John Tamihere has supported Rob Campbell's claims the government is backing away from co-governance and equity in the health sector.
Campbell, who was the head of Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) until he was sacked last week, has publicly claimed that his firing was not really about his LinkedIn post criticising National's Three Waters policy, but instead was a result of the government distancing itself from co-governance issues.
Tamihere, a former Labour minister who heads the Waipareira Trust and is also the president of Te Pāti Māori, told Q+A he agrees "absolutely".
"With a new prime minister and a new clean broom coming in, not only was there a bonfire, this is a handbrake, and it looks like it could even be in a reverse gear."
He said Campbell's "ability to unpick government budgets, his ability to cut right to the chase in regards to where blockages are, was very important" but "handbrakes are going on, on the transfer of resources" to Māori initiatives and programmes.
Tamihere said self governance, and delivery of services by Māori to Māori is being resisted "particularly in the bureaucracy".
Q+A is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
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