I do understand and have sympathy for the argument for prioritising Maori when viewed from a Te Tiriti lens. However I respectfully don’t understand the argument for putting Pacific peoples in the same category as Maori. Yes Pacific peoples have poor health outcomes but so do many other groups like refugees who do not get priority. The historical low wage worker import argument doesn’t cut it either because Chinese people were also brought over yet Chinese don’t receive special treatment.
I do understand and have sympathy for the argument for prioritising Maori when viewed from a Te Tiriti lens. However I respectfully don’t understand the argument for putting Pacific peoples in the same category as Maori. Yes Pacific peoples have poor health outcomes but so do many other groups like refugees who do not get priority. The historical low wage worker import argument doesn’t cut it either because Chinese people were also brought over yet Chinese don’t receive special treatment.