The Multidimensional Impacts of Inequities for Tangata Whaikaha Maori (Indigenous Maori with Lived Experience of Disability) in Aotearoa, New Zealand

People with lived experience of disability have poorer health and socioeconomic outcomes than people without it. However, within this population, certain social groups are more likely to experience poorer outcomes due to the impacts of multiple intersecting forms of oppression including colonisation, coloniality and racism. This paper describes the multidimensional impacts of inequities for Indigenous tangata whaikaha Maori (Maori with lived experience of disability). Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 28 tangata whaikaha Maori and their whanau (extended family) using a kaupapa Maori Research methodology. An equity framework was used to analyse the data. The results describe: (1) inequitable access to the determinants of health and well-being; (2) inequitable access to and through health and disability care; (3) differential quality of health and disability care received; and (4) Indigenous Maori-driven solutions. These data confirm that tangata whaikaha Maori in the nation-state known as New Zealand experience racism, ableism and disablism, compounded by the intersection between these types of discrimination. Recommendations from the data support the inclusion of tangata whaikaha Maori in decision-making structures, including all policies and practices, along with equal partnership rights when it comes to designing health and disability systems and services.