Northland news in brief: Whangārei bus hub reopens after upgrades
The Rose St bus hub in central Whangārei has reopened to CityLink bus passengers after several months of construction. The project includes a new bus office, which is now open for all passenger queries, including topping up BeeCards, timetables and route questions. There are also new waiting areas, toilets and a pedestrian walkway from Rose St to Vine St. The Whangārei District Council-project was done in conjunction with Northland Regional Council and funded by NZTA Waka Kotahi.
Heart specialist access improves
Health Minister Simeon Brown is celebrating faster heart specialist access in Northland. The number of patients waiting for their first specialist assessment with a cardiologist dropped 36% since November 2023 and the number waiting longer than four months dropped 68%, he said. Measures to reduce the waitlist include running regular cardiac clinics at rural hospitals, prioritising those who have waited the longest and expanding local services, including the catheterisation lab at Whangārei Hospital.
Brunch on Us
Farmers, growers, and rural whānau are invited to join the Rural Support Te Tai Tokerau for Brunch on Us — a series of relaxed drop-in events across Northland. Running from Monday until September 3, from 11am to 1pm, the events are a chance for rural people to come together, enjoy some kai, and connect with others who understand the unique challenges of life on the land. For more information visit www.rural-support.org.nz/events
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RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Health Minister Simeon Brown slams striking health workers for 'playing politics'
Simeon Brown has called for the cancellation of proposed strikes next month. Photo: Calvin Samuel / RNZ Health Minister Simeon Brown has criticised the nurses' union on Thursday afternoon, saying health workers are playing politics with patients' lives. The NZNO union cancelled a two-hour strike for perioperative, theatres and radiology services in Christchurch about 45 minutes before it was due to begin on Wednesday In a statement, Health New Zealand said there was no time to re-instate postponed appointments, affecting 85 patients. Health NZ confirmed nurses had, in July, been offered a pay increase of two percent this year and one percent next year on top of step-progression increases, with two additional "lump sum" payments of $325 over the next two years. Brown called a media conference with less than three hours' notice to call for the cancellation of more strikes planned for next month, saying they would "cause real, avoidable harm to more than 13,000 patients across the country". "As a direct result of the union's actions, more than 2200 surgeries will be canceled," he said. "Around 3600 first-specialist appointments will be delayed and about 8000 critical follow-up specialist appointments will be pushed back." He said the union had "put politics ahead of patients". The cancellation of the Christchurch strike was also "staggering" and he focused particularly on a social-media comment posted by one union member. "While union members walked back into work and collected a full day's pay, those patients lost the care they desperately needed. "A recent post on the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Facebook group suggested the late notice was a deliberate tactic to 'create chaos and keep health New Zealand guessing', even praising it as 'bloody beautiful tactics, comrades'." He claimed such tactics were "unacceptable" and "needs to be called out". "I ask them to tell that to the faces of the 13,000 patients, who are having their care cancelled, because they will see this as, frankly, them losing out on the care that they've already been waiting far too long for. "This is, quite frankly, playing politics with people's lives and it makes me furious. We value our nurses and the vital care that they provide." He pushed back, when reporters pointed out it was just one post by a member in a private group, rather than a statement from the union itself. "Well, I'm sorry, that is what the union did," he said. "The union cancelled the strike 45 minutes before the strike came into effect and that meant that 85 patients in Canterbury yesterday could not have their care rebooked. "If you look at their Facebook group, it was all about making sure that they kept health New Zealand guessing." Brown's statements followed Education Minister Erica Stanford and Public Service Minister Judith Collins saying secondary school teachers striking was "premeditated" and a "political stunt" . The union plans to strike next Wednesday over a one percent pay-rise offer, but the ministers said striking was deeply unfair on parents and students. Collins told Morning Report that teacher strikes were becoming a "yearly attack" on them . The government has recently cracked down on non-strike industrial action, but Brown said the union should be working with Health NZ and negotiating in good faith, rather than striking. "Ultimately, these are public servants who work in hospitals, and their role is to care for patients and put patients first," he said. "That is not what they're doing. "It's an incredibly important point that these union contracts not only have the increase that is on offer, but also have annual step increases, which those staff get, based on how many years that they are in the job, and that's a point that media don't highlight." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Senior doctors' union worried national health plan lacks detail
Health Minister Simeon Brown blamed the delay in releasing the plan on the additional audit requirement, which was "imposed by the previous government". Photo: Calvin Samuel / RNZ The lack of detail in the national health plan for how Health NZ will meet its lofty goals, or pay for them, is especially worrying at a time when the public system is under massive pressure, warns the senior doctors' union. Auditor-General John Ryan has found Health NZ's plan - which was released last week, 18 months' overdue - had failed to show how it would deliver public health services , nor how much they would cost. Association of Salaried Medical Specialists principal policy advisor Virginia Mills said the fact there was no roadmap for delivering services, or even an estimate of "unmet need", was a damning indictment on the agency. "Essentially it means he's [the Auditor-General] been unable to vouch for the plan. And that's quite concerning because we've got a health system that's under extreme pressure at the moment, and we're not confident that this plan is going to fix those issues or deliver on better health for New Zealanders," Mills said. Of further concern was the fact that the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill, currently before Parliament, included a clause scrapping the requirement for the health plan to be scrutinised by the Auditor-General at all, she said. "That would be like if you got a school report to say your child was struggling, and instead of helping your child to do better, you called the teacher and said you didn't want the report anymore," Mills said. "It seems like the Government is saying, 'We didn't like this level of independent scrutiny. Let's get rid of that legislation'." Mills said both those things were at odds with the Government's claim that it wanted greater transparency and accountability. Health NZ blamed the delays in getting out the plan on its "immature" reporting systems, but said they were now bedding in. However, Mills said it was also possible that the focus on cost-cutting (from then Commissioner now board chair Dr Lester Levy's "Reset Plan") had made future planning more difficult. In a written response to RNZ, Health Minister Simeon Brown blamed the delay in releasing the plan on the additional audit requirement for the New Zealand Health Plan, which was "imposed by the previous government". "Removing it aligns Health New Zealand's planning processes with other crown agencies and allows the system to be more focused on delivering timely, quality healthcare care for patients," Brown said. "As part of making the system more efficient and focused on patients, we are also removing bureaucratic processes and aligning Health New Zealand's planning documents with other public sector planning documents." Health NZ would continue to have its annual financial statements and statement of performance audited by the Auditor-General, as required of all Crown entities under the Crown Entities Act. His priority was "to ensure everyone can access timely, quality healthcare whenever they need it, regardless of who they are or where they live", Brown said in a statement. "That's why, for the first time, we are putting health targets into law so every part of the system is focused on delivering faster care, shorter wait times, higher immunisation rates, and real results." Those targets would be included in the Government Policy Statement on Health, to which the New Zealand Health Plan would give effect. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Scoop
New Zealand Psychological Society Raises Major Concerns Over Proposed Pae Ora Changes
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS), the largest professional body representing psychologists in Aotearoa, is deeply concerned about the proposed amendments to the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act, recently announced by Health Minister Simeon Brown. 'These changes represent a significant regression in the delivery of equitable, culturally responsive healthcare,' said Dr Rebecca Wirihana (President, NZPsS) 'They undermine Te Tiriti o Waitangi and are utterly lacking the robust consultative process He Pae Ora was developed to provide - stripping away protections for Māori, disabled, minoritised and oppressed communities and weakening the integrity of our public health system.' The pace and magnitude of these changes, in addition to the lack of open and transparent consultation, is cause for great concern from our profession. Psychologists work largely within highly complex areas of psychosocial need where Te Tiriti based equity measures have had enduring impacts on access to specialist psychological services across multiple levels of care, need and across government sectors. One of the most troubling proposals is the repeal of Te Mauri o Rongo, the New Zealand Health Charter, which sets out values and expectations for culturally safe care across the health sector. The Charter has provided essential guidance for health professionals, including psychologists, on how to engage respectfully and effectively with tangata whenua and other marginalised groups. 'Te Mauri o Rongo is more than symbolic—it reflects years of collaborative work to embed Te Tiriti principles into everyday practice,' said Dr Rebecca Wirihana 'Its removal signals a deliberate move away from partnership, equity, and accountability.' The Society also opposes the downgrading of Iwi Māori Partnership Boards, which are currently tasked with influencing local health service design. Under the proposed amendments, these Boards would be relegated to a consultative role, without meaningful power to shape outcomes. 'This is a clear breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi,' said Dr Rebecca Wirihana 'Psychologists know from practice and research that Māori leadership in health leads to better outcomes for everyone. Removing that leadership undermines community trust and exacerbates health disparities.' Recent repurposing of the Health Research Council (HRC) funding to advancement in technology will further erode the evidence-based research the HRC has contributed too and informed for decades. Again, lack of full consultation regarding these changes breaches Te Tiriti o Waitangi and demoralises health researchers and the contribution they have made to building evidence-based interventions across our wider diaspora. Further concerns include the reintroduction of rigid health targets, which NZPsS warns will encourage data manipulation and lead to the exclusion of patients with complex needs—including those experiencing mental distress, neurodivergence, or disability. Nick Farrelly (Director for Professional Issues) said 'These targets are not accompanied by the resourcing necessary to improve care, and risk further overburdening an already stretched workforce. With the focus of the proposal being on timely service, targets will be focused on seeing as many people as quickly as possible (rather than focusing on how well these people become) prioritizing outputs over outcomes. This will favour short-term interventions, and therefore mild/moderate cases are more likely to be seen and accepted. Severe and complex cases may be passed around at best, or possibly ignored at worst, as they will impede the focus on achieving targets. This approach does not lean itself towards efficacious psychological work, and psychologists will face the tension of knowing that people who need long-term psychological intervention may only get a short-term fix, if they get seen at all'. The recent report from the Auditor General Providing Equitable Access to Planned Care Treatment highlighted these inconsistencies in Health New Zealand's reporting methods noting inequitable access to planned care prolonging wait times for Māori, Pacific, rural and low socio-demographic communities. The report reiterated the need for He Pae Ora Act (2022) equity-based measures as a critical framework for reducing systemic barriers impacting access to care across these communities. The Society is also alarmed by the government's broader signals such as the Putting Patients First consultation document, which suggest a move to weaken regulatory standards and reduce requirements for cultural competency in health professions. 'These changes threaten the safety of service users and undermine the credibility of the health workforce,' said Dr Rebekah Graham, Director of Professional Development and Training. 'Registered psychologists in Aotearoa New Zealand are held to high standards for good reason. These must not be eroded for the sake of convenience or cost-cutting.' The NZPsS urges the Government, and the Health Select Committee to reconsider these amendments and instead work to strengthen the foundations of a just, inclusive, and evidence-based public health system. 'We must uphold our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, protect cultural safety, and ensure that all people in Aotearoa can access care that is safe, appropriate, and responsive to their needs,' said Dr Rebekah Graham. Note:
