Latest news with #HealthNewZealand
RNZ News
a day ago
- Business
- RNZ News
IT workers struggling in New Zealand's tight job market
Photo: Unsplash / Sigmond IT professionals appear to be under growing pressure in 2025, with signs of continued job losses as companies respond to economic gloom and expand the use of artificial intelligence. In May, Microsoft announced it would cut approximately 6000 jobs - about 3 percent of its global workforce. The American tech giant said the move was part of a broader strategy to streamline operations and accelerate its AI initiatives. In New Zealand, Health New Zealand confirmed in April it would slash hundreds of IT jobs - about a third of all roles. Some job seekers have described the tech job market as a "nightmare", citing fierce competition and a shortage of opportunities that have made finding employment increasingly difficult. James Zhang spent more than a year applying for IT jobs from China without success. A software developer with roughly 12 years of experience, Zhang has previously held roles at several prominent technology firms in Beijing, including ride-hailing platform DiDi as well as Tencent, the company behind social media platform WeChat. Zhang said one factor behind his decision to seek work in New Zealand's technology sector was the so-called "curse of 35" - a term widely used in China to describe age discrimination in the tech industry, where workers over 35 often face greater risk of layoffs and increasing difficulty securing new roles. "I've had colleagues being laid off continuously since 2018, and it's often the older ones," he said. "In large tech companies, it's common to expect your age to align with your position - for example, by 35, you're supposed to be in a management role. If you're not, the company might see you as underperforming or no longer valuable." Photo: 123rf Zhang, 34, said he began applying for overseas IT jobs from China in 2023, targeting companies in countries such as New Zealand and Canada. However, he said responses from New Zealand employers were rare. "I probably submitted hundreds of CVs to New Zealand tech companies, but I had absolutely no chance of getting an interview," he said. "When an employer was initially interested, they often backed out once they realised I was based in Beijing." By contrast, Zhang said he applied for around 20 to 30 positions in Canada and received at least two interview opportunities. James Zhang is now pursuing a master's degree in IT project management at Auckland University of Technology. Photo: Supplied In a bid to improve his prospects, Zhang moved to New Zealand this February and is now pursuing a master's degree in IT project management at Auckland University of Technology. He hoped the qualification would help him break into the country's competitive tech sector after graduation. Still, he said he remained uncertain about his chances, noting that many New Zealand employers appeared more inclined to hire local candidates. "I'm still studying, so I can only apply for internship positions," he said. "When a New Zealand software company gave a presentation at our school, the eligibility criteria for interns clearly stated that only New Zealand or Australian citizens and permanent residents could apply." Despite years of experience as a senior software engineer in China, Zhang said he would gladly take an entry-level position if it helped him gain a foothold in the industry. Grace Zheng, who graduated from Lincoln University in 2023 with a master's degree in applied computing, has also struggled to find work in the competitive tech job market. "I've probably submitted a hundred CVs over six months," she said. "For most [graduate or junior] positions, there are usually 200 or 300 applicants competing for the same role." Zheng said she received four or five interview invitations but was never called back after the first round. "I was told they had stronger candidates," she said. Discouraged by the lack of progress, Zhang said she had stopped applying for IT jobs this year and was instead focusing on learning new skills to better align with market demands. Photo: 123RF Peter Xia, who has worked as a software tester in New Zealand's tech sector for about five years, said he had been made redundant twice since 2023. "The day before Christmas in 2023, the company announced layoffs," he said. "It specialized in software testing and cut at least 20 percent of its staff in the first round." Xia said he was fortunate to secure another testing role three months later at a start-up, but the company shut down just three months after he joined, citing a lack of investor funding and limited profitability. He likened the IT job market between 2023 and 2024 to a "freezing winter," noting that several roles he applied for were abruptly cancelled during the interview process. Xia said the market appeared to be gradually improving this year, though uncertainty remained. He said all the companies he had previously worked for had hired him on permanent contracts. But after being laid off multiple times, he realized that a permanent contract offered little security in the face of ongoing economic instability. Lisa Cooley, managing director at BrightSpark Recruitment. Photo: Supplied Lisa Cooley, managing director at BrightSpark Recruitment, said New Zealand's tech job market remained flat and competitive, though there were early signs of a gradual recovery. "Employers are adopting a very cautious approach to hiring at the moment," she said. "If they're looking for contractors, they've been favoring more fixed-term. "If they're looking for permanent [staff], they're looking for someone absolute best and ticks 100 percent of the boxes [before] taking the risk to hire." Cooley said immigrants faced greater challenges securing interviews in New Zealand, as the job market has been flooded with candidates in recent years due to economic downturns, large-scale restructures and widespread redundancies. She said visa conditions remained a key factor putting immigrants at a disadvantage in an already competitive market. "The visa process was also taking a very long time for a while," she said. "We were hearing stories of it taking four to five months from end to end. "Obviously, most companies aren't going to wait that long, unless it's for a highly skilled role that few people in New Zealand can fill." Shay Peters, chief executive at recruitment agency Robert Walters Australia and New Zealand. Photo: Supplied Shay Peters, chief executive at recruitment agency Robert Walters Australia and New Zealand, agreed that visa restrictions remained a significant barrier for immigrants seeking work in the tech sector. "The first barrier for immigrants on work visas is their eligibility to generally work only for accredited employers," he said. "Within ICT (information and communication technology), most accredited employers are vendors or consultancies who hire skilled migrant workers and then provide their services to a customer. "Unfortunately, with the lack of funding, customers have to [reduce] spending on vendors or consultancies. There is less opportunity for them to provide to migrant workers." Peters said employer demand had also shifted, with a growing emphasis on highly skilled workers in areas such as cybersecurity and software development. "Organizations are seeking highly specialized and technical resources rather than the 'Jack of all trades' which were popular in 2022," he said. Photo: 123rf Peters said salaries and hourly rates had also recallibrated. Contractors with strong reputations and a strong track record of going above and beyond were still commanding higher rates, while candidates with more generic skillsets - particularly in management roles - were now seeing offers that were $10,000 to $20,000 lower than what they were two or three years ago. Peters said most of the firm's government clients had shifted towards hiring more contractors rather than permanent or fixed-term staff, citing budget constraints and operational headcount limits following recent cuts and restructures. However, the private sector remained relatively steady in its hiring of permanent staff. According to SEEK's latest New Zealand Employment Report , job advertisements in the information and communication technology sector rose by 7 percent from March to April and were also 7 percent higher year on year. Rob Clark, country manager at SEEK New Zealand, said April marked the second consecutive month of positive momentum, suggesting a modest but noticeable job market recovery trend over the past seven months. Cooley said job seekers should not be disheartened by current conditions, as the market appeared to be on the verge of a turnaround. For immigrants, she said building a strong professional network was crucial to securing employment.
Scoop
5 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Health Professionals Concerned At Further Delays To Gender Affirming Healthcare Guidelines
The Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (PATHA) is deeply concerned at further delays to the publication of updated Guidelines for Gender Affirming Healthcare in Aotearoa New Zealand. PATHA has been informed by Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand that the updated Guidelines will not be published until the Minister of Health decides on whether to introduce regulations on the ability of medical professionals to prescribe puberty blockers as part of gender affirming healthcare. The guideline's advice on prescribing puberty blockers was updated in November 2024 to reflect the Ministry of Health's position statement on the use of these medications. This advice spans just 6 of the total 182 pages of information contained in the guidelines. The guidance is evidence-based, aligns with international best practice and guidelines, and supports a holistic approach to gender affirming medical care for young people who need it. 'Medical professionals working in this area are constantly being asked by colleagues for clinical guidance on gender-affirming healthcare,' says Dr Rona Carroll, a Specialist General Practitioner and Vice-President of PATHA. 'By not publishing the updated guidelines, the government is stopping healthcare providers from being guided by evidence-based, up-to-date New Zealand specific information. We have been given no timeframe for when to expect a decision about the puberty blocker consultation or the updated guidelines. Considering how many other areas of health these guidelines include, and that the advice on prescribing puberty blockers is in line with the Ministry's position statement, the updated guidelines should be published immediately. I think clinicians would be providing safer care if they had access to these guidelines today.' On Wednesday, 28 May, PATHA published an open letter calling on the Minister of Health, Simeon Brown and the Associate Minister for Health, Matt Doocey, to release the updated guidance. This letter was signed by over 500 medical bodies, clinicians and community organisations. Signatories include the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, the New Zealand Society of Endocrinology, the College of Child and Youth Nurses, and the Paediatric Society of New Zealand. The evidence-based guidelines, which have been peer reviewed by clinicians with expertise in this care from within New Zealand and internationally, provide detailed information on a wide range of topics relevant to healthcare for transgender and non-binary people. This includes several revised chapters from the 2018 edition in line with emerging medical research. 'I'm proud of the amount of work the authors have put into these guidelines, bringing their extensive collective expertise into creating guidance that is broad and has a holistic view of transgender health,' says Jennifer Shields, PATHA President. 'These guidelines cover so much more than puberty blocker medication, and this information is important for all healthcare workers to have.' 'It is clear that there is no evidence-based justification for considering restrictions on prescribing puberty blockers to transgender young people,' Shields says. 'These medications continue to be prescribed to children for other indications, and limitations in the quality of the academic evidence are not unique to this care. Healthcare professionals are now left wondering if this government is being pulled into alarming 'culture war' trends away from best practice medical care, and into anti-transgender policies that lead to a reduction in patients' rights and freedoms, and set precedent for making clinical decisions based on political beliefs rather than what's best for patients.' 'This is clear evidence of ideological interference in an operational, professional frontline medical resource that is being requested by the health sector,' Carroll said. 'We reiterate our call for the Government to allow Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand to publish these updated guidelines immediately.' Background information Statement on puberty blockers On 21st November 2024, the Ministry of Health published a position statement on the use of puberty blockers in gender affirming care, emphasising that puberty blockers could continue to be prescribed when needed as part of interdisciplinary teams. The Government expressed an intention to explore further restrictions on access to this care, and opened public consultation on possible restrictions. This consultation closed on 20th January 2025. A memo sent to then Minister of Health Shane Reti on 30 April 2024 was released to PATHA under the Official Information Act. In this memo, the Ministry of Health clarified that: 'There is currently no evidence that individual clinicians are prescribing [puberty blockers] outside of an interprofessional team.' This shows that concerns about individual professionals prescribing puberty blockers inappropriately are unfounded, and current prescribing practices are already in line with the Ministry's position statement. PATHA previously published a collective statement opposing the restrictions the Government is considering on the prescription of puberty blockers to transgender young people. This statement also received broad support from medical bodies, including the New Zealand Paediatrics Society and the New Zealand Society of Endocrinology. The statement reads [in part]: 'The Ministry of Health Evidence Brief identified that any evidence of harm associated with providing puberty-blocking medication is limited and inconclusive, and withholding this care may exacerbate gender dysphoria and negatively impact mental health. Equitable and non-discriminatory access to this care should be provided and maintained throughout the country. Decisions about prescribing puberty blockers should continue to be made collaboratively between young people, their families or support people, and the health professionals involved in their care. These decisions are individualised, based on informed consent, and guided by professional training, clinical experience, and the best available evidence. Any move to restrict access to puberty blockers would be a political decision and not one based on clinical guidance from health experts in New Zealand and international best practice. Medical decisions should remain free from political interference.' Background on puberty blockers Puberty blockers are a medication called gonadotrophic releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists. They were developed in the 1980s for use in much younger children with precocious (early) puberty, and have been used in gender affirming care for over 20 years. They halt the development of secondary sexual characteristics, such as breast growth or voice deepening, and can relieve distress associated with these bodily changes for transgender young people. Puberty blockers have the benefit of allowing the young person time before making any decisions regarding starting on gender affirming hormone therapy. The effect puberty blockers have on pausing pubertal changes is reversible. Once the puberty blocker medication has been stopped, puberty will resume as it would have done without medication. All medications have known or potential risks, but evidence and experience to date does not raise significant concerns about the safety of puberty blockers. As is the case in all medical prescribing, risks, side effects and benefits of medications are discussed with patients as part of the informed consent process before prescribing. There are also risks to not prescribing medications when they are indicated. Puberty results in irreversible physical changes, which can result in lifelong distress and gender dysphoria for some transgender people. In every area of healthcare, decisions about treatment and medication prescribing take all of these aspects into account, and health professionals support patients and their families to weigh up the pros and cons for their individual situation. Gender affirming healthcare is no different. Decisions about whether to start puberty blockers are made between health professionals, young people and their whānau. These are healthcare decisions which should remain free from ideological political interference. Clinicians who initiate puberty blockers should be experienced in providing gender affirming healthcare and working within an interdisciplinary team. It is essential that access to this care and to puberty blocker medication is maintained. Topics covered by the updated Guidelines Advice on the prescription of puberty blockers is a small portion of the content covered by the updated guidelines. The updated guidance also includes detailed information on a broad number of other areas of transgender health, including whānau support, creating inclusive clinical environments, non-medical and non-surgical gender affirmation, speech and language therapy, fertility and sexual health, mental wellbeing, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and detransition, as well as specific guidance for Māori, Pasifika, and refugee and asylum seeker trans people.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Government announces $59.2 million funding to ensure Taranaki hospital revamp
embed: Health Minister Simeon Brown has announced a $59.2 million funding boost to ensure stage two of the Taranaki Base Hospital redevelopment can go ahead. Brown made the announcement in New Plymouth on Thursday. He said the project had been adversely affected by construction cost inflation. "The additional funding will address cost pressures that have emerged since 2022, ensuring we can complete Stage Two of the project on schedule and deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose hospital that can meet the region's needs now and into the future," Brown said. "What we've done is - or Health New Zealand's done - is ensured this is fully funded so that it can be completed to the scope that was designed to be done and give that certainty and confidence to the people of Taranaki." Health Minister Simeon Brown. Photo: Calvin Samuel / RNZ The funding would support the completion of a new East Wing - a six storey, 20,000 square metre facility due to open by the end of the year. Clinical services would begin moving into the building from April 2026. The new wing would house acute and specialist services, including the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, maternity, neonatal, and radiology services. "It will increase the number of patient spaces to 151 - an additional 55 to current capacity - and provide a total of 34 laboratory workstations. It has also been designed with future expansion in mind," Brown said. "The East Wing Building will also include a modern acute assessment unit, a primary birthing unit, an Integrated Operations Centre, a rooftop helipad, and a tūpapaku viewing room - a reflection of a more culturally responsive and patient-focused model of care." The total budget for the new wing was now more than $460 million. Taranaki Base Hospital. Photo: Google Maps Brown said the new development would go some way to combating the 'post code lottery' affecting health services delivery in Taranaki. "I know there's been the story around radiology x-ray wait lists. I'm please to confirm, as of yesterday, that wait list that was 6000 x-rays and radiology reports in March that had been delayed is down to two. That's the wait list in Taranaki reported on by RNZ earlier this year." APEX represents 1500 medical imaging technologist nation-wide has said it was concerned whether radiology services in would be fully staffed because of existing shortages. Brown could not make a firm commitment on that. "That's part of the process Health New Zealand is going through as they work through the budgets, staffing and resources to make sure as this building is commissioned in April next year it's able to provide the services this building is designed to deliver." Health NZ senior responsible officer for the project, Rosemary Clements, said the funding boost was essential. "If the money didn't come through, then we would've had to look at things we wouldn't have actually been able to kit out and finish, and that wouldn't have been good for the model of care or patient flow within the hospital," Clements said. "If we didn't get it, we would've had to have less services, less build, less kit out and that would've meant we'd have to straddle two buildings which would've been really inefficient." Clements said the new wing would be state of the art as envisaged. "Down here on the ground floor, is all the radiology including MRI, CT - all things radiology. One floor up, which is the first floor and where the ambulance bay will be, it is the Emergency Department and the AU - acute assessment unit - above that we've got the laboratory, ICU and all things maternity, antenatal, post natal, birthing all of those things." The bed counts in the ED, AU and ICU would all grow. Clements said the new East Wing would be fully-integrated with the wards completed in 2013. "On every floor we go across with bridges, so they are now together it's a flow, for example if you're in ED you look out the window and you can see the theatre, so that's how close it is for acute people to get to theatre." "I feel really privileged that I was asked to do this. It's a great way at this stage of my career to be able to give back to the community and I'll be as excited as anyone in Taranaki to open it."
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
When might the planned 24/7 health service eventuate?
The new, planned, 24/7 telehealth service giving people access to online GP appointments, is due to be launched in the next month or so. Health New Zealand has confirmed it will involve multiple providers. But details are scant apart from a document setting out that a pilot started at the end of April. There are also plans for some sort of shared digital health record to be up and running to give telehealth doctors access to patient's medical details. At the same time, the contract for the free Healthline advice service is coming up for renewal. To discuss what progress is being made and how much further will healthcare will move on-line Kathryn is joined by The Chair of the head of the Digital Health Association, Tony Wai and the Chair of General Practitioners Aotearoa, Dr Buzz Burrell.
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Domestic jets are returning to Hamilton airport after 25 years.
Photo: The new, planned, 24/7 telehealth service giving people access to online GP appointments, is due to be launched in the next month or so. Health New Zealand has confirmed it will involve multiple providers. But details are scant apart from a document setting out that a pilot started at the end of April. There are also plans for some sort of shared digital health record to be up and running to give telehealth doctors access to patient's medical details. At the same time, the contract for the free Healthline advice service is coming up for renewal. To discuss what progress is being made and how much further will healthcare will move on-line Kathryn is joined by The Chair of the head of the Digital Health Association, Tony Wai and the Chair of General Practitioners Aotearoa, Dr Buzz Burrell.
