Within Aotearoa New Zealand, the presence of racism in the health and disability system has been well evidenced and researched. Understanding racism and racial inequity in its current context requires us to understand the inherited traits and characteristics of the health system and how it creates, maintains, and perpetuates racism and racial inequity at multiple levels.
This paper summarises the insights and evidence captured in the three literature reviews for phase one of Ao Mai te Rā in a way that is engaging for the general public. The summary paper uses storytelling and visual chains to demonstrate:
- how inequities based on race and ethnicity are driven through the health system
- how racism affects all aspects of care, from the resources available, to the services delivered on the frontline
- what we can do collectively to address racism in health within our respective spheres of influence.
This summary paper is useful in broadening our understanding of what racism is and what effective anti-racism action should look like. It is part of an integrated portfolio of work for phase one of Ao Mai te Rā: the Anti-Racism Kaupapa and was completed by researchers at the University of Canterbury and Tokona Te Raki Māori Futures Collective, on behalf of the Ministry of Health. You can learn more about this initiative at Ao Mai te Rā | the Anti-Racism Kaupapa.
A disclaimer applies to the suite of documents published during phase one of Ao Mai te Rā: the Anti-Racism Kaupapa: