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Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Birthing unit fully staffed: HNZ
Following a series of closures at the beginning of the year and several Wānaka mothers being turned away from the local birthing unit, Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) are adamant the facility is now fully staffed. There is a 60% shortage of midwives in the South Island, and Rākai Kahukura — Wānaka Maternity Unit was not immune to the impacts of a healthcare crisis and as a result had to be closed earlier this year. However, HNZ's Southern chief midwife Karen Ferraccioli said the unit had never been closed and was only on "standby". "A unit is placed on standby if there are no core staff working there at the time. The units are still open to our community-based LMCs [lead maternity carers] and their back-ups to provide labour and birth care if required," she said. But several mothers told The Wānaka Sun that they were turned away from the unit for postnatal care because it was understaffed. Wānaka midwife Emily Sancha said although the unit was available for birth or urgent assessments, mothers were turned away and unable to receive postnatal care when the unit was on standby. Almost 400 Otago Central Lakes patients gave birth outside the region in 2024, including 115 in Dunedin and 281 in Southland. The Wānaka Maternity Unit has hosted about 38 births and over 120 postnatal stays over the year that it has been open. Jessica Pearson, of Wānaka, was one of several mothers who faced a stressful time during her birth as a result of the unit being on standby. Due on December 26, she said she had been told by her midwife the unit was expected to be closed on certain days in December and January. "It was quite stressful. Because I just didn't really know where I was going to end up." Ms Pearson ended up needing to have an induced labour, which could only be done in Dunedin. She was hoping to still be able to have postnatal care in Wānaka, but was told the unit was closed and she had to go to the Alexandra birthing unit, away from her partner and son. "I felt comfortable having the birthing unit here but, in the end, I wasn't even able to give birth there or stay there so I kind of just thought, 'what was even the point?"' Wānaka mother Cha Herniot had some complications and, after giving birth in Dunedin, she was not able to access postnatal care at home due to understaffing. "We couldn't go to the one in Wānaka for the same problem, they were understaffed, so we drove from Dunedin to Alexandra and we stayed a couple of days there." Figures provided by HNZ show in four years there has been a 51% increase in Otago Central Lakes babies born in Dunedin and Southland hospitals, as well as a 51% increase in Otago Central Lakes residents being admitted to Dunedin and Southland hospitals. Wānaka's population has nearly doubled since 2013 and there are now 18,000 people living in the Upper Clutha, causing a push at capacity for the local health system. Wānaka mother Laura Puddy's due date was in January and she was also told to expect that she may not be able to give birth in Wānaka or stay for postnatal care, resulting in uncertainty and stress. "I think that all the way through your pregnancy, you're told that time needs to be the calmest. So if you have stresses around that due date, it can alter your experience." Ms Puddy had to give birth in Dunedin due to complications almost a month before her due date but was then able to receive postnatal care in Wānaka from December 31. She said the care she got in Wānaka was of a good standard, but it was difficult being unsure of whether she would be able to access it when needed. "The nurses and the midwives in my postnatal care helped me immeasurably," she said. The unit now boasts a team of 12 midwives, including six community-based LMCs, who provide care at the unit. Ms Ferraccioli said the standbys and refusals had happened due to unexpected roster gaps caused by sick and unplanned leave. "The Wānaka Primary Maternity Unit was placed on standby once in April 2025 and three times in May 2025, each time for half a day. No families were affected, and if they were, they would have been transferred to our Queenstown or Alexandra units." Emily Sancha, of Wānaka Midwives, said she was pleased to finally have all the staff it needed on board as the unit completed its first year in town. "We needed to fully staff the unit and with a national shortage of midwives it took a few months to get there, but we made it."
Otago Daily Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Letters to Editor: Taieri electorate, growth, homelessness
Today's letters to the editor include focus on mental health staff, approaches to economic growth by government, and homelessness. Anderson pitch would be help, not hindrance When she fires shots Taieri MP Ingrid Leary should first check the background for potential damage. She labels "bizarre" the proposal to equitably relocate community mental staff (ODT 14.7.25) and unfortunately blows a hole in a big chunk of her electorate. Perhaps a shot in the foot? Advocating for continued disadvantage in Balclutha and surrounds, a significant part of her electorate, is not wise talk for the local MP. Clutha District has about seven community mental health staff HNZ currently. An equity distribution would make that 25 staff. For Clutha's population there should be 18 extra staff, Clutha's share of the available staff who are currently funded, but now in the wrong place. What Waitaki MP Miles Anderson proposes on her behalf is to the advantage of Clutha District. Why would Ms Leary seek to block 18 extra mental health staff in such an important chunk of her electorate? Ms Leary needs to appreciate that achieving equity takes more than fiery words. Sometimes it's simple sums. In Dunedin each staff member in this work group services a mere 443 people and in her Clutha District each staff member has to look after 2664 people. An outrageous maldistribution. (also in Waitaki it's one staff member for every 3000 people and in Central Otago Queenstown Lakes it's one staff to 2884 versus just one staff person to 443 in Dunedin). Such numbers are the realities, using the 2022 census, and numbers which Health New Zealand recently declined to update. The numbers will have moved a bit, but remain outrageous, and possibly are worse. I am happy to update Ingrid Leary further, noting I am in Central Otago, not "Queenstown-Centric". It's important that we do not pit towns in Otago against each other. Kerry Hand Bannockburn [Kerry Hand is a southern mental health services professional who operated the Miramare agency. Editor.] Clumsy but creditable Mayor Radich's Gaza letter is a somewhat clumsy attempt to express impartiality and avoid conflict, and as such is to be lauded. Seven councillors forced him into an impossible situation. International controversy is not the business of local governance and time/money spent in review or criticism of such topics is not part of the legitimate or moral concern in civic representation. This so-called "conscience" can be seen as antisemitism, Zionism, pacifism, humanism, xenophobia, bigotry, hypocrisy, fanaticism, ignorance or support for terrorism. Proximity to local elections suggests it is more likely to be lobbying or electioneering. International affairs are not within the closely circumscribed boundaries of the issues that are presented to city councillors. Viewpoints of intense debates on parochial topics should be unequivocally private, individual,- and not within the scope of civic business . Where there are strong feelings an approach to the PM, the Minister of Foreign Affairs or perhaps a local MP is much more likely to carry weight, provide relief and prevent neighbourly offence to those who do not support the same point of view. V. H. Markham Dunedin Community housing Until I read today's column by Councillor Marie Laufiso (Opinion ODT 10.7.25) I was not aware that Dunedin City Council had paused the building of new community housing in its nine-year plan. I would like to know where prospective mayoral and council candidates stand on this issue and if they feel the building of community housing should continue? G. Nicol Mosgiel Going for growth may not equal glittering gold Growth, Prime Minister Luxon is adamant, will replenish the government's coffers and ensure economic growth, with a special nod to 60 million tourists from China actively ready to visit. They will be planning to visit Queenstown, which has had around 150,000 visitors already this year. It was reported in the ODT that 400 Olympic-size swimming pools of waste water had been dispatched into Lake Wakatipu (down the Kawarau River and into Lake Dunstan) already this year. How many more Olympic-size swimming pools of crap will end up in Lake Dunstan with these tourists from China, plus other tourists from Australia and everywhere else, clogging up our infrastructure? Will the infrastructure cope with water for showers, toilet flushes etc or will tourists have to bathe in Lake Wakatipu and toilet in the bush? Will ratepayers be expected to pay the necessary extra infrastructure costs for tourists ? Tourists may bring dollars but what else will they bring that may clog up our hospitals and roads? Kathleen Moore Alexandra Understanding, not judgement In response to Paul Goldsmith's remarks about homelessness being a lifestyle choice, I want to share my personal experiences with a homeless friend named Ian, whom I met while studying and living in Auckland. Ian has spent much of his adult life living in tents in Auckland's Domain. Ian said that he did not like living within four walls and preferred the freedom of street living. Besides receiving a benefit, Ian has survived by scavenging through bins for food, food parcels and the occasional odd jobs. He makes it a point to avoid begging, regarding it as shameful. While he may regard this lifestyle as freedom, it has risks such as being exposed to the elements and criminals. Personally, I feel saddened that someone so friendly and resourceful has chosen to live outside of society. Ian has dyslexia and is deaf in one ear. These disabilities made it hard for him to succeed in school. His lack of formal education and difficult family circumstances were what drove him as a young man to live on the streets. He travelled through the country before settling down in Auckland. Mr Goldsmith was half-right when he said homelessness was a choice. While some may indeed see homelessness as a choice, this is because their world has been limited . Their choices are limited by a mixture of adverse circumstances and decisions. More understanding and less judgement is needed. Andrew Lim Shiel Hill [Abridged — length. Editor.] Kitty petting Lee Vandervis gets his re-election photo opportunity fondling grass on page 1, no less (ODT 12.7.25). What's next, incumbent councillors lining up to improve their chances by kissing babies and stroking kittens on camera? I dearly hope that Dunedin ratepayers are not so easily beguiled and, that in the coming elections, we all line up to vote for an end to profligacy and a focus on the absolute necessities. Pat Duffy Opoho
Otago Daily Times
14-07-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Group shows confidence in hospital plan
A privately owned public hospital for the Central Otago-Queenstown Lakes area is not quite a done deal — but one might be forgiven for thinking so after a show of confidence from southern leaders. The Otago Central Lakes Health Services Project steering group issued a statement yesterday saying Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) was "prioritising" work on a clinical services plan for the region that would "clear the way" for a new hospital in the region. "It could be New Zealand's first large privately owned and publicly operated hospital," the statement said. HNZ did not respond to questions yesterday. However, the steering group — comprising Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers, Waitaki MP Miles Anderson, Act New Zealand MP Todd Stephenson, of Queenstown, Southland MP Joseph Mooney and Central Otago District Mayor Tamah Alley — said it had a "positive meeting" with Health Minister Simeon Brown recently. Mr Mooney said the public-private partnership the steering group was pursuing was not yet a done deal — nor would a new hospital, in Queenstown, affect the status of the new Dunedin hospital as the region's tertiary hospital. "I guess there are no done deals — a lot of work has been done to get to this point and a lot more needs to be done," the National Party MP said. "It is arguably the farthest the region has got for a decade to getting a significant change to health services. "It will improve Central Lakes health, and it is also going to improve health services across the entire region because of the pressure of this fast-growing population. "Visitor numbers to Central Otago push a lot of people down to those base hospitals." He said HNZ had agreed to use "more accurate" council-derived population projections for its planning, instead of Stats NZ figures. Mr Mooney said the government statistics were off and "it would be silly" to model from inaccurate numbers. Stats NZ suggested the population was growing at 1.5% a year, when council statistics were closer to 6%, he said. Lakes District Hospital in Queenstown was built in 1988 to cater for 4500 people. The current combined resident-only Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago districts' population is 78,400. In 2024, Queenstown had a peak day population, including visitors, of 168,353. Peak day population is projected to be 303,628 by 2054. The update on the health project work came in the wake of a regional deal announcement for the area. At the start of the month, the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago district councils, along with the Otago Regional Council, won the right to negotiate a new 10-year partnership with central government designed to progress shared priorities. Yesterday's statement noted the regional deal proposal included health as a cornerstone. It said a hospital in Queenstown — "built and financed by a private investor from which public services can be delivered by HNZ" — was in the planning stage. It also touted private surgical hospitals for both Queenstown and Wanaka. Mr Lewers said investing in health in the area was a long time coming. "Until recently, despite our growth, Health NZ had no plans for expansion in our area. "We're finally on their radar." The hospital would work alongside current or planned private providers in Alexandra, Clyde, Cromwell, Wānaka and Queenstown, which, Mr Mooney said, would be co-ordinated. "We would start mapping and talking to what services already exist across all those centres." The statement from the steering group said decades of under-investment in health services and infrastructure in the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago districts had led to problems when seeking speciality and emergency healthcare. Many patients in Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago had to make a six-hour return drive for their healthcare. Last year, there were 300 helicopter transfers from Lakes District Hospital costing $6.3 million, it said.
Otago Daily Times
13-07-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Alcohol guidelines 'outdated, understate health risks'
By Guyon Espiner of RNZ The country's official low-risk drinking guidelines are outdated and "understate the health risks" of alcohol, according to Health New Zealand documents. Efforts to update guidelines were halted after alcohol lobbyists complained to a Ministry of Health general manager Ross Bell. Bell, who works within its Public Health Agency, says he intervened to clear up confusion about whether HNZ or the Ministry of Health (MOH) should manage the guidelines. He said the MOH would manage them now but that work was on hold while it considered its priorities. Documents released to RNZ under the Official Information Act show why HNZ considered updating the safe drinking guidelines was crucial and that it saw "scrutiny from the alcohol industry" as a risk factor in the process. New Zealand's drinking guidelines say that to stay low-risk, men should have no more than 15 drinks per week and women 10. The maximum number of drinks recommended per week to stay low-risk (for men and women) is set at two in Canada, 10 in Australia and 14 in the United Kingdom. Canada, Australia and the UK all significantly reduced their safe drinking guidelines in recent years as evidence emerged about the health risks of alcohol, which is linked to seven types of cancer. A November 2024 memo from HNZ alcohol harm prevention manager Tom Devine said New Zealand's guidelines, written in 2011, were now out of date. "The evidence around alcohol and its risks to health has evolved since then and other countries like ours, such as the United Kingdom (in 2016), Australia (in 2020), and Canada (in 2023), have updated their Alcohol & Health Advice, resulting in much lower recommended drinking limits," Devine wrote. "The current advice is complex (and) out of step with other jurisdictions." Current guidelines also did not meet the needs of pregnant and breast-feeding women and young people, he said. "A review and update are necessary to ensure the advice is clear, inclusive and based on the most up-to-date evidence." Another HNZ document, written in January 2024, said: "The current advice does not reflect the latest scientific evidence meaning that it understates the health risks from alcohol." The documents show HNZ commissioned Massey University to work on the first phase of a review in February 2024 - at a cost of about $130,000 - but later that year MOH's Bell intervened. Emails obtained by RNZ show a lobbyist with the Brewer's Association emailed Bell in October 2024 asking why a HNZ website was reporting that the drinking guidelines were under review. He emailed again a month later complaining that references to the review were still on the website, run by HNZ, and also took issue with the fact the site linked to Canadian drinking guidelines. Bell emailed HNZ in December 2024: "All work on this project will now pause. You will update relevant Health NZ websites to remove references to the review and also to other jurisdictions' guidelines (including the Canadian one)." Bell has declined requests for an interview with RNZ, but in a previous statement said material was removed from the website to avoid confusion, as the drinking guidelines were now led by the Ministry of Health not HNZ, which runs the website. He said that was an internal decision by the MOH and that a review of the drinking guidelines was now on hold while the ministry considered its priorities. But the documents released to RNZ show HNZ believe it is crucial to update the guidance. A memo from HNZ alcohol harm prevention manager Tom Devine said health professionals relied on accurate guidelines, which were "foundational" for screening, interventions and referral for treatment. "This is where health professionals ask patients about their alcohol consumption using the advice as a baseline to assess risk, which informs the need for brief interventions or referral for counselling or treatment." Devine's memo said one of the risks in reviewing the guidelines was "scrutiny from the alcohol industry" and his mitigation strategy included "a strategic communications plan to articulate the evidence base and reasoning". Associate Professor Andy Towers, the co-director of the Mental Health & Addiction Programme at Massey University, worked on the initial stages of the review for HNZ and said current guidelines understated the risk. "There's more and more evidence now, especially with longitudinal health data, to show that even low levels of alcohol use over a long time can result in some significant alcohol related harms." He said sticking with the 2011 guidelines could lull drinkers into a false sense of security. "For us to set low risk advice thresholds that are quite high, much higher than other countries, means that we will continue to have serious alcohol related harms occurring across the country, in communities, and that will flow through into hospitals." Cancer Society evidence and insights lead Emma Shields said a review of the drinking guidelines was needed to bring them into line with the latest evidence and international guidance. She said alcohol caused seven different types of cancer including breast, bowel and oesophageal. "When it comes to cancer risk, there is no 'safe' level of alcohol use, and even small amounts of alcohol increase the risk of cancer."
RNZ News
13-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Outdated alcohol guidelines understate health risks, ministry documents reveal
HNZ considered updating the safe drinking guidelines was crucial. Photo: RNZ New Zealand's official low-risk drinking guidelines are outdated and "understate the health risks" of alcohol, according to Health New Zealand (HNZ) documents. Efforts to update the guidelines were halted after alcohol lobbyists complained to a Ministry of Health general manager Ross Bell. Bell, who works within the ministry's Public Health Agency, says he intervened to clear up confusion about whether HNZ or the Ministry of Health (MOH) should manage the guidelines. He said the MOH would manage them now but that work was on hold while it considered its priorities. Documents released to RNZ under the Official Information Act show why HNZ considered updating the safe drinking guidelines was crucial and that it saw "scrutiny from the alcohol industry" as a risk factor in the process. New Zealand's drinking guidelines say that to stay low-risk, men should have no more than 15 drinks per week and women ten. The maximum number of drinks recommended per week to stay low-risk (for men and women) is set at two in Canada, ten in Australia and 14 in the UK. Canada, Australia and the UK all significantly reduced their safe drinking guidelines in recent years as evidence emerged about the health risks of alcohol, which is linked to seven types of cancer. Photo: RNZ A November 2024 memo from HNZ alcohol harm prevention manager Tom Devine said New Zealand's guidelines, written in 2011, were now out of date. "The evidence around alcohol and its risks to health has evolved since then and other countries like ours, such as the United Kingdom (in 2016), Australia (in 2020), and Canada (in 2023), have updated their Alcohol & Health Advice, resulting in much lower recommended drinking limits," Devine wrote. "The current advice is complex (and) out of step with other jurisdictions." He said the current guidelines also did not meet the needs of pregnant and breast-feeding women and young people. "A review and update are necessary to ensure the advice is clear, inclusive and based on the most up-to-date evidence." Another HNZ document, written in January 2024, said "The current advice does not reflect the latest scientific evidence meaning that it understates the health risks from alcohol." The documents show HNZ commissioned Massey University to work on the first phase of a review in February 2024 - at a cost of about $130,000 - but later that year Ross Bell from the Ministry of Health intervened. Emails obtained by RNZ show a lobbyist with the Brewer's Association emailed Bell in October 2024 asking why a HNZ website was reporting that the drinking guidelines were under review. He emailed again a month later complaining that references to the review were still on the website, run by HNZ, and also took issue with the fact the site linked to Canadian drinking guidelines. Bell emailed HNZ in December 2024: "All work on this project will now pause. You will update relevant Health NZ websites to remove references to the review and also to other jurisdictions' guidelines (including the Canadian one)." Bell has declined requests for an interview with RNZ, but in a previous statement said material was removed from the website to avoid confusion, as the drinking guidelines were now led by the Ministry of Health not Health New Zealand, which runs the website. He said that was an internal decision by MOH and that a review of the drinking guidelines was now on hold while the ministry considered its priorities. But the documents released to RNZ show HNZ believe it is crucial to update the guidance. A memo from HNZ alcohol harm prevention manager Tom Devine said health professionals relied on accurate guidelines, which were "foundational" for screening, interventions and referral for treatment. "This is where health professionals ask patients about their alcohol consumption using the advice as a baseline to assess risk, which informs the need for brief interventions or referral for counselling or treatment." Devine's memo said one of the risks in reviewing the guidelines was "scrutiny from the alcohol industry" and his mitigation strategy included "a strategic communications plan to articulate the evidence base and reasoning". Associate Professor Andy Towers, the co-director of the Mental Health & Addiction Programme at Massey University, worked on the initial stages of the review for HNZ. He said the current guidelines understated the risk. "There's more and more evidence now, especially with longitudinal health data, to show that even low levels of alcohol use over a long time can result in some significant alcohol related harms." He said sticking with the 2011 guidelines could lull drinkers into a false sense of security. "For us to set low risk advice thresholds that are quite high, much higher than other countries, means that we will continue to have serious alcohol related harms occurring across the country, in communities, and that will flow through into hospitals." Cancer Society evidence and insights lead Emma Shields said a review of the drinking guidelines was needed to bring them into line with the latest evidence and international guidance. She said alcohol caused seven different types of cancer including breast, bowel and oesophageal. "When it comes to cancer risk, there is no 'safe' level of alcohol use, and even small amounts of alcohol increase the risk of cancer."
