Summer reissue: In the third episode of all new Bad News, Alice recounts her overwhelmingly positive experiences with the health system and wonders: why isn’t it the same for all New Zealanders? 

First published August 18, 2020.

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With an average lifespan seven years shorter than Pākehā, Māori have long suffered systemic inequity in our healthcare system. Alice, on the other hand, hasn’t had to think twice about visiting the doctor for every minor ache and pain she’s encountered. Could it be that our healthcare system has a built-in racial bias?

To find out, Alice gets some insights from a range of experts, including Kirimoana Willoughby and Sariah Witika from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, activist Dr Heather Came, Janell Dymus-Kurei (Te Whakatōhea) from Māori Public Health, and Auckland DHB chair (and her dad) Pat Snedden. In doing so, she discovers all the ways colonisation has had grave implications for Māori health and the overhaul that is needed to restore balance to our healthcare system in Aotearoa.

Commissioned by RNZ and made possible by the RNZ/NZ On Air Innovation Fund.