National Hauora Coalition chief executive Simon Royal says in the first wave of Covid-19 New Zealand had little community transmission and so the level of exposure by Pacific and Māori people to Covid-19 was limited.
“This is not the case in the second wave. The government has always known that, should community transmission become a feature of the Covid-19 pandemic, Māori and Pacific families would be significantly more at risk.”
He says Māori and Pacific communities carry a greater level of burden of the disease.
“With higher rates of diabetes and of obesity, we are less affluent in general to be able to cope with these numerous challenges, which will be economical in nature as well as health-related.”
Concerns about border review
Royal is especially concerned about the people appointed to review the Covid-19 border response; Helen Clark's former chief of staff Heather Simpson and NZ Transport Agency chair Sir Brian Roche.
Royal says Simpson and Roche led the health and disability review delivered to the government earlier this year in which they disregarded the views of the Māori claimant groups and the Waitangi tribunal claim Wai 2575.
“The review disregarded the views of its own expert and advisory group and many other members of their own taskforce particularly in regard to greater levels of Māori participation and involvement in the infrastructure that would develop policy,” Royal says.
What is needed at the border
There have been calls for more testing to occur for staff working at the border. Royalagrees but says more still needs to be done.
“I think there needs to be greater coordination of policy development and better execution from current policy settings are a little uncertain."
He also says there needs to be a greater level of examination of people as they enter the country, "whether they’re here for economic reasons and they’re foreigners or whether they’re New Zealanders returning.”
He says closing the borders would inevitably lead to some form of economic damage so that may impact adversely on Māori communities.
“This would have to be thought through very, very carefully. It’s probably an impractical course.”