Public money, private pockets. What could possibly go wrong?

The News | 8 October 2026

Billions of taxpayer dollars flowing into private healthcare while public hospitals struggle. Sounds like a terrific plan, doesn't it?

Speaking at Kaitiaki Hauora's Save Our Public Healthcare Roady in Westport, Dr David Galler challenged the increasing reliance on private healthcare while public services are left struggling for staff and resources.

And for rural communities, the consequences are particularly stark. Patients already facing limited local services can find themselves travelling long distances, paying for accommodation and navigating additional costs just to access treatment.

The meeting also heard concerns about the difficulties West Coast residents face accessing specialist care outside their region.

So we're paying for a public health system, paying private providers to pick up the slack, and patients are still paying to get to their appointments. Brilliant.

This story only ran in print, but we’ll update this post if we can get an easier to read online link.