Buzz from the Beehive
ACT’s Brooke van Velden obviously wanted us to know about her beneficent role in a lolly scramble involving the dispersal of hundreds of millions of dollars. As Minister of Internal Affairs she announced that $343.5 million in lottery profits have been allocated to communities across the country – an increase of around $29.8 million from previous years.
As Minister of Internal Affairs, moreover, she said she was presiding member of the Lottery Grants Board, along with ministerial colleague Louise Upston, and the representative of the Leader of the Opposition – Lemauga Lydia Sosene. The Board includes three community liaison members – Karen Coutts, Sumati Govind and Colleen Tuuta.
Louise Upston announced the availability of financial help, too, as Social Development and Employment Minister. But in this case, the recipients of civil defence payments are not as lucky as those who will benefit from lottery grants. They are the victims of severe weather in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti who need help to cover some emergency costs.
But the announcement of greatest interest to the team at Point of Order in the past 24 hours came from Associate Health Minister Casey Costello.
She said the Government has taken further steps to providing better regulation for medicines, medical devices, and natural health products with the first reading of a bill to repeal the Therapeutic Products Act 2023 (TPA).
At first blush, it is not apparent that medicines, medical devices and natural health products will be better regulated. It is fair to say, however, that they will be less regulated.
The TPA was not due to take effect until September 2026 and the regulatory regime required to support it, including the creation of a new regulatory agency and IT systems, has not yet been developed.
Repealing the Act now means that industry and practitioners will not have to change their businesses or the way they operate, and there will be no disruption to consumers or the health system.
One fascinating question is whether the bill will be supported by the Māori Party.
That party have camouflaged their position by not bothering to say aye or no vote when a party vote was called for on the question, That the Therapeutic Products Act Repeal Bill be now read a first time.
Ayes 68
New Zealand National 49; ACT New Zealand 11; New Zealand First 8.
Noes 48
New Zealand Labour 34; Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand 14.
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27 JUNE 2024
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In her statement, Casey Costello said repealing the Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) shows the Government is listening to the concerns of industry and consumers. Does that mean all industry members and consumers?
“The TPA would have led to the overregulation of low-risk products, imposed unnecessary costs and created more barriers to access to medicines and medical products,” Ms Costello says.
She acknowledged that the current Medicines Act is outdated.
The government is working on a modern, fit-for-purpose regulatory system for medicines and medical devices and a separate system for natural health products.
“We can replace the TPA with legislation that protects consumers without creating unnecessary red tape for industry and I will take proposals to cabinet later this year.”
Repealing the TPA is a commitment in the National-New Zealand First and National-ACT coalition agreements.
Until new legislation is passed the Medicines Act and Dietary Supplement Regulations, which are currently in place, will continue to apply.
Costello made no mention of rongoā Māori or tohunga and other practitioners.
Rongoā Māori is the traditional healing system of Māori. It focuses on the oral transmission of knowledge, diversity of practice and the spiritual dimension of health.
Rongoā Māori encompasses herbal remedies, physical therapies and spiritual healing.
Rongoā was one of the Māori cultural practices targeted by the Tohunga Suppression Act 1907, until lifted by the Māori Welfare Act 1962
The Māori Party didn’t support Labour’s TPA legislation at the first reading in 2022 and pressed for changes to protect rongoā Māori, its tohunga and practitioners.
The political pressure applied by the party, providers and patients resulted in the Government exempting rongoā Māori practitioners and small-scale Natural Health Product (NHP) manufacturers.
An advisory committee of rongoā experts and Māori health leaders was to be established to ensure the regulation of rongoā and mātauranga remained in Māori hands.
“Te Pāti Māori have opposed the inclusion of rongoā in the legislation from day one. Bringing it into Pākehā law would criminalise our rongoā practitioners and tohunga, just like the Crown did with the Tohunga Suppression Act” said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
“Rongoā Māori is a Tiriti-protected taonga that must be protected from Crown interference.
“It’s good to see the Minister has finally caved to the demands of our people, exempting our rongoā practitioners from the Act” said Ngarewa-Packer.
“I want to acknowledge the thousands of people who have stood up against this attack on our mātauranga. The 16,000 submitters, the 5,000 petitioners, and the hikoi who came to Parliament with a clear message to the Crown: ‘keep your hands off our rongoā!’
But rongoa will have no exemption under the Luxon government’s bill and thus will enjoy no privileged status.
Being subject to the same pakeha law as all other providers of medicines and cures might not be appreciated.
Point of Order 
It will be interesting to watch happens with any TMP MPs when they become ill. Will it be colonialist medicine or rongoa that they turn to for treatment? Doing both is a copout. That dilemma will test their commitment to the cause. And it will give a lot of ammo to jaundiced commenters like me. Almost as bad as socialists sending their children to private schools.
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