Pharmac is facing strong criticism in Pharmacy Today over a proposal to remove ethnicity as a criterion for access to several diabetes medicines, with opponents warning the change could lead to more Māori and Pacific deaths and deepen long-standing inequities in the health system.
The proposal would amend Special Authority settings that currently prioritise access for groups disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes, including Māori and Pacific peoples who experience higher rates of earlier onset and more severe complications.
Te Tiratū Iwi Māori Partnership Board was quoted by Pharmacy Today because we say removing ethnicity equity criteria raises serious concerns about whether Pharmac is meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi to achieve equitable Māori health outcomes.
We are warning that “treating all universally in the system does not create fairness. It entrenches inequity.”
Our board is calling for Pharmac to retain ethnicity-based access criteria, publish its equity impact analysis before consultation proceeds, clearly demonstrate how Māori health outcomes would improve under the proposed change, and engage directly with iwi Māori partnership boards, Māori clinicians and Māori health providers.
Submissions on the consultation close on 28 May 2026 leaving just 13 days for feedback on a proposal that critics say could reshape access to essential diabetes treatment.