Stitches have been dropped over many years, which have resulted in poor outcomes for many people, most starkly Māori and Pacific communities. Improving the equity of health outcomes achieved in New Zealand requires first that we acknowledge the current inequities are not acceptable, and that we see those stitches that have been dropped and understand their message. The old health system was not set up to understand the needs of individuals, whānau, and communities, and so the system could not design and deliver services to address those identified needs.