When being colourblind backfires – Newsroom

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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