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RNZ News
3 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Christchurch Hospital clinical director John O'Donnell retires after 42 years
Christchurch clinical director of immunology/immunopathology John O'Donnell in his lab. Photo: Supplied/Te Whatu Ora After 42 years working at Christchurch Hospital, John O'Donnell says it still feels like he just started yesterday. O'Donnell retired on Friday, 6 June, as clinical director of immunology/immunopathology. He started his time at Christchurch Hospital in 1977, as a medical student, moving up from Dunedin. After three years, he left for Waikato and was then based in a couple of other spots, including two years back in Christchurch, but by 1989, he was back as a consultant and he has remained ever since. O'Donnell has seen many changes in his time there, with the most notable being the complete change in the hospital buildings and the huge advances in computing technology. "When I started, there was no internet and there have been huge advances in computing technology," he said. "Email didn't exist, so communication is much more rapid, with cell phones and things like that. When we were on call, people used to carry around these bricks of a phone. I inherited one of those bricks to carry around." He said in laboratories, the automating of testing had also been a big change, although less so in his specialty area of immunology, where some testing still needed to be done manually. "You still get the scientist standing at a bench and pipetting things." He said there were also big changes in the understanding of the immune system. "Increasingly, it is recognised that many diseases we deal with are an aberration of the immune response. Certain diseases, like encephalitis or certain muscle diseases, it's the immune system attacking those organs to produce some quite bizarre changes in those organs, which we never thought of as being part of us, in terms of our immune system, going haywire. "We often saw them as perhaps a virus or some other thing, but often, it turns out it is the immune system attacking things." In Christchurch, he said there was an interest in muscle diseases and particularly those triggered by statin use. "Its a very rare complication, but it is one of the interests we have locally, testing for that sort of disorder called auto-immune myositis - an auto immune muscle inflammation. We have done some work and publications in that area." He still found the area fascinating and was amazed how quickly his time in the job had gone by. "I could have started yesterday." As he departed after more than 40 years, O'Donnell said the health system was going through its third major shake-up. "Health is always under strain," he said. "It's inevitable it will change. I don't think it's particularly helpful people yelling and posturing. Everybody knows there is a strain and we have to work together to come up with a system that works, without extracting things from other people all the time. "We have to work together and realise what the limitations are, and be realistic about what we can deliver, without crashing the system entirely." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Police investigating report of assault on hospital worker
health crime 24 minutes ago Police are investigating a report of a Christchurch Hospital worker being assaulted on Monday night - the second assault on a hospital worker in the space of a week. Health NZ regional deputy chief executive for the South Island, Martin Keogh, spoke with Charlotte Cook.
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Woman assaulted on way to work in Christchurch
Photo: Police are investigating an assault on a woman who was on her way to work in Christchurch. Senior Sergeant Paul Robertson said the attack happened on Hagley Avenue at 8.20pm on Monday. Two people on an electric scooter hit the woman in the back. The NZ Herald and Stuff are reporting the woman is a nurse at Christchurch Hospital. It comes a fortnight after a student midwife was attacked on the way to her car after leaving work at Christchurch Hospital's birthing unit at night. Health NZ is due to comment shortly on the incident. More to come... Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
26-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
'Kids do dumb things': Principal speaks out against keyboard warriors after assault at school
All schools grapple with ''challenging student behaviour'', and it is not helped by social media outbursts, a Canterbury principal says. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said he felt for his colleagues after critics took to social media following an incident at Oxford Area School last week. A student was taken to Christchurch Hospital with injuries after being allegedly assaulted by another student at Oxford Area School on Wednesday. Student taken to hospital after assault 'Heartfelt support' for student Challenging behaviour happened in all schools and most followed restorative processes when addressing the behaviour, he said. ''Kids do dumb things and our role is to teach them the consequences of their actions,'' he said. ''We try to hold young people to account for their actions in a kind and positive way. ''But social media isn't interested in that.'' He said people should not assume every ''unpleasant incident is bullying''. ''Bullying is ongoing emotional abuse and it happens everywhere and not just in schools,'' Mr Kearney said. ''It happens in the workplace, in the home, out in the community and online.'' While some social media critics wanted schools to return to corporal punishment, Mr Kearney said it was not the answer. ''It is teaching a student, 'I'm going to hit you because you hit someone else'.'' Like politicians, Mr Kearney said school principals were often targets of online abuse, including death threats. Rangiora High School was one of several schools to participate in the recent Pink Shirt Day, he said. Oxford Area School board of trustees presiding member Aaron Campbell referred enquiries about the incident at OAS to principal Mike Hart. In a statement, Mr Hart said the school was following its procedures to work through the incident. He asked the community to contact the school if they had any concerns or questions. ''Our thoughts and heartfelt support are with the student and their whānau during this time. ''We know this may be unsettling, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.'' Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said schools have always grappled with ''challenging student behaviour'', which is an emotive topic. He said the board worked with school leadership to ensure bullying was addressed promptly and constructively, with ''a focus on restoring relationships and building a culture of respect and accountability''. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said staff had been in contact with Oxford Area School and were confident school staff were following appropriate procedures. Oxford Area School has students from years 1 to 13. Local Democracy Reporting noted several Oxford Facebook pages had blocked comments on the incident. By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Scoop
‘Kids Do Dumb Things': Principal Speaks Out Against Keyboard Warriors
All schools grapple with ''challenging student behaviour'', and it is not helped by social media outbursts, a North Canterbury principal says. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said he felt for his colleagues, after critics took to social media following an incident this week at Oxford Area School. A student was taken to Christchurch Hospital with injuries after being allegedly assaulted by another student at Oxford Area School on Wednesday, media reported. Challenging behaviour happened in all schools and most followed restorative processes when addressing the behaviour, he said. ''Kids do dumb things and our role is to teach them the consequences of their actions,'' he said. ''We try to hold young people to account for their actions in a kind and positive way. ''But social media isn't interested in that.'' He said people should not assume every ''unpleasant incident is bullying''. ''Bullying is ongoing emotional abuse and it happens everywhere and not just in schools,'' Mr Kearney said. ''It happens in the workplace, in the home, out in the community and online.'' While some social media critics wanted schools to return to corporal punishment, Mr Kearney said it was not the answer. ''It is teaching a student, 'I'm going to hit you because you hit someone else'.'' Like politicians, Mr Kearney said school principals were often targets of online abuse, including death threats. Rangiora High School was one of several schools to participate in the recent Pink Shirt Day, he said. Oxford Area School board of trustees presiding member Aaron Campbell referred enquiries about the incident at OAS to principal Mike Hart. In a statement, Mr Hart said the school was following its procedures to work through the incident. He asked the community to contact the school if they had any concerns or questions. ''Our thoughts and heartfelt support are with the student and their whānau during this time. ''We know this may be unsettling, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.'' Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said schools have always grappled with ''challenging student behaviour'', which is an emotive topic. He said the board worked with school leadership to ensure bullying was addressed promptly and constructively, with ''a focus on restoring relationships and building a culture of respect and accountability''. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said staff had been in contact with Oxford Area School and were confident school staff were following appropriate procedures. Oxford Area School has students from years 1 to 13.
