Waitangi Tribunal finds NZ disability system prejudices Māori

The Waitangi Tribunal has released the Hauwhaikaha – the Disability System Report, finding that significant portions of the disability system in New Zealand prejudice tāngata whaikaha Māori (Māori with disabilities). The report, which responds to the Wai 2713 Māori Nurses Claim, indicates that Māori with disabilities receive culturally unsafe services that fail to address their specific needs as both Māori and disabled individuals.

The findings highlight breaches concerning the Māori deaf community (Tāngata Turi), the blind or visually impaired (Kāpō Māori), and those with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) has called on the Coalition Government to urgently adopt the Tribunal’s recommendations.

Proposed recommendations include establishing co-designed Māori-Crown partnership arrangements, increasing Māori participation in governance and decision-making, and implementing stronger monitoring for cultural safety and inequitable outcomes. The NZNO noted that the report serves as a “damning indictment on the Crown,” suggesting that clinical competency has been prioritized over cultural competency.