10 August 2026
Hawke’s Bay Ranks Worst Nationally for Child Dental Care Arrears: Tihei Takitimu Demands Action
HAWKE’S BAY / TE MATAU-A-MĀUI — Kerri Nuku and Lewis Ratapu, Co-Chairs of Tihei Takitimu, the Iwi-Māori Partnership Board (IMPB) for Hawke’s Bay, are issuing an urgent call to action following the release of the New Zealand Dental Association’s (NZDA) 2026 Oral Health Scorecard this month.
The Scorecard reveals severe regional and ethnic inequities, placing Hawke’s Bay at the absolute bottom nationally for timely child dental care, with 52.4% of children overdue for scheduled Community Oral Health Service care – more than five times the national benchmark target of 10% or less.
The Co-Chairs say these figures reinforce a structural failure that disproportionately impacts Māori tamariki and whānau. Following an initial agreement with Health NZ at regional hui, last October, the Te Ikaroa IMPBs completed a deep-dive review in November 2025 and delivered 22 concrete recommendations to Health NZ (Te Whatu Ora) leadership in February 2026. Yet, six months later, the system is failing to move with the necessary urgency. The only tangible delivery on the ground has been short-term Tō Wāha pop-up clinics.
“While pop-up clinics provide critical temporary relief, temporary fixes cannot resolve a systemic crisis,” say Nuku and Ratapu. “Following analysis in late 2025 we delivered actionable solutions to Te Whatu Ora in February. We have an agreed regional strategy, clear local consensus, and explicit priority status – yet over half of our region’s children remain left behind. The system is simply not moving fast enough. We need targeted long-term initiatives which work.”
Tihei Takitimu calls on Health New Zealand to urgently release regional commissioning resources, partner with IMPBs to execute the recommended actions, deploy an emergency taskforce to clear Hawke’s Bay’s 52.4% appointment backlog, and invest in permanent, Kaupapa Māori-led health delivery.
“When over half of our tamariki miss out on essential care, we set the next generation up for a lifetime of preventable pain,” the Co-Chairs conclude. “This scorecard reinforces that we do not need more delay or reports – we need the commitments and recommendations provided months ago to be fully funded and delivered.”
Media Inquiries
Tihei Takitimu Iwi-Māori Partnership Board
Email: greg@gregfahey.co.nz | Web: ttpb.maori.nz
