Stop the Privatisation of our Public Health System

An open letter to the Government

We call on the Government and all political parties to:

Stop privatising ophthalmology (eye health) services

Publicly commit to halting privatisation and protecting a fully publicly delivered health system

Invest in rebuilding public health capacity, including workforce development, training pathways, fair pay, and retention

This is the first time a government has decided to fully privatise a health service.  
Businesses are motivated by profit. The public health system is motivated to provide everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live, with good health outcomes.
By handing over health services to the private sector, this also reduces the accountability of those in charge.

It sets a dangerous precedent. 
Normalising private delivery in ophthalmology opens the door to broader privatisation across the health system.

This is not business as usual. 
The decision to outsource ophthalmology amounts to private providers taking over core hospital functions including diagnostics, treatment, planned eye surgeries, and the management of patient pathways and waitlists.  This is being done for a period of five years, with the ability to further outsource for an additional five years.  

It will worsen workforce shortages. 
International evidence shows outsourcing draws clinicians into private practice, weakening the public system rather than fixing capacity issues. At the same time, removing services from public hospitals reduces opportunities for training, further constraining workforce development.

Equity will suffer. 
Māori, Pacific, disabled, rural, and low-income communities already face barriers to care. Private delivery models are not designed to meet equity obligations or uphold culturally safe care grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

What is at stake
This is about more than eye care. It is about the future of public healthcare in Aotearoa New Zealand. If left unchecked, this shift will accelerate privatisation and reshape the system in ways that are difficult to reverse — including undermining the training of future specialists and the sustainability of the public workforce.

We stand for a health system that serves everyone, not private interests.

Backed by organisations across Aotearoa

A growing coalition of organisations supporting this call

Add your organisation’s support