Government Cuts – Lowering Māori injury rates put at risk by Govt’s focus on culture wars – PSA

Under the proposal, released to staff on 20 May, the organisation would no longer have a dedicated function focussed on reducing the injury rate for Māori, Pasifika and migrant workers, said Jack McDonald the Kaihautū Māori for the PSA Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

“Decentralising this capability will put at risk a successful approach that has seen the rate for serious injuries for kaimahi Māori compared with non-Māori fall from 55% in 2018-2022 down to 30% in 2024,” McDonald said.

“We know from experience that spreading culturally skilled workers thinly across organisation dilutes their influence and makes them less effective than when they operate as part of a team.

“Kaimahi Māori are most effective when they are working together and connected to their culture,” McDonald said.

“The proposed changes would create 16 additional permanent positions, as well as 19 fixed-term positions, which is a welcome increase for a stretched agency. However, it shows that the move to decentralise cultural capability is driven by ideology rather than a need to cut costs,” McDonald said.

“It is beyond belief that it’s proposed to move away from a centralised model that has produced proven results because of the Coalition Government’s obsession with stripping te reo Māori and tikanga Māori out of public services.

“People’s health and safety, and lives, are being put at risk at the expense of the Coalition’s “one-size-fits-all” approach to delivering public services.

“While great progress has been made there is still a lot more work to be done to further reduce the injury rate for Māori, and other vulnerable workers, Pasifika and migrant workers.

“A large number of Māori, Pasifika and migrant workers are employed in high-risk occupations like forestry, agriculture, manufacturing and construction. This means they are disproportionally represented in workplace death and injury statistics.

“It makes sense to keep together the people with the cultural knowledge, language and networks to work effectively with these high-risk groups where there is a proven need.

“Dedicated capability would be needed even more with the Māori and Pasifika workforce being younger and growing faster than the general population.

“The rapid growth of the Māori economy and Pasifika business ownership also means there will be increased demand for WorkSafe to provide culturally appropriate advice to employers,” McDonald said.

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The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, public health and community groups.