TVNZ Q&A: Former health boss: Why hospitals are overwhelmed
Our chair Rob Campbell joined Jack Tame on Q+A to explain why overwhelmed hospitals are a symptom of a much bigger problem – and why New Zealand needs an “all-of-health” approach.
RNZ: Health system in intensive care and starting to flatline, experts say
There are only so many ways we can say it: our public health system is in serious trouble. At Pātaka in Porirua, five very different voices came together to talk about the Health of Our Nation, and RNZ was there to capture what they and the community had to say.
We made the front page. And unfortunately, the reason why is pretty grim.
We made the front page!
The Government’s much-promoted $95 million-a-year boost for general practice is being funded by taking $95 million from hospital and specialist services. Kaitiaki Hauora health economist Bill Rosenberg calls it “robbing Peter to pay Paul”.
Health workers are not a cost-saving measure
The PSA’s new report, Vacant by Design: how underfunding in health has left critical roles unfilled and patients worse off, reveals Health NZ told Health Minister Simeon Brown in March 2025 that its savings plan would be “underpinned by maintaining strong controls over recruitment”.
The report details lengthy delays before critical vacancies could even be advertised, alongside evidence from health workers about what understaffing meant for patients.
Cultural safety is about good healthcare, not ideology
Kaitiaki Hauora Executive Member Louisa Wall has backed Dr Orna McGinn’s powerful defence of cultural safety, saying good healthcare depends on people and whānau feeling heard, respected and safe.
AWHC: 38 Years After the Cartwright Inquiry, Women Are Being Failed by a New Cervical Screening Register That Was Not Fit for Purpose
Three long-standing women’s health organisations, who all strongly advocated for the establishment of the National Cervical Screening Programme Register, say the failures of the new NCSP Register are a betrayal of everything the Cartwright Inquiry Report recommended — and they demand urgent, transparent accountability.
No surprises in the latest Ipsos Issues Monitor
The latest Ipsos Issues Monitor is out and, once again, healthcare remains one of New Zealanders' biggest concerns. We took a look back through the reports and found the message has been remarkably consistent. New Zealanders continue to worry about the future of our public health system. And for jolly good reason.
The Frontline with Dr Gary Payinda and Dr Malcolm Mulholland
Our spokesperson, Dr Malcolm Mulholland, who is also the founder of Patient Voice Aotearoa, joins Dr Gary Payinda to discuss the future of New Zealand's public health system. Together they unpack the myths surrounding private healthcare and the risks privatisation poses to equity, accountability, rural access and the public health workforce.
The Post: New analysis shows nursing workforce growth has stalled
New analysis by Kaitiaki Hauora health economists Bill Rosenberg and Dr Jacqueline Cumming shows growth in New Zealand's nursing workforce has stalled, despite falling vacancy rates. The figures raise fresh questions about whether the public health system is receiving the investment needed to rebuild frontline care.
Dr Rawiri McKree Jansen: Lasting Reform Needed to Strengthen New Zealand's Health System
The conversation reinforces what Kaitiaki Hauora has been saying for months: New Zealand cannot rebuild its health system without properly funding public healthcare, honouring Te Tiriti, and keeping healthcare public for the benefit of patients, not profit.
Budget still leaves public health hundreds of millions of dollars short
The findings reinforce Kaitiaki Hauora's warning that New Zealand cannot rebuild its health system while funding falls short of what is needed simply to stand still. Until that funding gap is addressed, pressure on hospitals, general practice, hauora Māori services and the health workforce will continue to grow.
Opinion: Government's new primary care funding formula ignores expert advice, says Dr David Galler
Dr David Galler says the Government's overhaul of primary care funding has resulted in a weaker funding model after removing ethnicity as one of the recognised indicators of health need.
Opinion: If the health system isn't working, what comes next?
Patients are waiting too long for care. Health workers are exhausted. In recent months we've seen patients die after prolonged waits for emergency care, and we've seen people decide the safest place to be was anywhere other than an overcrowded emergency department. Stories like these should be the exception, not the rule. Yet they're becoming far too familiar.
Opinion: The Waikato Hospital tragedy was a predictable consequence of health underfunding
Following the death of a patient in the Emergency Department waiting room at Waikato Hospital, Dr David Galler and Louisa Wall argue that the tragedy reflects the cumulative impact of sustained underinvestment in public healthcare. They call for renewed investment, honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and protecting the integrity of New Zealand's public health system.
ODT: Senior cancer specialist warns pathology services are under pressure as he leaves for Australia
A senior blood cancer diagnostic specialist has warned New Zealand's pathology services are under growing strain as he leaves for Australia after more than three decades at Dunedin Hospital. Kaitiaki Hauora says the latest concerns highlight the need for an independent review of laboratory services and renewed investment in the public health workforce.
Equity matters in diabetes care
Kaitiaki Hauora spokesperson Louisa Wall says recent debate over access to diabetes medications highlights the need for a health system that delivers equitable outcomes for Māori and Pacific communities and honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
What the changes to the Medical Council mean
Kaitiaki Hauora is deeply concerned by the Government's intervention in the leadership of the Medical Council.
This explainer outlines what happened, why health professionals are alarmed, and why the independence of professional regulation matters to every New Zealander.
What do we mean when we say something is unaffordable?
When politicians say something is "unaffordable", compared to what? Economist Dr Bill Rosenberg's recent analysis of NZ Super raises a bigger question that also sits at the heart of debates about health funding, public services and government priorities.