Latest news with #PaulaBennett
NZ Herald
24-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Motivational speaker Jake Bailey on resilience, adversity and overcoming cancer – Ask Me Anything with Paula Bennett
Speaking to Paula Bennett on her NZ Herald podcast, Ask Me Anything, Bailey said that, at the time, he wasn't feeling the 'big emotions' that people normally expect. 'I wasn't angry or scared or sad or afraid or upset or any of these things. I think for me, if I look back on it, there was a real sense of nothing much. There was a lot of numbness.' Bailey puts a lot of that down to the stage of life he was at, and how teenage boys aren't known for being able to comprehend their mortality. 'And so going into the diagnosis, going through my treatment, I don't think there was ever really a time where I thought that I wouldn't make it through, or a time where I ever doubted that I would survive. 'And I have to put a very, very bold caveat to that, which is that wasn't some sort of relentless positivity or optimism or bravery or courage or anything like that. I think it was genuinely just teenage naivety and probably being a little bit, sort of oblivious as to how much of a risk there was to my health.' While the prognosis was good, Bailey still had a journey to go through before getting into remission, coupled with being thrust into the spotlight by his speech. Reflecting on that time, he believes going through that expedited the usual growth and learning someone would go through when transitioning from teenage years to adulthood. The main takeaway is that he believes he became a much happier and more grateful person. 'I don't think I was a particularly resilient person prior to the cancer. I don't necessarily think I'm a particularly resilient person now after the cancer either. 'But certainly having gone through that experience of adversity, having been forced to learn and take some lessons and skills and tools for getting through tough times, and then applying those to the other adversity and challenges which we all face in life, I think has greatly improved my life since that point onwards.' Bailey ended up studying positive psychology at university and has been touring the world as a motivational speaker. He has also written several books. His latest, The Comeback Code, explores adversity and resilience, and how people can thrive through the challenges they face. While his life has been dictated by supporting others for a decade now, Bailey told Bennett that this book marks 'the start of the end' of this part of his life. 'I'll be completely forthright and say that, for me, it's been an amazing sort of last 10 years. I've been incredibly privileged and fortunate to have had the opportunity to do this work, and it's been incredibly fulfilling. I guess it's very much my passion and I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to have done it. '[But] I feel like I've really accomplished all that I wanted to do in this area, and I'm sort of ready for the next challenge. 'I've been, as I say, incredibly fortunate to have had this opportunity, and I guess for the cancer to have led me into this pathway now. But at the end of the day, I don't think anyone wants to continue to be defined by anything they did when they were 18 years old.' As for what that next challenge is? 'I'm not entirely clear what that will be, but I'm looking forward to finding out and sinking my teeth into something new. 'The bottom line is the reality is this work, this story, and this experience which I've had, will forever remain a really integral part of who I am. I don't see myself stopping the speaking work or, or moving out of this resilience space any time soon. 'But maybe just continuing to remain in this work in a different capacity to the one which I've been in over the past 10 years, as I start something new.' Ask Me Anything is an NZ Herald podcast hosted by former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett. New episodes are available every Sunday.
RNZ News
29-04-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Pharmac's approach not fit for purpose, major review finds
Photo: An independent review has found Pharmac's current approach is not fit for purpose and has called for an overhaul of both strategy and culture. Late last year, the board commissioned consultant Debbie Francis to review the drug-buying agency - amid criticism of some of its funding decisions. The review's executive summary, released Tuesday, says major changes are required to meet the government's expectations - with staff at all levels expressing some sceptism over whether that was even possible. It says Pharmac needs a clearer idea of its mission, and a set of measurable goals, as well as a complete reset of its operating model. "The starting point for assessing Pharmac's performance is its statutory objective which is "to secure for eligible people in need of pharmaceuticals, the best health outcomes that are reasonably achievable from pharmaceutical treatment and from within the amount of funding provided". "While its statutory objective has remained unchanged since Pharmac was established, government and stakeholders expect the agency to evolve and be agile to meet the growing health needs of New Zealanders in a landscape in which new and more targeted drugs are constantly being developed and in demand. Specifically, the latest Letter of Ministerial Expectations for 2024/25 called for changes in organisational culture, roles and responsibilities, and methods and processes to meet these new challenges. "Through the course of this review, it became clear that meeting these expectations will require a fundamental change in strategy and culture. Staff at all levels of the organisations expressed a degree of scepticism as to whether such a shift will be possible." The board's chair Paula Bennett said she was confident people will soon see changes as Pharmac adopts a more outward-focused approach. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
29-04-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Pharmac not fit for purpose, overhaul needed
Photo: An independent review has found Pharmac's current approach is not fit for purpose and has called for an overhaul of both strategy and culture. Late last year, the board commissioned consultant Debbie Francis to review the drug-buying agency - amid criticism of some of its funding decisions. The review's executive summary, released Tuesday, says major changes are required to meet the government's expectations - with staff at all levels expressing some sceptism over whether that was even possible. It says Pharmac needs a clearer idea of its mission, and a set of measurable goals, as well as a complete reset of its operating model. "The starting point for assessing Pharmac's performance is its statutory objective which is "to secure for eligible people in need of pharmaceuticals, the best health outcomes that are reasonably achievable from pharmaceutical treatment and from within the amount of funding provided". "While its statutory objective has remained unchanged since Pharmac was established, government and stakeholders expect the agency to evolve and be agile to meet the growing health needs of New Zealanders in a landscape in which new and more targeted drugs are constantly being developed and in demand. Specifically, the latest Letter of Ministerial Expectations for 2024/25 called for changes in organisational culture, roles and responsibilities, and methods and processes to meet these new challenges. "Through the course of this review, it became clear that meeting these expectations will require a fundamental change in strategy and culture. Staff at all levels of the organisations expressed a degree of scepticism as to whether such a shift will be possible." The board's chair Paula Bennett said she was confident people will soon see changes as Pharmac adopts a more outward-focused approach.
