Covid-19 inquiry: Who is being ‘excluded' from inquiry hearings
People with long Covid are disappointed they will not be prioritised as part of public hearings about the Government's pandemic response.
Phase two of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the official response to Covid-19 gets under way in Auckland today,
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
an hour ago
- Scoop
Simplifying Requirements Around Family Trusts
Associate Minister of Justice Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says the Government is continuing to cut through unnecessary bureaucracy with reforms to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act, which will make life easier for hard-working Kiwi families managing property through family trusts. 'For thousands of New Zealanders, setting up a family trust is part of securing their financial future, especially when it comes to their home. But under the current AML regime, selling a house held in a trust triggers a burdensome level of document verification and compliance checks that has little to do with actual risk,' Mrs McKee says. 'Families who've worked hard, paid off their mortgage, and saved for the future shouldn't be treated like potential criminals just because they want to move house. Take, for example, a couple who've spent 15 years in the same home, raising their children and gradually paying off their mortgage. Like many Kiwi families, they've placed their home in a Family Trust to help manage and protect their most valuable asset. 'If they decide to sell, real estate agents are currently required to collect an overwhelming amount of personal and legal information — including the names and addresses of all beneficiaries, even their children, trustees, and lawyers, along with a detailed explanation and documents to prove how the home was paid for. 'Under the new reforms, a real estate agent can apply simplified customer due diligence if the sale is clearly low risk. That could mean only: Confirming the property's ownership and trustee details match what's on the certificate of title Verifying the couple's identity documents and their role as trustees Retaining a copy of the trust deed. 'When there's clearly nothing untoward going on, there's no need for invasive investigations or repetitive paperwork.' The Government has also directed the future AML/CFT supervisor to issue clear guidance so that real estate agents, lawyers, and accountants know exactly how to apply these simplified checks without fear of penalty. 'These changes are about recognising that not all customers carry the same risk and it's time our laws reflected that,' Ms McKee says. 'New Zealanders who play by the rules, work hard, and save for their future should be supported by the system, not tied up in red tape.' This is part of a wider programme of reform to make New Zealand's AML/CFT regime smarter, more proportionate, and focused on genuine risks.
1News
3 hours ago
- 1News
Weight loss drug Wegovy: The pros and cons, explained
Last week semaglutide drug Wegovy was made available for prescription in New Zealand. Semaglutide originally arrived on the market in the US in 2017 as a diabetes medication, but has quickly been tied to extreme weight loss. Wegovy can be prescribed to people over the age of 12, but many of the 65% of New Zealanders who are overweight or obese will have trouble affording it, with an estimated price of $500 a month. The drug has transformed our ability to manage obesity and type 2 diabetes, and has shown potential for a wide range of conditions such as Alzheimer's, addiction and depression. But there are clouds to go along with the silver linings — such as potential vision loss. ADVERTISEMENT "This condition, it occurs when there's insufficient blood flow to the nerves connecting the eye to the brain, and this leads to damage," US-based health reporter for New Scientist, Grace Wade, told RNZ's Sunday Morning. The specific condition was non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. "That can cause this sudden and permanent vision loss, usually in just one eye. Now, I should be clear this isn't total vision loss, at least usually - it's more like cloudiness, stuff like that." People using semaglutides to treat diabetes were 4.3 times more likely to develop this condition, and those using it for weight loss 7.6 times, as people using other types of diabetes medications, a 2024 study found (Wade wrote about it in New Scientist here). Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy, said in a statement, patient safety was the top priority and all reports of adverse events were taken seriously. "Semaglutide has been studied in robust clinical development programs with more than 52,000 semaglutide exposed patients and exposure from post-marketing use of over 33 million patient years." It said it was recommended to update patient leaflets for Wegovy and Ozempic on June 6 to include the condition under its special warnings and precautions for use and as an adverse drug reaction with a frequency of "very rare, meaning it may effect up to 1 in 10,000 people taking semaglutide". It said based on the totality of evidence it concluded the data did not suggest a reasonable possibility of a casual relationship between the condition and semaglutide and "the benefit-risk profile of semaglutide remains favourable". ADVERTISEMENT "We work closely with authorities and regulatory bodies worldwide to continuously monitor the safety profile of our products." Researchers looked at semaglutide, a prescription drug that decreases appetite and is sold under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic. (Source: 1News) The drug worked by suppressing appetite, which typically leads to weight loss as people consume fewer calories. But the weight lost was not always beneficial, Wade said. "It leads the body to break down fat, muscle and actually even bone for nutrients, and that's why… some research has found that upwards of 40% of the weight loss seen with these medications is due to loss of muscle mass… that makes it really important that people prioritise exercise when taking these drugs because if you don't use your muscle, you're more likely to lose it." Getting into the exercise habit was also important since one day, most people on Wegovy will stop taking it - putting themselves at risk of putting the weight back on if they were not regularly moving. What about 'Ozempic face?' Then there is 'Ozempic face'. ADVERTISEMENT "I don't think this is a clinical term yet, but it's something that's popped up a lot in social media," Wade said. "People who are taking these medications start developing... a sunken or hollowed out appearance, which can exacerbate fine lines and wrinkles, make their skin look a little more saggy. "It isn't clear exactly how common this is… but it probably has to do with just weight loss, right? If you're losing weight, as much as some people would want to target their weight loss to certain areas of their body, we can't really do that. So, you know, any sort of overall weight loss is also gonna cause a loss of fat in your face." There were also side effects for some, including constantly needing to go to the toilet, feeling bloated, belching, constipation, heartburn, fever, upset stomach - the list, collected here by the Mayo Clinic, goes on. And nearly half of people who try it make it through a three-month course, one study found. Wade also mentioned a lot of people taking semaglutide for diabetes or Alzheimer's prevention might be older and "frail", so not able to lose weight. "Drug developers are actually working to develop new drugs that have similar effects as these weight loss medications, but without the weight loss." ADVERTISEMENT The good news One unexpected benefit of semaglutide was its apparent effect on not just calorie consumption, but use of addictive substances, such as alcohol and nicotine. "We aren't exactly sure why that is, but it appears to be with how these medications affect brain activity. "So these drugs curb cravings for alcohol similar to how they curb cravings for food, right? And that probably has to do with their impact on brain regions involved in reward processing and craving… "A study of more than half-a-million people with a history of opioid use disorders showed that those who took Ozempic or similar [medications] had significantly lower rates of opioid overdose than those who didn't. "Other studies have shown similar effects in people with cannabis use disorder, cigarette smokers and alcoholism." Scientists did not expect this effect, calling it an "unintended consequence". ADVERTISEMENT Approval for the popular medication said to be a "game changer" for many New Zealanders. (Source: 1News) The drugs have also shown promise in reducing heart attacks and strokes, improving fertility, treating pain, improving mental health, lower the risk of kidney failure and slowing cognitive decline. "I've never encountered a group of drugs like this," Wade said. "That's what makes these drugs so remarkable, because most medications can only treat one or two conditions, right?" She said it was likely that weight loss was playing a role - as it frequently does in health - but "it doesn't seem to be the only [reason]". But there is still a lot of research to be done, she said, before we all start taking it. "Let's unravel how they can treat all of these conditions before we jump the gun and start suggesting we, you know, maybe put it in everyone's water or something."
NZ Herald
5 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Whangārei Hospital spends $100K sending ED patients to private clinic
But one emergency doctor, Dr Gary Payinda, said the vouchers use taxpayer money on a private, for-profit clinic and would be better spent in the hospital. 'Why can't that money be used within the public sector to pay for nurses and nurse practitioners and doctors to care for patients directly ... instead of losing 10 to 20% on profits?' Payinda roughly calculated the money would pay for a nurse practitioner to work 28 hours a week, seeing between 2500 and 3680 patients a year. The use of vouchers shows Northlanders cannot afford to pay for private urgent care, which is 'really tragic', he said. The coalition Government is putting more money into private urgent care, including a $164 million investment over four years announced in Budget 2025. But Payinda said this model still relies on people being able to pay, which is not sustainable in Northland. Fees for the new urgent care services are still being worked out but a new virtual GP service will cost adults $25 to $33 with a community services card, or $69 to $99 without a card. Alex Pimm, group director of operations for Health NZ Te Tai Tokerau, said the vouchers are offered to people presenting at ED who are assessed to have a medical condition that can be appropriately managed in an urgent care clinic. Patients are given the option of going to the clinic or waiting to be seen at the ED and get a reminder message if they take the voucher but do not attend the clinic. A 2018 review in Auckland's Waitematā showed the voucher system had a positive impact on EDs by transferring lower-acuity patients to appropriate primary care, he said. Economic analysis found it was cost-effective but Health NZ will be reviewing the voucher system in the next financial year, to reassess value for money and identify any improvements, Pimm said. Whangārei Hospital is 'very busy' at this time of year, with winter illnesses putting extra pressure on all EDs, he said. However, Pimm would not detail the current occupancy rate at Northland's EDs, instead saying people needing urgent hospital-level care will 'always be able to receive it'. Health NZ group director Alex Pimm and Health Minister Simeon Brown, pictured at Whangārei Hospital, say new urgent care funding will result in more consistent fees. Health Minister Simeon Brown, when asked how the unaffordability of urgent care will be addressed, said fees will become more consistent as part of the Budget 2025 announcement. 'Health New Zealand will negotiate with providers in areas where improved urgent care has been identified to ensure services are in place – with a clearer fee structure as part of that work.' Whangārei has been identified as needing a new 24/7 urgent care service from 2026, building on the urgent care already available, he said. Extended after-hours services have been identified as needed in Dargaville, Hokianga, and Kaitāia, and enhanced rural urgent care has been identified for Mangawhai, Kawakawa, Kaikohe and Waipapa, he said. Urgent and after-hours care will also be strengthened in Russell and Kāeo, Brown said. Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
