hoping for healthier futures

Pae Ora submission – hoping for healthier futures

By Sarah Paterson-Hamlin

The New Zealand health system is going through a period of significant change at the moment, one we hope will bring about a more equitable, compassionate, and navigable organisation. The 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) will be replaced with a centralised national health service called Health NZ, and a Māori Health Authority. “We need a system that works for everyone, and that is what we are building,” said Andrew Little, the Minister of Health. The Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill is currently at Select Committee stage following its first reading in Parliament. Submissions closed on 9 December 2021 and are currently being considered by the Committee, led by Dr Deborah Russell. The UpsideDowns Education Trust, supported by NZDSA, submitted on this Bill, highlighting some of the problems of the current system for children with Down syndrome in New Zealand, particularly in regards to public speech and language therapy provision. The submission included data from a recent University of Auckland study on such provisions, and concluded with six recommendations for the Select Committee. These included adding disabilities to the required knowledge areas for the Boards of Health NZ and the Māori Health Authority, provisions to eliminate the current fragmentation of services between the Ministries of Health and Education, and immediate action to address the current shortfall in service provision for tamariki Māori who struggle to access support provisions in te reo Māori-speaking environments. Woven throughout the submission, is emphasis on the value of regular and individualised speech and language therapy provision, and the shortfalls and inequities embedded in the current provisions which render UpsideDowns’ services so essential. Overall, as with the new Ministry for Disabled People, there is justification for cautious optimism that these reforms might make the path a little smoother for the next generation. We are looking forward to our oral submission on the Bill which will take place within the next few weeks.