A more telling graph would be the money spend directly on healthcare vs money spend on the reform of the department of health, the DHBs and other new and improved burocracy. National did underspend or refuse to fund, and Labour spend the last year re-creating NZ Health in what hopefully will be a better system then the DHBs.
So in essence how much did N spend vs L say on recruitment of nurses and doctors? How much on renovations of fixed assets, how much on new machines / what machines and then how much was spend on consultants.
I posted the link a few weeks back. Can repost if required.
The question is, is our health system in better shape now or pre 2017 Labour govt?
Even factoring in covid, its pretty clear it is in a worse state. My evidence for this is the almost daily articles about Dr's, nurses saying they are at breaking point. I have posted many links on this in the past few weeks.
So how long do you think it takes to train up doctors and nurses to be able to compitantly work in critical situations such as Ed and ICU? And how long does it take to rectify 8 years of neglect in health infrastructure and capacity?
I have posted before Macro about what Dr Ian Powell says in his columns (former head of the Salaried Medical Specialists).
When Labour came in, he told the then Minister of Health, David Clark, that there were 3 problems facing Health in NZ. Workforce shortage, workforce shortage, workforce shortage. That was over five years ago. Had Labour of acted on this, we would now have trainees graduating or even with one or two years under their belts in ICU and ED. Last week we heard that Andrew Little was finally considering paying student nurses for their placements, after the NZNO had been suggesting it for sometime. I have posted here previously at least two articles about student nurses feeling highly stressed and contemplating not completing their training. Some of the reasons being have to travel big distances to do their (unpaid) hospital workforce training and receiving no petrol money or assistance with parking. I also posted an interview with Shane Reti on Q and A and as I recall, he talked about having had costing down for a new medical school. Many GPs are reaching retirement age.
Andrew Little has prioritized a health restructure during a pandemic, rather than addressing the workforce issues. NZders will pay the price
Can link to previously posted articles if requried.
prioritized a health restructure during a pandemic, rather than addressing the workforce issues.
You know one of the reasons for the Health restructuring is simply to address the issue of stretched resources and inequitably distributed resources (ie access to health determined by post code rather than need) – but you knew that anyway.
hold a current practising certificate and must have three years’ equivalent full time practice in the area they intend to prescribe in with at least one year of the total practice in New Zealand;
To simply blame the current govt for the run down state of NZ Health is simply blinkered and partisan. The previous Nat govt, with their persistent under funding of Health (as clearly seen from the graph above) resulted in NZ's Health service ending up in a parlous state. It will take years to turn that around. Hospitals (eg Whangarei's) completely unfit for purpose. The low payment of Health professionals has resulted in large numbers flocking offshore. We staff our hospitals and aged care facilities from lower paid countries off-shore. Once re-qualified and NZ citizens they then depart to higher paid positions in Australia America Canada and UK). My son-in-law as evidence.
Hmmm I well remember the 2007 Nat advertisement "Stop waving goodbye to your loved ones!" Well no sooner were the Nats in power than they changed the provision for aftercare of those suffering brain injury. 100 specialists dealing with such conditions were immediately out of a job and nothing for them in this country. So Aussie just got 100 qualified specialists, just like that – my own family are never going to return. Now running 3 small hospitals in Perth.
I am not claiming National did a great job in terms of heath in NZ. Although I do believe Shane Reti would make a great Minister of Health or even PM>
Labour and Littles focus should have been on the training and retention of staff and the importation of the health workforce from overseas. This involves everything from settling pay disputes, increasing pay significantly and valuing the workforce rather than being in denial that public health is in crisis as Andrew Little does
Setting up Health NZ has inevitably put them behind as you don't just set up a new agency and its all good to go. As I mentioned before my contact at Health NZ tells me it is chaos and in their considered opinion it won't achieve the goal of equity.
What is the health system? If. you get sick with a broken leg, cancer, a heart attack, an autoimmune disease, have a car accident etc, etc who do you need to be there in adequate numbers. The people with skills, training and experience. Not the bureacrats.
One of the articles I posted recently quoted a group of Drs who said the only change they have seen from the re-structure is the new logo.
But go ahead believe the bureacrats will make all the difference. Having worked in health in the 1990s I can tell you that what happened in Wellington made absolutely no difference at all. As long as our staffing levels were o.k., it all rose and fell on the expertise and clinical competence of the nurses and Drs and other allied workers at the coal face.
Mmmmm those faceless 'bureaucrats' are always worth a bash aren't they?
Would the critics of everything to do with the health sector and reforms be able to cobble together an argument without having access to these people to criticise? When I worked in the health sector the 'bureaucrats', but we called them staff rather than the pejorative, that were absolutely relied on at a high level were
clinical coders
work flow analysts – needed in looking at ED and out patients work
accountants with a specialty in health accounting
waiting list case managers
Then we have the bureaucrats staff that any large organisation can not do without:
payroll
HR
supply/stores management
info tech people including librarian type people who specialise in (health)
Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) told the union it would not allow newly graduated doctors to start working in hospitals until next year, NZRDA national president Dr James Anderson said.
Anderson said Te Whatu Ora cited supervision and orientation concerns as the reason why.
It “makes no sense”, he said: “We have a workforce we so desperately need, qualified, ready and willing to work, and yet Te Whatu Ora won’t employ them for another two months.”
Anderson said the “excuse” of supervision and orientation concerns, “is in our view, exactly that”.
It seems Health NZ is the obstacle here. So rather than helping the over worked Drs in crisis they are an impediment. But of course the Professional Managerial Class think they know best
While I understand your concern re staffing it does the cause no good to leave off some points, these were in the article that you attached.
a) the proposed changes were discussed/consulted on
'A spokesperson for Te Whatu Ora said the 20 DHBs that previously comprised Health New Zealand went through extensive consultation before the change was put in place, to strengthen training, staff welfare and services to patients.'
b) the overriding reason is this
'He said the shift from November to January enabled newly-appointed first-year doctors to be supported into practice, particularly with more senior staff on leave over the Christmas and New Year period, and ensured new graduates got a break before starting their careers.
“New Zealanders can have confidence that, as in previous years, this will not affect our ability to staff services over the holiday period.” "
I have lived next door to one of those senior orthopaedic surgeons who trains new staff, for many years. He often has some time off in Dec/ January. Apart from a little time with both sets of elderly parents he is usually at home doing things like building a new deck, blobbing out, going to outdoor concerts etc etc.
Even though he is on leave when there are huge numbers or complex injuries to road accident victims he is on call and about 90% of the time during these holidays he is called in.
NZers regularly drive their cars into each other, into bridges or power poles over the break. When the remaining staff cannot deal with the injuries he will go in to operate. Having done this he then goes in daily to check on the patients he has operated on.
Last Christmas/January break he was flown to Chch, while on leave, to help operate on badly injured road accident victims. Having done this he stayed down there to be on call for his patients for a week.
The point about letting newly graduated doctors have a break is also valid. Up until now many would have had minimal time off as most would work over the long break.
Spoken with the voice of experience. I had a very minor involvement with a govt workforce/clinical training group for health.
From this I am left with the view that it is never as clear cut as the various groups say, they exist to push their causes and that is OK but we should not forget it. Many of the groups are single issue and do not understand how all the bits fit together in clinical training in the health sector.
Stability of government is hugely important. Health is regularly used as an election issue and during this time there is wastage in terms of gearing up and down to meet a new govt's ideas. Health by the long nature of its training and long time frames on other issues, is a bit like trying to turn an ocean liner on a coin. It takes an age.
Access to health services via post code is a happening thing. Although not as bad as prior to the 1990s the cries for every DHB to have the latest health bauble (not based on need) are never-ending.
And make no mistake some health specialties are more 'sexy', as they say, than others. Some DHBs are keenly aware of this and waste no time in seeking funds for latest 'thing' when population based funding based on the actual needs of their populations is ignored. So we find that, as your family has, that painstaking and often long term rehab for the brain injured is not valued.
Back in the 1990s linear accelerators were the 'thing' and every hospital wanted one, regardless of need based on demographics. Trying to persuade people that if they paid attention to their populations ie to the demographics they wouldn't need linear accelerators fell on very deaf ears.
Looking after Maori child health was just not 'it', even though the chance existed to become a centre of excellence and a leader in the field.
The backbone of the health work force are Baby Boomers at or beyond retirement age. That's the cause of the workforce shortfall, same as in Education and other professions. Think about it !.
100% tsmithfield. Except I would say, as I have said on this site before, they should never have gone ahead with the re-structure.
This is only heresay and one person’s opinion, and so I can’t provide any links etc. A friend works quite high up in the new Health NZ. She says it is absolute chaos and that she doesn't believe it will achieve equity.
I really only came to appreciate Fleetwood Mac later in life – and the remarkable McVie herself. Few people have the privilege of leaving such a well loved legacy.
What I can’t work out is if the Covid wage subsidy was less than the normal income for most recipients surely the lower amount of spending was not inflationary and then when things like spending stabilised the effects of the two regimes should be considered as a whole over the Covid years and those subsequent years giving us an average over say 5 years which should not be hugely inflationary. So what is the panic, we are just catching up and the resulting yearly total should be no different wether Covid happened or not.
Is this another classic example of Economics Trivial Pursuit, one question, 1000 correct answers?
I think the inflationary aspect, if any, was that businesses were propped up that otherwise would have failed as business failures have actually declined. The loss in GDP was also pretty small in the end as businesses adapted to trading in the Covid levels, even level 3, and the government avoided level 4 until Delta arrived, so the macroeconomic impact from Covid restrictions ended up being minimal, particularly compared to forecasts earlier on.
If this baby is removed from hospital today as the mother is threatening to do and the baby subsequently dies, it is easy to see what will happen. They, and their fellow anti- vaccine conspiracy theorists, will blame the death on the Ministry of Health and the Government.
I listened to part of the Sue Grey interview with Corin Dann this morning. It was hard going. The woman was appalling. Full of ‘mis and dis’ information.
I really don't think these people should be interviewed on public radio or TV. They have nothing of worth to offer.
That's why these conspiracy theorists are dangerous and should be constantly regarded as such by the authorities. It’s why they should not be given air time.
Why only the Covid vaccine – what about flu, HepA, HepB, shingles, measles, human papilloma virus, cholera, rabies, polio, mumps, tetanus, diphtheria etc? Many blood donors will have had one or more of these vaccines – actually most donors, if you look at the NZ Vaccine Schedule.
It is largely political – aimed at painting centre-left governments as authoritarian enemies of freedom, when the opposite is true. One question is whether it is a genuinely spontaneous derangement, or if there's money behind it.
I had pondered why only Covid. If I was going to get down a rabbit hole about vaccinations and possible lingering effects in the blood I would go for one of those where attenuated parts of a disease were injected…… eg TB etc.
They are crackpots and it is terrible that they are using the life of a wee baby who is not able to speak for themselves to further their views. It also espouses a view about babies being 'owned' by their parents that I disagree with.
Fortunately, the system is quite practiced at this. For years, the hospitals have had to deal with adherents of religious cults like the Jehovah's Witnesses who do not believe in blood transfusions. While adults can give consent – children cannot, so these children regularly get made Wards of the Court so that they can get the lifesaving procedures they require.
Yes I have heard about those wards of court processes for children.
I have wondered how the children are treated by their religious parents after, if they have received life saving transfusions. So whether there is a difference in the treatment/care/attention/love they receive from their parents.
It breaks my heart reading about people who place adherence to creed, belief or religion above their children's lives etc.
I have long ceased to try and fathom the thought processes of religious and other cultists. I have a good friend who is married to a Jehovah's Witness husband. We went to my friend's 70th birthday party some years ago. Her family had to pretend it was a house warming party for the house they moved in to 2 years previously as the husband would refuse to go to a birthday party. Imagine the sort of religious indoctrination that does not let you go to your wife's 70th birthday party. Once he shuffled off to some church thing the "Happy Housewarming" banner came down, and the "Happy Birthday Mum" banner went up.
There's money behind it alright – most of it off-shore.
And yes its political. Just like the climate denial thing was for decades. One of the reasons the world is heading for climate catastrophe is directly due to the influence of the deniers who were given carte-blanche by irresponsible media channels to spread their crackpot theories far and wide.
Why only the Covid vaccine – what about flu, HepA, HepB, shingles, measles, human papilloma virus, cholera, rabies, polio, mumps, tetanus, diphtheria etc?
Which of those are mRNA vaccines? Which of those were developed in less than 12 months?
mRNA vaccines do not use attenuated actual viruses. I don't think the length of time of development has a role or is important. Do you know how long the others on the list were under development…..?
You have asked some odd questions. Are these relevant to the willingness to effectively withhold medical/surgical treatment from a wee baby? If so in what way?
Which of those were developed in less than 12 months?
mRNA and it’s functions were discovered in 1961, clinical trials of mRNA therapeutics began in 2009 and the first in-human mRNA cancer vaccine trials were in 2017.
Heavens, she is not very articulate is she? It is hard going. Surely she should do, just as Luxon should do, work to find out info to rebut the type of questions an interested lay person would ask. I wonder if she is more used to taking court cases on the papers rather than orally.
So a case of myocarditis came about as a very uncommon reaction. Is she trying to say that blood from a healthy person/s who does not have any risks is going to get in and whip up a case of myocarditis? If so she is sadly lacking in knowledge about how vaccinations work and how the Covid ones in particular work.
'A medical expert believes another baby in a similar condition to one Health NZ is trying to seek guardianship for would've been treated by now.' Meanwhile the date for the hearing is set for 6/12. Terrible delays caused by the parents' stance.
That poor baby, with no voice except that of it's deranged parents, could well die to make a political point!
There should be some way, made clear to the parents and their supporters, that an adverse result (to the baby's health) would result in charges being laid. Sue Grey and Liz Gunn, in particular, should be held liable, in some way, for what happens.
"Donated blood is tested and separated into different blood components; red blood cells, platelets, plasma etc. These are aggregated and when a transfusion is called for by medical professionals, these blood products are supplied depending on need. When someone receives a transfusion the blood doesn't just come from one donor, it is a recombined from the various collected components.
The practice of direct donations from a singular donor, or donors of the parents choice, is not recommended by Doctors or the New Zealand Blood Service."
If you had been listening to Grey's side of the debate, the different blood components or the number of blood donors aren't what is holding up the surgery.
Corin certainly was shouty, mauī but Sue Grey presented very poorly, imo. She dragged into what might have been a useful interview, heavy baggage that triggered Corin sorely and she should have known better. There was the potential for genuine empathy to be fostered, but she failed to cut to the chase. I wouldn't want her defending me anywhere for anything.
The auditor-general is being challenged to do more to get businesses to pay back billions of dollars in wage subsidy payments that they should not have received.
The Gama Foundation, a Christchurch-based philanthropic organisation, has filed an application at the High Court in Wellington, seeking a judicial review of the auditor-general’s overview of the scheme.
The foundation is run by former Christchurch businessman Grant Nelson and his wife, Marilyn.
[…]
Reserve Bank data shows that in October 2020 businesses had $22.7b more in the bank than in October 2019.
[…]
“In the two years since the wage subsidy scheme was introduced, there’s been a huge transfer of wealth to businesses who didn’t experience the drop in revenue they might have anticipated,” Nelson said.
“The fact that over $750 million has voluntarily been repaid is a good indication that many times more would be repaid if recipients were asked to make repayments.”
Earlier this year the auditor-general took a much stronger stance over the cost of living payments – within weeks of the first round of payments being made Ryan had written to Inland Revenue, recommending it “consider what steps it can take to identify how many ineligible people have received payments”.
He also advised the department to make its expectation clear to ineligible people who got the payment that they should repay it immediately.
“We’re really just wanting him to do something similar with the wage subsidies because vastly more money is involved,” Nelson said.
I cant figure it out. on stuff presently , an odd penguin type is loseing his claim, and loseing his appeal, to a poll conducted by his company, being reported as a poll. someone else (hah!) can explain. is this karma?
“Readers could have been left with the impression that this poll had some validity. The headline and story stated it was a poll of people’s Prime Ministerial preferences. There was no information stating what it was based on. Readers were not told it was an unscientific straw poll”
Government has lightbulb moment,to train people ( through ngo's) to change lightbulbs and provide advice on low flow shower heads.
‘Auckland Council Home Energy Saver Pilot’, Ecobulb with Auckland Council, $115,000
Training up to 10 energy assessors to provide local households with personalised energy-saving advice, supply energy-efficient lightbulbs and low-flow showerheads, and connect households to other resources and supporting programmes.
Needs to be substantive savings for the new tech economy planned by the government,with the energy hungry and thirsty data centres for Auckland,of which they are energy intensive and require substantive water for cooling.
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Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
Responding to the long-awaited release of judges’ special allowances, including free air travel and hotels for spouses, generous sabbaticals, and access to limousines, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Alex Murphy said: “In what world does your employer ...
Analysis - The United States has unveiled plans to boost the weapons trade with Australia and the UK, on the same day that Winston Peters is expected to sketch NZ's position on AUKUS. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Carson, Professor of Political Communication, Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy, La Trobe University Since Australia’s First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum in October 2023, diverse commentaries have sought to explain why it failed. But what does an analysis of media ...
Lawyers representing two iwi as well as the Māori Women’s Welfare League on Wednesday asked the Court of Appeal to overturn last week’s High Court decision on the Waitangi Tribunal’s decision to summons Children’s Minister Karen Chhour. The Tribunal is currently investigating the Government’s decision to repeal section 7AA of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will introduce legislation to ban deepfake pornography and provide more funding for the eSafety Commission to pilot age-assurance technologies. The contribution of internet sites to gender-based violence was one major issue ...
Average ordinary time hourly earnings, as measured by the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES), increased 5.2 percent in the year to the March 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. Annual wage cost inflation, as measured by the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitrios Salampasis, FinTech Capability Lead | Senior Lecturer, Emerging Technologies and FinTech, Swinburne University of Technology Clem Onojeghuo/Unsplash In the digital era, the job market is increasingly becoming a minefield – demanding and difficult to navigate. According to the Australian Bureau ...
As of the March 2024 quarter, we can now look back on 20 years of data related to youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET), as collected by the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS), according to figures released by Stats NZ today. "The ...
Thousands of workers attended public events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch today to celebrate International Workers’ Day (May Day), but union representatives are urging caution and vigilance over the Government’s blatantly "anti-worker" ...
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in the March 2024 quarter, compared with 4.0 percent in the previous quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
The PSA is warning the Government that the sensitive information of New Zealanders held by various agencies will fall into the wrong hands if the latest round of proposed cuts goes ahead. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Talitha Best, Professor of Psychology, CQUniversity Australia Victoria Rodriguez/Unsplash How do sugar rushes work? – W.H, age nine, from Canberra What a terrific question W.H! Let’s explore this, starting with some of the basics. What is sugar? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karinna Saxby, Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne MART PRODUCTION/Pexels Increasing income support could help keep women and children safe according to new work demonstrating strong links between financial insecurity and domestic violence. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark A Gregory, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, RMIT University The telecommunications industry faces a major shakeup following the release of the post-incident report on last November’s 12-hour Optus outage. Telecommunications companies will have to share more information with customers during future ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Eden Denyer, bookseller at Unity Books Auckland.Weirdest question/request you’ve had on the shop floorA mother came in looking for anything we might have on Alaskan bison as that was her little boy’s ...
NZCTU Economist Craig Renney said new data released by Statistics New Zealand shows the need for Government to act now, with unemployment rising from 3.4% to 4.3%. ...
The outpouring of anger over Maiki Sherman’s hyperbolic presentation of this week’s ‘nightmare’ poll is itself an overreaction, argues Stewart Sowman-Lund. Politicians love nothing more than to pretend they don’t care about polls. This week, deputy prime minister Winston Peters said he didn’t give a “rat’s derriere” about a TVNZ ...
Asia Pacific Report Ngāti Kahungunu in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay region has become the first indigenous Māori iwi (tribe) to sign a resolution calling for a “ceasefire in Palestine”, reports Te Ao Māori News. Reporter Te Aniwaniwa Paterson talked to Te Otāne Huata, who has been organising peace rallies ...
By Dale Luma in Port Moresby “We want grants and not concessional loans,” is the crisp message from Papua New Guinea businesses directly affected by the Black Wednesday looting four months ago. The businesses, which lost millions after the January 10 rioting and looting, say they need grants as part ...
Happy May Day. Join a union. Q: What’s worse than a staff break room where the only place to sit and have a cup of tea is on a teetering stack of old pornography magazines? A: Your boss replacing the magazine stacks with chairs that are “heartily encrusted with ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Former opposition leader Matthew Wale has been announced as the second prime ministerial candidate ahead of the election in Solomon Islands tomorrow. He will face off against former foreign affairs minister Jeremiah Manele, who was announced by the Coalition for National Unity and Transformation ...
We get but one birthday a year – why not make it last as long as possible by scheduling as many meals with friends and family as you can? This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. How do you celebrate your birthday? Do you celebrate at ...
A Koi Tū discussion paper released today proposes sweeping changes to New Zealand’s media industry. The principal’s key author, Gavin Ellis, explains how journalists have a key role to play in making others value their role in society. This is an abridged version of a piece first published on knightlyviews.com ...
The Government’s spending cuts are again targeting support for Māori with proposed reform of the agency charged with advising on Māori wellbeing and development. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Douglas, Honorary Senior Lecturer, UNSW Aviation., UNSW Sydney The history of budget jet airlines in Australia is a long road littered with broken dreams. New entrants have consistently struggled to get a foothold. Low-cost carrier Bonza has just become the industry’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rosalind Dixon, Director, Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, UNSW Sydney Australia is finally having a sustained conversation about violence against women and what we can do about it. It is more than time. Australian women and girls continue to experience ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne stockfour/Shutterstock Preliminary bulk billing data released this week shows a 2.1% rise in bulk billing up to March. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Schulz, Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide Australia is once again grappling with how we can stop gendered violence in our country. Protests over the weekend show there is enormous community anger over the number of women who are dying and National ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University AnastasiaDudka/Shutterstock What if the government was doing everything it could to stop thieves making off with our money, except the one thing that could really work? That’s how it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury The Conversation It seems to be a time of old favourites. This month our experts have recommended two new seasons – the second season of Alone Australia (although ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland A bright Eta Aquariid meteor photobombed this photo of comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) in May 2020.Jonti Horner Meteors – commonly known as shooting stars – can be seen on any night of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Flannery, Honorary fellow, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Current concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in Earth’s atmosphere are unprecedented in human history. But CO₂ levels today, and those that might occur in coming decades, did occur millions of years ago. ...
Winston Peters has been keen to dismiss speculation on our involvement in Aukus but will give a speech tonight on the direction of our foreign policy, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Usmar, Lecturer in Critical Media Literacies, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images With the coalition government’s ban of student mobile phones in New Zealand schools coming into effect this week, reaction has ranged from the sceptical (kids will just get ...
Hospitals around the country are not allowed to make a single hiring decision without the approval of Te Whatu Ora's head office, including for cleaners and administration staff. ...
A new report on protecting journalism and democracy in New Zealand recommends a levy be charged on global platforms like Facebook and Google to fund media firms undertaking public interest reporting. It also calls for the reinstatement of a powerful Broadcasting Commission to distribute public funding for journalism and other ...
On International Workers' Day, also known as May Day, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi and the wider union movement are celebrating the proud history of the labour movement during a tough time for working people. ...
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Telling graph.
[image resized]
Thank you
Interesting 2018 Was more that nat from 2013 to 2017
And 5 yr Natz was 781m (including 2 yrs of 0 )cf
to Lab 5 yrs of 5798 mil
A more telling graph would be the money spend directly on healthcare vs money spend on the reform of the department of health, the DHBs and other new and improved burocracy. National did underspend or refuse to fund, and Labour spend the last year re-creating NZ Health in what hopefully will be a better system then the DHBs.
So in essence how much did N spend vs L say on recruitment of nurses and doctors? How much on renovations of fixed assets, how much on new machines / what machines and then how much was spend on consultants.
$11.1 billon on Health reforms over four years.
I posted the link a few weeks back. Can repost if required.
The question is, is our health system in better shape now or pre 2017 Labour govt?
Even factoring in covid, its pretty clear it is in a worse state. My evidence for this is the almost daily articles about Dr's, nurses saying they are at breaking point. I have posted many links on this in the past few weeks.
So how long do you think it takes to train up doctors and nurses to be able to compitantly work in critical situations such as Ed and ICU? And how long does it take to rectify 8 years of neglect in health infrastructure and capacity?
I have posted before Macro about what Dr Ian Powell says in his columns (former head of the Salaried Medical Specialists).
When Labour came in, he told the then Minister of Health, David Clark, that there were 3 problems facing Health in NZ. Workforce shortage, workforce shortage, workforce shortage. That was over five years ago. Had Labour of acted on this, we would now have trainees graduating or even with one or two years under their belts in ICU and ED. Last week we heard that Andrew Little was finally considering paying student nurses for their placements, after the NZNO had been suggesting it for sometime. I have posted here previously at least two articles about student nurses feeling highly stressed and contemplating not completing their training. Some of the reasons being have to travel big distances to do their (unpaid) hospital workforce training and receiving no petrol money or assistance with parking. I also posted an interview with Shane Reti on Q and A and as I recall, he talked about having had costing down for a new medical school. Many GPs are reaching retirement age.
Andrew Little has prioritized a health restructure during a pandemic, rather than addressing the workforce issues. NZders will pay the price
Can link to previously posted articles if requried.
Shane Reti would make an excellent health minister. Seems crazy having an ex union leader in charge of health.
I would have expected much better of an ex union in terms of managing health. IMO Little has shown nothing but contempt for the health workforce.
I don't think overblown words and exaggeration does vey much for the argument.
eg 'contempt.'
You know one of the reasons for the Health restructuring is simply to address the issue of stretched resources and inequitably distributed resources (ie access to health determined by post code rather than need) – but you knew that anyway.
The workforce issues would not be fixed in 5 years – last time I looked it takes at least 7 years for a doctor to be let loose on the general population.
For specialist nursing ie holding post grad nursing quals is just as long.
The entry requirements for post grad nursing requires candidates to:
To simply blame the current govt for the run down state of NZ Health is simply blinkered and partisan. The previous Nat govt, with their persistent under funding of Health (as clearly seen from the graph above) resulted in NZ's Health service ending up in a parlous state. It will take years to turn that around. Hospitals (eg Whangarei's) completely unfit for purpose. The low payment of Health professionals has resulted in large numbers flocking offshore. We staff our hospitals and aged care facilities from lower paid countries off-shore. Once re-qualified and NZ citizens they then depart to higher paid positions in Australia America Canada and UK). My son-in-law as evidence.
Hmmm I well remember the 2007 Nat advertisement "Stop waving goodbye to your loved ones!" Well no sooner were the Nats in power than they changed the provision for aftercare of those suffering brain injury. 100 specialists dealing with such conditions were immediately out of a job and nothing for them in this country. So Aussie just got 100 qualified specialists, just like that – my own family are never going to return. Now running 3 small hospitals in Perth.
I am not claiming National did a great job in terms of heath in NZ. Although I do believe Shane Reti would make a great Minister of Health or even PM>
Labour and Littles focus should have been on the training and retention of staff and the importation of the health workforce from overseas. This involves everything from settling pay disputes, increasing pay significantly and valuing the workforce rather than being in denial that public health is in crisis as Andrew Little does
Setting up Health NZ has inevitably put them behind as you don't just set up a new agency and its all good to go. As I mentioned before my contact at Health NZ tells me it is chaos and in their considered opinion it won't achieve the goal of equity.
What is the health system? If. you get sick with a broken leg, cancer, a heart attack, an autoimmune disease, have a car accident etc, etc who do you need to be there in adequate numbers. The people with skills, training and experience. Not the bureacrats.
One of the articles I posted recently quoted a group of Drs who said the only change they have seen from the re-structure is the new logo.
But go ahead believe the bureacrats will make all the difference. Having worked in health in the 1990s I can tell you that what happened in Wellington made absolutely no difference at all. As long as our staffing levels were o.k., it all rose and fell on the expertise and clinical competence of the nurses and Drs and other allied workers at the coal face.
Mmmmm those faceless 'bureaucrats' are always worth a bash aren't they?
Would the critics of everything to do with the health sector and reforms be able to cobble together an argument without having access to these people to criticise? When I worked in the health sector the 'bureaucrats', but we called them staff rather than the pejorative, that were absolutely relied on at a high level were
Then we have the
bureaucratsstaff that any large organisation can not do without:https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/300752834/health-system-desperately-needing-doctors-wont-let-new-grads-start-til-2023–union
Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) told the union it would not allow newly graduated doctors to start working in hospitals until next year, NZRDA national president Dr James Anderson said.
Anderson said Te Whatu Ora cited supervision and orientation concerns as the reason why.
It “makes no sense”, he said: “We have a workforce we so desperately need, qualified, ready and willing to work, and yet Te Whatu Ora won’t employ them for another two months.”
Anderson said the “excuse” of supervision and orientation concerns, “is in our view, exactly that”.
It seems Health NZ is the obstacle here. So rather than helping the over worked Drs in crisis they are an impediment. But of course the Professional Managerial Class think they know best
While I understand your concern re staffing it does the cause no good to leave off some points, these were in the article that you attached.
a) the proposed changes were discussed/consulted on
'A spokesperson for Te Whatu Ora said the 20 DHBs that previously comprised Health New Zealand went through extensive consultation before the change was put in place, to strengthen training, staff welfare and services to patients.'
b) the overriding reason is this
'He said the shift from November to January enabled newly-appointed first-year doctors to be supported into practice, particularly with more senior staff on leave over the Christmas and New Year period, and ensured new graduates got a break before starting their careers.
“New Zealanders can have confidence that, as in previous years, this will not affect our ability to staff services over the holiday period.” "
I have lived next door to one of those senior orthopaedic surgeons who trains new staff, for many years. He often has some time off in Dec/ January. Apart from a little time with both sets of elderly parents he is usually at home doing things like building a new deck, blobbing out, going to outdoor concerts etc etc.
Even though he is on leave when there are huge numbers or complex injuries to road accident victims he is on call and about 90% of the time during these holidays he is called in.
NZers regularly drive their cars into each other, into bridges or power poles over the break. When the remaining staff cannot deal with the injuries he will go in to operate. Having done this he then goes in daily to check on the patients he has operated on.
Last Christmas/January break he was flown to Chch, while on leave, to help operate on badly injured road accident victims. Having done this he stayed down there to be on call for his patients for a week.
The point about letting newly graduated doctors have a break is also valid. Up until now many would have had minimal time off as most would work over the long break.
So always good to have both sides of an issue.
Good points Macro.
Spoken with the voice of experience. I had a very minor involvement with a govt workforce/clinical training group for health.
From this I am left with the view that it is never as clear cut as the various groups say, they exist to push their causes and that is OK but we should not forget it. Many of the groups are single issue and do not understand how all the bits fit together in clinical training in the health sector.
Stability of government is hugely important. Health is regularly used as an election issue and during this time there is wastage in terms of gearing up and down to meet a new govt's ideas. Health by the long nature of its training and long time frames on other issues, is a bit like trying to turn an ocean liner on a coin. It takes an age.
Access to health services via post code is a happening thing. Although not as bad as prior to the 1990s the cries for every DHB to have the latest health bauble (not based on need) are never-ending.
And make no mistake some health specialties are more 'sexy', as they say, than others. Some DHBs are keenly aware of this and waste no time in seeking funds for latest 'thing' when population based funding based on the actual needs of their populations is ignored. So we find that, as your family has, that painstaking and often long term rehab for the brain injured is not valued.
Back in the 1990s linear accelerators were the 'thing' and every hospital wanted one, regardless of need based on demographics. Trying to persuade people that if they paid attention to their populations ie to the demographics they wouldn't need linear accelerators fell on very deaf ears.
Looking after Maori child health was just not 'it', even though the chance existed to become a centre of excellence and a leader in the field.
The backbone of the health work force are Baby Boomers at or beyond retirement age. That's the cause of the workforce shortfall, same as in Education and other professions. Think about it !.
The government needs to reprioritise its spending to pay medical staff competitive salaries to keep them in NZ.
For instance, scrap the TVNZ/RNZ merger. Scrap the light rail vanity project. Give the money to the medical staff.
100% tsmithfield. Except I would say, as I have said on this site before, they should never have gone ahead with the re-structure.
This is only heresay and one person’s opinion, and so I can’t provide any links etc. A friend works quite high up in the new Health NZ. She says it is absolute chaos and that she doesn't believe it will achieve equity.
That sounds really sensible. They will never do it.
So they have spent all that money and the health system is worse than it was back in 2017. What a failure, thanks Andrew Little.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/130542865/laminated-cards-in-ed-with-health-ministers-number-common-knowlege
Sizing need a fix please.
if you ever need to do that yourself, edit the comment and put this at the end of the tag before the final >
width="100%"
Thanks Weka
.
https://twitter.com/fleetwoodmac/status/1598036525903941632
I really only came to appreciate Fleetwood Mac later in life – and the remarkable McVie herself. Few people have the privilege of leaving such a well loved legacy.
Saw them in Dunedin in 2019 at the stadium. Sound was terrible but was really important to understand their aura live. She had radiant presence.
Also Neil Finn gave us Shark Attack.
Wonderful music. Wonderful singer.
Very sad. A very talented musician taken too early.
The USSR used the false-flag attack as a pretext to cancel the Finnish-Soviet non-aggression pact.
But sure, Ukraine should negotiate.
/
https://twitter.com/DarthPutinKGB/status/1597914810322407425
You do know the peace movement within Russia, has disappeared right?
Anyone organising for a negotiated peace has either fled, or is in prison.
I guess with Putin's popularity so bloody high, he can do what he wants.
He wants war.
He, also wants to push Ukraine back into the stone age, by smashing their infrastructure.
Three parts to video
1st part a great piece Victorian Election and the media.
At 3.45 minute mark – Ukraine story.
3rd part – friendlyjordies fire booming.
What I can’t work out is if the Covid wage subsidy was less than the normal income for most recipients surely the lower amount of spending was not inflationary and then when things like spending stabilised the effects of the two regimes should be considered as a whole over the Covid years and those subsequent years giving us an average over say 5 years which should not be hugely inflationary. So what is the panic, we are just catching up and the resulting yearly total should be no different wether Covid happened or not.
Is this another classic example of Economics Trivial Pursuit, one question, 1000 correct answers?
Tsunamis have more than 1 wave even if the sine decrease is rapid.
I think the inflationary aspect, if any, was that businesses were propped up that otherwise would have failed as business failures have actually declined. The loss in GDP was also pretty small in the end as businesses adapted to trading in the Covid levels, even level 3, and the government avoided level 4 until Delta arrived, so the macroeconomic impact from Covid restrictions ended up being minimal, particularly compared to forecasts earlier on.
If this baby is removed from hospital today as the mother is threatening to do and the baby subsequently dies, it is easy to see what will happen. They, and their fellow anti- vaccine conspiracy theorists, will blame the death on the Ministry of Health and the Government.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/donor-blood-battle-mother-refuses-to-abide-by-medical-advice-to-not-leave-hospital-with-baby/WI7TPO5JANECJCYKJ4E5OMFMBI/
I listened to part of the Sue Grey interview with Corin Dann this morning. It was hard going. The woman was appalling. Full of ‘mis and dis’ information.
I really don't think these people should be interviewed on public radio or TV. They have nothing of worth to offer.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018869301
Oh dear, and here's another one:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/130623195/saboteur-graham-philip-jailed-for-trying-to-cut-power-to-entire-north-island
Goes to show some of them are dangerous people.
'
In the same vein as the absurd vaccine conspiracy theorists willfully risking their child's life.
Months and months of Russian propaganda have convinced some people, of the absurdity that Ukraine is a fascist state.
The result is inevitable. Some misguided individual has sent a letter bomb to what they think are fascists.
https://www.rt.com/news/567430-embassy-explosion-madrid-ukraine/?
"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities" Voltaire
Spot on Jenny.
That's why these conspiracy theorists are dangerous and should be constantly regarded as such by the authorities. It’s why they should not be given air time.
Why only the Covid vaccine – what about flu, HepA, HepB, shingles, measles, human papilloma virus, cholera, rabies, polio, mumps, tetanus, diphtheria etc? Many blood donors will have had one or more of these vaccines – actually most donors, if you look at the NZ Vaccine Schedule.
It is largely political – aimed at painting centre-left governments as authoritarian enemies of freedom, when the opposite is true. One question is whether it is a genuinely spontaneous derangement, or if there's money behind it.
Good points.
I had pondered why only Covid. If I was going to get down a rabbit hole about vaccinations and possible lingering effects in the blood I would go for one of those where attenuated parts of a disease were injected…… eg TB etc.
They are crackpots and it is terrible that they are using the life of a wee baby who is not able to speak for themselves to further their views. It also espouses a view about babies being 'owned' by their parents that I disagree with.
Fortunately, the system is quite practiced at this. For years, the hospitals have had to deal with adherents of religious cults like the Jehovah's Witnesses who do not believe in blood transfusions. While adults can give consent – children cannot, so these children regularly get made Wards of the Court so that they can get the lifesaving procedures they require.
Yes I have heard about those wards of court processes for children.
I have wondered how the children are treated by their religious parents after, if they have received life saving transfusions. So whether there is a difference in the treatment/care/attention/love they receive from their parents.
It breaks my heart reading about people who place adherence to creed, belief or religion above their children's lives etc.
I have long ceased to try and fathom the thought processes of religious and other cultists. I have a good friend who is married to a Jehovah's Witness husband. We went to my friend's 70th birthday party some years ago. Her family had to pretend it was a house warming party for the house they moved in to 2 years previously as the husband would refuse to go to a birthday party. Imagine the sort of religious indoctrination that does not let you go to your wife's 70th birthday party. Once he shuffled off to some church thing the "Happy Housewarming" banner came down, and the "Happy Birthday Mum" banner went up.
There's money behind it alright – most of it off-shore.
And yes its political. Just like the climate denial thing was for decades. One of the reasons the world is heading for climate catastrophe is directly due to the influence of the deniers who were given carte-blanche by irresponsible media channels to spread their crackpot theories far and wide.
And now it is happening in the health sector.
Which of those are mRNA vaccines? Which of those were developed in less than 12 months?
mRNA vaccines do not use attenuated actual viruses. I don't think the length of time of development has a role or is important. Do you know how long the others on the list were under development…..?
flu, HepA, HepB, shingles, measles, human papilloma virus, cholera, rabies, polio, mumps, tetanus, diphtheria etc?
For instance flu vaccines are tweaked to cover the current viral threats every year.
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/the-long-history-of-mrna-vaccines#:~:text=The%20first%20mRNA%20vaccines%20using,commercial%20development%20in%20the%20U.S.
You have asked some odd questions. Are these relevant to the willingness to effectively withhold medical/surgical treatment from a wee baby? If so in what way?
mRNA and it’s functions were discovered in 1961, clinical trials of mRNA therapeutics began in 2009 and the first in-human mRNA cancer vaccine trials were in 2017.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41578-021-00358-0
I agree totally, there are so many more blood borne vectors why only the covid vaccine?
Up until covid came along, the far right and neo-fascists had been unable to find a cause that they could use to prey on people's fears.
Xenophobia and racism just doesn't have the pulling power it used to.
https://thehardtimes.net/culture/new-age-hippie-chick-from-college-new-age-fascist-chick-now/
Heavens, she is not very articulate is she? It is hard going. Surely she should do, just as Luxon should do, work to find out info to rebut the type of questions an interested lay person would ask. I wonder if she is more used to taking court cases on the papers rather than orally.
So a case of myocarditis came about as a very uncommon reaction. Is she trying to say that blood from a healthy person/s who does not have any risks is going to get in and whip up a case of myocarditis? If so she is sadly lacking in knowledge about how vaccinations work and how the Covid ones in particular work.
'A medical expert believes another baby in a similar condition to one Health NZ is trying to seek guardianship for would've been treated by now.' Meanwhile the date for the hearing is set for 6/12. Terrible delays caused by the parents' stance.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/11/protesters-gather-outside-auckland-high-court-as-health-nz-faces-off-with-parents-of-sick-baby-over-vaccinated-blood-donors.html
Is it true, that blood purity is the bastion of some very far right groups?
A calling card even.
You mean like Ayranism:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryanism
Its happening all over again only this time it is spreading through the Internet across the world.
That was painful to listen to!
That poor baby, with no voice except that of it's deranged parents, could well die to make a political point!
There should be some way, made clear to the parents and their supporters, that an adverse result (to the baby's health) would result in charges being laid. Sue Grey and Liz Gunn, in particular, should be held liable, in some way, for what happens.
The deranged parents that are going to extraordinary lengths to ensure their child has the safest medical procedure possible? That sort of deranged?
arkies comment is of the quality needed in this debate. Sue Grey had nothing like it.
arkie7.2.1.2
2 December 2022 at 10:41 am
"Donated blood is tested and separated into different blood components; red blood cells, platelets, plasma etc. These are aggregated and when a transfusion is called for by medical professionals, these blood products are supplied depending on need. When someone receives a transfusion the blood doesn't just come from one donor, it is a recombined from the various collected components.
The practice of direct donations from a singular donor, or donors of the parents choice, is not recommended by Doctors or the New Zealand Blood Service."
If you had been listening to Grey's side of the debate, the different blood components or the number of blood donors aren't what is holding up the surgery.
?
Was there an interview in there somewhere..? It appeared more like a shouty lecture from Corin "I am the Science" Dan.
Corin certainly was shouty, mauī but Sue Grey presented very poorly, imo. She dragged into what might have been a useful interview, heavy baggage that triggered Corin sorely and she should have known better. There was the potential for genuine empathy to be fostered, but she failed to cut to the chase. I wouldn't want her defending me anywhere for anything.
They’ve given away several small fortunes but Marilyn and Grant Nelson aren't quite done.
The auditor-general is being challenged to do more to get businesses to pay back billions of dollars in wage subsidy payments that they should not have received.
The Gama Foundation, a Christchurch-based philanthropic organisation, has filed an application at the High Court in Wellington, seeking a judicial review of the auditor-general’s overview of the scheme.
The foundation is run by former Christchurch businessman Grant Nelson and his wife, Marilyn.
[…]
Reserve Bank data shows that in October 2020 businesses had $22.7b more in the bank than in October 2019.
[…]
“In the two years since the wage subsidy scheme was introduced, there’s been a huge transfer of wealth to businesses who didn’t experience the drop in revenue they might have anticipated,” Nelson said.
“The fact that over $750 million has voluntarily been repaid is a good indication that many times more would be repaid if recipients were asked to make repayments.”
Earlier this year the auditor-general took a much stronger stance over the cost of living payments – within weeks of the first round of payments being made Ryan had written to Inland Revenue, recommending it “consider what steps it can take to identify how many ineligible people have received payments”.
He also advised the department to make its expectation clear to ineligible people who got the payment that they should repay it immediately.
“We’re really just wanting him to do something similar with the wage subsidies because vastly more money is involved,” Nelson said.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/130635165/court-challenge-to-auditorgeneral-over-billions-of-taxpayer-dollars-paid-in-wage-subsidies
Good on them.
I cant figure it out. on stuff presently , an odd penguin type is loseing his claim, and loseing his appeal, to a poll conducted by his company, being reported as a poll. someone else (hah!) can explain. is this karma?
Yes that was strannge wasn't it.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/130627259/blogger-david-farrars-straw-poll-complaint-dismissed-by-media-council
What amazed me was this statement
'Farrar, who is a Media Council member through Kiwiblog, …….'
yet he is not mentioned here
https://www.mediacouncil.org.nz/about/
He is one of a group of publishers etc who have agreed to abide by Principles set by the Media Council.
https://www.mediacouncil.org.nz/principles/#membership
Farrar is right about this. His political bias doesn't invalidate the basic principle here.
The word "poll" is wrongly used in the media far too often. See the Newshub AM Show "polls", for example. Easy to rig, no value whatsoever.
Just ask our popular Prime Minister, Judith Collins …
https://www.mediacouncil.org.nz/rulings/peter-green-against-mediaworks-newshub/
“Readers could have been left with the impression that this poll had some validity. The headline and story stated it was a poll of people’s Prime Ministerial preferences. There was no information stating what it was based on. Readers were not told it was an unscientific straw poll”
etc.
Apple users must wake up everyday smelling their own farts and virtual signalling their lords and masters.
How scummy are the corporation, I'd say very.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-hobbled-crucial-tool-dissent-185100767.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/z6k5r0/apple_hobbled_a_crucial_tool_of_dissent_in_china/
Government has lightbulb moment,to train people ( through ngo's) to change lightbulbs and provide advice on low flow shower heads.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-supports-more-energy-saving-projects-help-more-kiwis-save-money
Needs to be substantive savings for the new tech economy planned by the government,with the energy hungry and thirsty data centres for Auckland,of which they are energy intensive and require substantive water for cooling.