Zoe Hawke argues in the NZ Herald that health reforms alone won’t fix Māori inequality — without housing, income and cross-sector collaboration, stable healthcare is out of reach.
Zoe Witika-Hawke
Chief Executive
In an opinion piece for the New Zealand Herald, E Tipu E Rea chief executive Zoe Hawke argues that while health sector reforms are welcome, they are not enough on their own.
“If you have nowhere to live, no fixed address and no income, it is next to impossible to have stable healthcare,” she writes, pointing to the systemic barriers young pregnant mothers face — housing discrimination, delayed financial support, and fear of Oranga Tamariki involvement. Hawke notes that maternal suicide is the leading cause of death among pregnant women and new mothers, requiring responses that reach beyond health alone.
She calls for genuine cross-sector collaboration across Education, Social Development, Housing and Oranga Tamariki: “Support systems in health and social care need to talk daily and operate closely to be an ecosystem that works to reduce inequalities.”
Read the full opinion piece on the New Zealand Herald.