Kaitiaki Hauora welcomes the continued work of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned. While the Phase Two report captures thousands of public submissions about the pandemic response, it also highlights a broader lesson: Aotearoa New Zealand needs a stronger, better-resourced public health system to prepare for future health emergencies.

A new Westpac NZ report highlights the growing pressure on Aotearoa New Zealand’s health system. Kaitiaki Hauora agrees greater public investment is urgently needed but says the report’s “rose-tinted” view of private healthcare overlooks rising costs, workforce realities, and the risk of widening inequities in access to care.

“The real test of health policy is not aspiration but performanc - whether people can access timely, affordable care in practice, and whether inequities are genuinely reduced.”

Letters to the editor remain one of the simplest and most effective ways to influence public debate. Newspapers still pay close attention to what readers are saying, and published letters help signal to editors, journalists and politicians that an issue matters to the public.

These tips written by Marnie Prickett, will help you write letters that are more likely to be published and more likely to have an impact.

On 5 May 2025, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden introduced and passed sweeping amendments to the Equal Pay Act 1972 under urgency in a single day.

There was no select committee scrutiny, no public consultation, and no Regulatory Impact Statement.

The People’s Select Committee concluded that this approach offended the rule of law and the principles of good lawmaking.

Some changes to the Pae Ora health law are raising concerns among Māori health leaders and others across the health sector.

Iwi Māori Partnership Boards were set up so local iwi could help keep an eye on how the health system is performing for Māori communities. The Government is now proposing amendments that would reduce their role and remove some of the equity and Te Tiriti expertise currently built into the system.

New Ipsos data shows healthcare remains one of New Zealanders’ top concerns heading into the election, ranking second overall and first for over-65s. Dr David Galler says the findings reflect growing pressure across access, workforce and funding, and warns current policy settings risk long-term consequences for public health.

New figures show 14.3 per cent of children in Aotearoa, nearly 170,000 tamariki, are living in material hardship, the highest level in a decade. Kaitiaki Hauora says child poverty and health cannot be separated, and that underinvestment in income support, housing and primary care is entrenching inequitable health outcomes.

Nearly half of adults in Aotearoa can’t afford dental care. A new Dental for All report looks at eight overseas models and shows another way is possible.

Speaking on Morning Report, former Health NZ Board Chair and Kaitiaki Hauora chair Rob Campbell said health inflation is not a short-term spike but a long-standing global trend. Simply matching general CPI increases will not maintain services, he said, as workforce pressures, ageing populations and new medical technologies continue to drive rising costs.