Māori twice as likely to die from Covid-19 than others, according to new study

Māori are 50 per cent more likely to die from Covid-19 than non-Māori according to a new study. One health academic says it points to the systematic failure of tangata whenua by the country's health institutions.

The work was commissioned by research group Te Pūnaha Matatini to examined health data on ethnic groups in New Zealand and international Covid-19 data.

However, the fatality rate could be higher once underlying health conditions are taken into consideration. 

Auckland University head of Māori Health, Professor Papaarangi Reid, told TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning that the research "tells us that the health system contributes to, and maintains, unfair outcomes for Māori."

Reid said New Zealand society "reflects power differentials" that are "codified in our laws, in our policies, in our practices and in our discourses, so it's just a reflection on the health system, it's a reflection on our society as well." 

The Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā: National Māori Pandemic Group co-leader added, however, that the findings are not new but instead a confirmation of "longstanding" inequality and inherent bias.

"It's quite appalling that we've not been shocked by them before now," she said. "But what we have now is stronger and stronger mounting New Zealand evidence - that actually mirrors international evidence - and it's evidence that covers a wide range of areas within the health system.

"We can't ignore it any longer." 

Reid said while there has been some within the health system hoping to address issues and make changes to the status quo, she gave them a "C+ maybe" for "some good attempts," adding that there are "signs of a shift, certainly, for health students." 

"Almost all health students in New Zealand get training as part of their cultural safety training ... and also get trained, ideally, in how they play a role, and therefore how they should change behaviour. They get training in implicit bias in how to mitigate that."

Reid said while the health system itself has "a number of policies" to lessen the divide between Māori and non-Māori health outcomes, it's "going to take more than new policies to change practice." 

She says major structural change is needed in New Zealand to reverse the trend of poor health outcomes for Māori.

"If we want to change rheumatic fever, we really need to change benefit amounts; we really need to change housing; we really need to change our attitudes that all children and all families should have warm, dry housing - that's what's going to change rheumatic fever.

"It's not necessarily the health system. We have to change the health system, but we also have to change a whole lot of things in New Zealand society as well." 

She said changes to the health system can be made "in a number of ways," with the first step involving acceptance that the inequality exists in our society.

"I think most, if not all, health workers don't get up in the morning and go to work and think, 'I'm going to do bad stuff to Māori today, so how do I reflect on that, get over ourselves and say, 'What is it that I'm doing? How do I manage my practice? How do I change the system I'm in? How do I change the society I'm in to get better outcomes?''

"We have to get over that mental shock horror denial, and then we have to have real courage to face it, and we have to have real courage that is about no tolerance to it."