BROADCASTS.com

Published: June 19, 2023, 10:11 p.m.

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I suspect Dr Shane Reti is one of the many doctors up and down this country who sees the ethnicity ranking in our health system the same way we do.

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He would refuse to do it, he says.

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The upside for him is he gets to repeal it in a couple of months should the election go the way we think it will.

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What was interesting about yesterday\'s interview on the subject with the good doctor from Auckland Health was, as much as he might have liked to defend it, he couldn\\u2019t in a way that made a lot of sense.

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The simple truth is if you are of a certain ethnic persuasion you get a different track through the health system.

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Race plays a part in the way you are treated in a system where the only criteria should be health.

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I think David Seymour explained it particularly well as regards how we feel about it. Yes, if you can\'t afford the mortgage right now because of the cost of living crisis, then a race based health system isn\'t as high up the old priority list

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But when he said it ran deep he is right. This is a fair, decent and open country - or at least it was

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Race didn\\u2019t play anything like the role it has in the past six years.

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Have there been issues historically? Of course.

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But what this Government has done is hijack democracy and implement their own thinking around race.

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Where once if a council wanted to implement M\\u0101ori seats, you at least got the chance to vote on it.

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They took that rule away.

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M\\u0101ori in a number of areas of life are now allowed to bypass democracy to advance their cause.

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M\\u0101ori have their own health provider.

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Historically they have their own seats in parliament despite the fact the current system we run has never been more representative or accessible.

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M\\u0101ori get special treatment whether it be for Covid, sport or language.

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A lot of M\\u0101ori-ness has been foisted upon us whether we like it or not and more importantly whether it makes a jot of difference or not.

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This has divided us, made us angry and at least part of that anger will be present come election day.

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The anger stems from the fact deep down the vast majority of us know this is wrong.

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Even if you argue it comes from a good place - it\\u2019s still wrong

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We are all equal, or the country is shot, as we sit here this morning I think it\\u2019s more shot than equal.

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