Edmonds, MoengaroaTan, Kyle K. H.Simon, HemoperekiBlack, RoseWaitoki, WaikaremoanaRae, Ngaire2025-10-162025-10-162025Edmonds, M., Tan, K., Simon, H., Black, R., Waitoki, W., & Rae, N. (2024). “It is about enabling tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake”: An analysis of Pae Ora submissions endorsing the Māori Health Authority. MAI Review.1177-5904https://hdl.handle.net/10289/17721Indigenous leadership in healthcare is one way for Indigenous peoples to exercise sovereignty over their health. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the establishment of the Māori Health Authority (MHA) was grounded in a decades-long imperative to address Māori health inequities and operationalise te Tiriti o Waitangi within the health system. However, the populist National-led coalition government formed in November 2023 included the abolishment of the MHA in their first 100-day plan and eventually disestablished it in February 2024. This study analysed 155 public group submissions on the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill made in 2021 and representing health professionals, iwi, hapū, and community groups. Core themes endorsing the MHA as a statutory entity included honouring te Tiriti, advocating for Māori-led solutions to health inequities, decolonising health systems, and affirming Indigenous rights. The political decision to remove the MHA is antithetical to the explicit endorsement statements made by an overwhelming majority of group submitters with expertise in health organisational structures and healthcare provision. Our study has implications for future local and international research in documenting counter-narratives for Indigenous struggles in health systems.en© 2025 MAI Journal. Used with permission.Health EquityIndigenousMāori HealthMāori Health AuthorityMāori policyPublic HealthracismRacism and HealthTreaty of WaitangiJournal Article10.20507/MAIJournal.2025.14.2.131177-5904440709 Public policy350714 Public sector organisation and management4206 Public health451015 Te hauora me te oranga tūmatanui o te Māori (Māori public health and wellbeing)461004 Information governance, policy and ethics420306 Health care administration420305 Health and community services420311 Health systems420602 Health equity441011 Sociology of health440706 Health policy451006 Ngā kaupapahere hauora o te Māori (Māori health policy)451123 Ngā mahi tōrangapū Māori (Māori politics)440809 New Zealand government and politics451128 Te mātauranga pāpori o te Māori (Māori sociology)10 Reduced Inequalities16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions3 Good Health and Well Being