NZ is eyeing reform of its strained aged-care system. How might a reset deliver for Māori?

Peter Melkie/Getty Images The government has just received a raft of suggestions to overhaul its under-pressure aged-care system.

The Ministerial Advisory Group on Aged Care’s report sets out 40 recommendations, including a shift towards a more integrated, “people-centred” system and better services to help older people remain at home.

Importantly, the 168-page report highlights inequities in how Māori access and experience aged care.

It calls for a more culturally responsive system, with cultural safety embedded in everything from assessment and care planning to the delivery of services.

The case for change now appears difficult to ignore, with Associate Health Minister Casey Costello acknowledging the current funding model is outdated and the wider system siloed.

Officials are now considering the recommendations before decisions are made on future policy and funding.

This offers an opportunity to rethink how aged care works for Māori.

Alongside the report’s many findings, our recently published research offers policymakers some timely guidance on where to start.

Where the status quo falls short As New Zealand’s population ages, long-standing inequities across health and access to care can compound in later life.

Many aged-care services remain centred on Western models of care that may not reflect the needs, values and preferences of all older people.

At the same time, Māori with daily care needs are about half as likely as non-Māori to access community-based aged care and about half as likely to enter residential care.

But, as the report notes, more Māori will need residential care over the next 20 years, with those entering care likely to have higher and more complex needs.

The report links this demand to those historic systemic inequities, as well as earlier onset of long-term conditions and barriers to timely assessment and care.

There are other reasons Māori may be less likely to enter residential care.