Anthropology of Policy: Critical Perspectives on Governance and Power. Cris Shore and Susan Wright. eds. New York: Routledge, 1997. 294 pp.

Anthropology of Policy: Critical Perspectives on Governance and Power

Te Tiriti o Waitangi, a treaty negotiated between Māori (the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa) and the British Crown, affirmed Māori sovereignty and guaranteed the protection of hauora (health) The Waitangi Tribunal, established in 1975 to investigate alleged breaches of the agreement, released a major report in 2019 (registered as WAI 2575) about breaches of te Tiriti within the health sector in relation to primary care, legislation, and health policy This article explores the implications of this report for the New Zealand health sector and the decolonial transformation of health systems The tribunal found that the Crown has systematically contravened obligations under te Tiriti across the health sector We complement the tribunal's findings, through critical analysis, to make five substantive recommendations: (1) the adoption of Tiriti-compliant legislation and policy; (2) recognition of extant Māori political authority (tino rangatiratanga); (3) strengthening of accountability mechanisms; (4) investment in Māori health; and (5) embedding equity and anti-racism within the health sector These recommendations are critical for upholding te Tiriti obligations We see these requirements as making significant contributions to decolonizing health systems and policy in Aotearoa and thereby contributing to aspirations for health equity as a transformative concept

The Waitangi Tribunal's WAI 2575 Report: Implications for Decolonizing Health Systems.

An integral part of colonisation is the suppression and marginalisation of indigenous knowledges. The indigenous health system within Aotearoa (New Zealand) was supplanted with a colonial infrastru...

Representations of Māori in colonial health policy in Aotearoa from 2006-2016: a barrier to the pursuit of health equity

Review(s) of: Spoonley Paul, Cluny Macpherson and David Pearson, (eds), Tangata Tangata: The Changing Ethnic Contours of New Zealand, Southbank: Thomson Dunmore Press, 2004, xiv + 319 pp., figs, index, tables. n.p. (paper).

Tangata Tangata: The Changing Ethnic Contours of New Zealand [Book Review]

Background: Healthy and sustainable food systems underpin the well-being of Indigenous peoples. Increasingly governments are taking action to improve diets via population-wide policies. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People states that Indigenous peoples have the right to participate in all decisions that affect them. We analysed Australian national food and nutrition policy processes to determine: (i) the participation of Aboriginal organisations, (ii) the issues raised in Aboriginal organisations’ policy submissions, and (iii) the extent to which Aboriginal organisations’ recommendations were addressed in final policy documents. Methods: Political economy and cultural safety lenses informed the study design. We analysed publicly-available documents for Australian population-wide food and nutrition policy consultations occurring 2008-2018. Data sources were policy documents, committee reports, terms of reference and consultation submissions. The submissions made by Aboriginal organisations were thematically analysed and key policy recommendations extracted. We examined the extent to which key recommendations made by Aboriginal organisations were included in the subsequent policy documents. Results: Five food and nutrition policy processes received submissions from Aboriginal organisations. Key themes centred on self-determination, culturally-appropriate approaches to health, and the need to address food insecurity and social determinants of health. These messages were underrepresented in final policy documents, and Aboriginal people were not included in any committees overseeing policy development processes. Conclusion: This analysis suggests that very few Aboriginal organisations have participated in Australian population-wide food and nutrition policy processes and that these policy development processes are culturally unsafe. In order to operationalise First Nations peoples’ right to self-determination, alternative mechanisms are required to redress the power imbalances preventing the full participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in population-wide food and nutrition policy decisions. This means reflecting on deeply embedded institutional structures and the normative assumptions upon which they rest.

https://www.ijhpm.com/article_3916_d31e1239130619ada09a85acffec4094.pdf

First Nations Peoples' Participation in the Development of Population-Wide Food and Nutrition Policy in Australia: A Political Economy and Cultural Safety Analysis.

Māori and Pasifika populations in New Zealand experience poorer health outcomes than other New Zealanders. These inequalities are a deeply entrenched injustice. This qualitative study explo...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1177083X.2018.1561477

M Haenga-Collins

Papers

Māori and Pasifika Leaders’ Experiences of Government Health Advisory Groups in New Zealand