The Cabinet Office has issued a directive emphasizing the prioritization of public services based on need rather than race, sparking controversy over the exclusion of ethnicity as an evidence-based marker of health need, particularly in New Zealand where disparities are prominent. Public health physician Belinda Loring argues that ethnicity is a strong predictor of health need due to systemic racism and marginalization, leading to poorer outcomes for certain ethnic groups. The directive requires agencies to justify any use of ethnicity data for targeted services, raising concerns about potential misinterpretations and limitations on addressing health inequities.
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Tauranga assault case: Man pleads guilty to attacks, harmful posts
A 19-year-old Tauranga man, Patrick Paul Moloney, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to a series of assaults and the online posting of videos documenting these incidents. Initially entering a not guilty plea in December, he now faces one charge of common assault, two charges of injuring with intent, and one charge of posting harmful communication during a recent hearing at Tauranga District Court. The assault charges could result in a maximum of three...
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