If You’re Maori, You Have No Privacy

Here’s a turn-up for the books: the Ministry of Health and Ashley Bloomfield were right.

Right to try to withhold Maori vaccination data. The High Court was wrong to rule against them.

After all, would you want your personal medical information handed over to any quango that asks?

The Ministry of Health says its controversial legal battle with the Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency over the release of data on unvaccinated Maori had to be tested in court to address the important privacy issues it raised.

And despite the fact it ended up costing $264,284, it was worth it according to the government department.

This was not any old data. This was personal health information, with the full details of every individual concerned.

The agency took legal action against the ministry last year for refusing to release details of all eligible Maori in the North Island who had not been vaccinated […]

The Ministry of Health’s national immunisation programme director Astrid Koornneef said the agency’s request for personal health information raised important legal questions relating to individual privacy, as well as the ministry’s obligations.

Whanau Ora specifically state that their aim was to “locate and vaccinate Maori”. In fact, they openly demanded names, street addresses and email addresses and National Health Index (NHI) numbers.

They were especially determined to gather personal data on children. “What we need is to know exactly what streets are populated with more numbers with more babies requiring vaccination,” said chief executive John Tamihere.

Well, excuse me, but – Maori or Pakeha – that’s none of your goddamn business.

In her decision Justice Cheryl Gwyn said Maori vaccination rates were “materially lower” than other groups and were disproportionately affected by the virus.

That may be so, and it’s absolutely a problem, but that still doesn’t justify sensitive private medical records being handed over, en masse, to activist groups. I would certainly expect my private medical information to be kept, well, private. There’s no reason Maori shouldn’t be extended the same basic right.

Koornneef said the High Court decision had helped to provide useful guidance for the future release of personal vaccination information about Maori.

“The ministry has since met all of its obligations and shared all relevant vaccination health information for Maori aged 12 and over with Whanau Ora in keeping with the Court’s ruling,” she said.

“It has also helped inform the reaching of a further data-sharing agreement with Whanau Ora for the release of information about tamariki, signed in February.”

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So, if you’re Maori, your private records, aren’t. Who else’s private information will they go fishing for next? And just what will they want to know about you?

They can wrap it up in self-serving palaver about Covid all they want, but this is just another step in New Zealand’s descent into apartheid. John Tamihere is right about one thing, though: “It was all about power and control.”