Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health
This report shows information on funding to Māori health providers by the Ministry of Health (the Ministry) and District Health Boards (DHBs) for the period 2016/17 to 2020/21. This report follows on from our reports in 2017 and 2021 on the same topic and is part of our monitoring of Whakamaua: Māori Health Action Plan 2020-20253.
Highlights include:
- funding to Māori health providers by the Ministry of Health and District Health Boards was $365.7 million in 2020/21, an increase of $79.6 million (or 27.8%) since 2016/17 (see Table 1)
- although funding to Māori health providers is increasing, it remains a small part of Vote Health, remaining near 1.90 percent between 2016/17 and 2020/21
- the Ministry has begun measuring Other types of funding not included in the figures above: funding to the Māori Provider Development Scheme, Māori primary health organisations, Māori general practices, for Hauora Māori Scholarships, and payments for the delivery of COVID-19 services. These payments increased by $120.1 million between 2016/17 and 2020/21, or 76.4 percent. This is higher than the increase in Vote Health during the same time (27.9 percent)
- Measuring Other types of funding is subject to large fluctuations particularly funding to Māori PHOs. The fluctuations are due to new PHOs being created, closures and amalgamation of PHOs; and general practices moving between PHOs. Because of this, Table 1 may be a more consistent way to measure changes in funding to Māori health providers.
