Two-thirds of Māori voters put off healthcare, poll finds

Two-thirds of Māori voters have put off or gone without healthcare in the past 12 months, according to a Mata-Horizon poll.

The survey found 67 percent of respondents had delayed care or missed it altogether. On trust, 32 percent said they did not trust the health system to provide care when needed, while 47 percent said they did, RNZ reported.

Cost and the availability of services were given as reasons for going without care. In Northland, where 76 percent said they had put off or gone without healthcare, respondents pointed to difficulty getting an appointment or to no appointments being available as the main reasons.

More widely, 15.5 percent of adults reported not seeing a GP because of cost in 2023/24, up from 12.9 percent the year before, according to the Ministry of Health.

The poll also asked about the environment. More than two-thirds of respondents said they were concerned about climate change. Almost 75 percent thought the Government was not doing enough to protect the health of rivers, lakes, oceans, fisheries and native ecosystems for future generations.

The survey included a snapshot of voting in the Māori electorates. It indicated Labour candidates ahead in four seats: Willow-Jean Prime in Te Tai Tokerau, Kerrin Leoni in Tāmaki Makaurau, Toni Boynton in Waiariki and incumbent Cushla Tangaere-Manuel in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti.

It pointed to Te Pāti Māori leads in two seats, with Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke ahead in Hauraki-Waikato and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer ahead in Te Tai Hauāuru. In Te Tai Tonga, independent candidate Tākuta Ferris was ahead.

The findings were discussed in an episode of RNZ's Mata with Mihingarangi Forbes published on 16 October, covering healthcare, views on the environment and the state of the Māori seats.