you taking a proactive stance? Are you meeting your Te Tiriti obligations? How are your funding decisions changing to account for high need populations?”

Minister David Seymour says a focus on Te Tiriti had been 'performative', but denies that removing it from Pharmac's expectations would cause Māori health outcomes to deteriorate.

Māori die between seven and eight years earlier than Pākehā on average, according to data from Health NZ – Te Whatu Ora.

The move comes just four months after its minister, David Seymour, told Pharmac to no longer consider te Tiriti when making decisions, a move which saw board member Dr Anthony Jordan resign.

Pharmac said Seymour was not involved in the decision to disestablish the Māori advisory rōpū, known as Te Rōpū.

Te Rōpū was formed in September 2021, and a direct response to Pharmac’s historically poor engagement with Māori, Mason said.

Both Berryman-Kamp and Rebecca Mason said the move was done with no prior consultation or discussion with them.

Both co-chairs have experience in the pharmaceutical industry while other members included specialist GP Rachel Mackie, GP registrar Zarah Allport; anaesthetist Arihia Waaka, pharmacist and Māori health research fellow Nora Jayne Parore, kaupapa Māori researcher and evaluator Teah Carlson and policy advisor Hoani Yates.

Pharmac board chairperson Paula Bennett told the co-chairs about the change on October 18 over a Zoom call.

“The Board made its decision after considering the best ways to engage with Māori … Pharmac is committed to its equity plan and is actively engaging with the sector,” Bennett said in a statement.

The ousted co-chairs say the move results in a lack of Māori voice in Pharmac’s decision making processes.

“While we are changing the way we engage with Māori, this engagement is still very important for Pharmac so that we can fund the medicines New Zealanders need.”

Mason said the rōpū helped to establish the Māori directorate within Pharmac, develop the te Tiriti policy and the equity policy. Mason understood the equity policy was now being reviewed.

It also provided a safe space for kaimahi staff to share concerns over equity and reported back to the senior leadership team. “I’m not sure who will do that now,” Berryman-Kamp said.

Asked if the agency was not satisfied with the work the group had done in that time, Bennett said the move was “not a reflection on the advisory group or any individuals”.

“They are exceptional practitioners and we are grateful for the work that they have done. However, Pharmac is continuing to evolve and the Board’s decision to disestablish Te Rōpū reflects that.”

The cost of supporting Te Rōpū was $75,000 a year, Bennett confirmed.

Bennett said Pharmac wanted to ensure all New Zealanders have access to the medicines and medical devices they need.

“Engaging effectively with Māori continues to be a priority for Pharmac, and Pharmac’s Board has been considering how best to do this.”

Māori health leader Dr Rawiri McKree Jansen labelled the move ‘right wing bullshit’. (File photo)

Pharmac's board decided to disestablish Te Rōpū to focus on other connections, including with iwi Māori Partnership Boards and the Hauora Māori Advisory Committee within the Ministry of Health, Bennett said.

Renowned Māori health leader Dr Rawiri McKree Jansen called the move “more right wing bullshit”.

“Knocking down initiatives that are actually doing good and performative bullshit about what they are ‘gonna do’. Shame on them.”

In May, Jansen quit as chief medical officer at the now disestablished Māori Health Authority and returned to general practice.

The Public Services Association said the move was “simply insulting to Māori”.

“It ignores all the evidence that specialist advice is exactly what Pharmac wanted to ensure it did better at delivering the health solutions tailored to Māori needs,” assistant secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said.

In July, Seymour defended his stance on Treaty of Waitangi obligations, saying “I think Pharmac has burnt a lot of energy trying to fulfil this commitment to include the Treaty in everything that they do.

“We're being very clear that they have an obligation to serve every single New Zealander based on their need. Once you have committed to doing this, you don't actually need anything else.”