Podcasts about health new zealand

Starting with some good news on a good news Monday, Health NZ added 2100 nurses and more than 600 doctors to its ranks since the election in March 2025, according to new figures published. The most recent health workforce data showed that as of March 2025, there were 35,341 nurses, 5188 resident medical officers, and 6419 senior medical officers - both the categories of doctors. Not all of these people are working full time, but they're all on the books. And yet, despite the fact that since the election there's been a major recruitment drive, more than 36,000 Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants have voted to strike for 24 hours later this month - because they say they have safe staffing concerns. They say patients are at risk because of the short staffing, the nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants are stretched too thin and cannot give patients the care they need. And I totally accept this, this is heartbreaking for our exhausted members who became healthcare workers because they want to help people. So what's the story? We've had 2100 more nurses added to the ranks. Can there ever be enough nurses? Was there ever a time when you worked for Health New Zealand, that there were enough staff? That there were enough healthcare assistants and midwives and nurses? Was there a time you can go back to and say, in 1998, - we had so many staff, it was fantastic. You could sit and chat with patients, spend some quality time with them you didn't have to do the administrative work, you didn't have to do the clean up work because there were people who were capable, who were employed, who did that work. If 2100 nurses have been hired and you're still stretched so thin, how on earth did you get through the previous 6-7 years? It is a really tough job and there is so much more to the job than what the average patient sees. In the press release from the union, they say that burnt out nurses have left to go to Australia, where the pay and the working conditions are so much better, and they are. The pay and the working conditions have always been better in Australia. But then in part, our New Zealand nurses going to to Australia are part of a global migration route of health staff. English, Irish, Filipino nurses come here looking to better their pay and their working conditions, looking for a better work life balance. So it's all part of that global migration route of health staff which seems to be particularly mobile. But I'd really love to hear from health staff. You don't strike lightly, I know that. What is it that you need to feel that you can do your job well? How many more staff do you need to feel that you can look after your patient safely? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The official guidance on low-risk drinking doesn't reflect modern scientific evidence and "understates the health risks" of alcohol, according to Health New Zealand documents released to RNZ. Guyon Espiner spoke to Corin Dann.

In today's episode, dozens of people remain in emergency accommodation and hundreds of flood-damaged properties still have to be assessed after Friday's devastating floods in Nelson and Tasman; "Silt and debris as far as the eye can see." That's how flood-hit Motueka Valley resident Naomi Pickett describes the aftermath of Friday's deluge which inundated an already saturated Tasman District; The official guidance on low-risk drinking doesn't reflect modern scientific evidence and "understates the health risks" of alcohol, according to Health New Zealand documents released to RNZ; The Taxpayers' Union has released its rates dashboard which ranks local bodies across the country on how much they have increased rates; World number one Jannik Sinner has won his first Wimbledon title, dethroning Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in a four-set final this morning; New Zealand's Youth Choir has just taken out another top placing on the international stage hot on the heels of another global win.

I find it ironic that the government and the electorate are once a gain keen on getting rid of some of the layers of our council bureaucracy. First NZ First's Shane Jones publicly questioned the role of regional councils, pondering whether “there's going to be a compelling case for regional government to continue to exist”. Then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking that the Government was looking at local government reform. On Friday Matthew Hooten wrote a piece about Regional Councils reiterating Chris Bishop's question that he's been asking many local councillors. Is there any point in having regional councils. So it's on the table. Of course the battle against bureaucracy is alive and well around the world. Duplication of services and excessive layers of governance means that savings could be made easily and safely and it's something we've always discussed. Last term the government reformed District Health Board from 20 boards into a single entity Health New Zealand or just that reason but the new government has taken against that and they've announced a return to locally delivered healthcare because they believe that in regional decision making is the best way to go. We're still waiting to see what that will look like. Meanwhile reform of regional councils looks awfully like the formation of Auckland's Super City. A reform that has a heap of enemies because of it's devolution of power away from communities. As Hooten says the reason we hate the Super City are the Council Controlled Organisations a move that was supposed to replicate State Owned Enterprises. But the problem there is that we can't but shares in CCOs so they become the worst of things. A mongrel hybrid of Council bureaucracies and Private Monopolies. So we seem to like amalgamating public bodies but then when it happens we moan that our voices are no longer heard and that bureaucracies have become too huge and out of control. So, what is it people.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Sir Peter Jackson is backing an ambitious project effort to bring back the Moa from extinction, and it is being led Ngāi Tahu, Canterbury Museum, and Colossal Biosciences; Health New Zealand has backed down on plans to give Wellington Hospital maternity beds to ED patients; over 15 years, more than 900 Post Office branch managers were wrongly prosecuted for theft and false accounting, because of the faulty Horizon IT software they were required to use; US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his new tariff deadline of August 1st, posting on social media that "there will be no change" to the date, and "no extensions will be granted"; why are so many Kiwis interested in a state-based Australian rugby league series?; and the Cardrona Hotel is proving to be hot property - if its Trade Me views are anything to go by.

Midwives and specialists begged Health New Zealand to abandon the proposal to cut maternity beds at Wellington Hospital - and at an emotional meeting with staff, it has. MERAS Union co-leader Caroline Conroy spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Midwives and specialists are begging Health New Zealand to abandon a proposal to cut beds from Wellington Hospital's maternity and gynaecology wards. Mary Argue reports.

Health Minister Simeon Brown has revealed the make-up of the new Health Zealand Board - who will take over in a fortnight. They, along with a Crown Observer, will replace the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners appointed last year. Experienced clinical director Doctor Andrew Connolly, and current Deputy Commissioner Roger Jarrold are among those appointed. Brown says Commissioner Lester Levy will stay on as Chair for a year. "This is about making sure we have continuity of leadership at Health New Zealand. The organisation's going through a reset - making sure it's refocused on patients." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's First Up pod: the jury yesterday reached a verdict in the mushroom murder trial - and Erin Patterson has been found guilty on all charges; it's 20 years since the July 7th suicide bomb attacks in London, we find out how it's being remembered and health minister Simeon Brown tells us why Commissioner Lester Levy is staying on as the chair of Health New Zealand. First Up - Voice of the Nathan!

In today's episode, eleven-hundred households in Golden Bay lost Fibre connection on Thursday night, cutting access to 111 calls, mobile and internet services, while the area was under a state of emergency. Nurses are slamming their latest pay offer as a massive backward step. Health New Zealand says the new deal for nurses has a higher percentage pay increase than the earlier one, and lump sum payments this year and next. Our political panel looked at the government's string of law-and-order announcements. And our Australia Correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh gave us the latest from across the ditch.

Nurses are slamming their latest pay offer as a massive backward step. Health New Zealand says its new deal has a higher percentage pay increase than the earlier one, and lump sum payments this year and next. Health New Zealand's acting chief executive, Robyn Shearer spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss. 

GPs and specialist nurses will soon be able to diagnose and prescribe medication for ADHD. At the moment they need the written recommendation of a psychiatrist or paediatrician to start prescribing medications for Attention Deficit Hyper Activity medications, and that can take months. Now Medsafe and Pharmac have announced a rule change. From next year GPs and nurse practioners will be able to diagnose and start adults on treatment. Dr Anna Skinner, the Chief Clinical Advisor for Primary Care at Health New Zealand spoke to Lisa Owen.

Cleaners doubling as security guards at two rural Waikato Hospitals have left staff worried about their own safety and that of patients. These are among findings in a report obtained by Checkpoint about the introduction of the scheme - which Health New Zealand calls integrated cleaning, attendant and security services - at Te Kuiti and Tokoroa hospitals. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

In today's episode, Health New Zealand has been directed to give private hospitals 10-year outsourcing contracts to perform elective surgeries, Wednesday marks day five of the conflict between Israel and Iran and there's still no talk of a ceasefire, the blaze at New World Victoria Park has been extinguished while five Fire and Emergency crews remained on Tuesday night to deal with hotspots, and from 10 on Wednesday morning senior medical and dental officers in Northland will go on strike for 24 hours.

Health New Zealand has been directed to give private hospitals 10-year outsourcing contracts to perform elective surgeries. Health Minister Simeon Brown spoke to Corin Dann.

The Health Minister has directed Health New Zealand to give private hospitals 10-year contracts to perform elective surgeries. Patient Voice Aotearoa chairperson Malcolm Mulholland spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The Government is delivering an increased number of elective procedures to try to meet patient wait time targets. More than 84% of cancer patients are starting treatment within 31 days – 1% more than last year. Health Minister Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking they want that up to 90% by 2030, and are working to speed up treatments. He says they've swiftly outsourced nine thousand 500 electives to the private sector in an effort to get Health New Zealand moving faster. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simeon Brown took the words right out of my mouth. I was just saying this very morning, that people living with bone-on-bone pain don't really care where their hip replacement is done or whether their knee is replaced in a private hospital or a public one. And there in the statement released from the Health Minister's Office is Simeon saying patients don't care who's delivering their surgery – they care about getting their hip, knee and cataract operations done. I think it's a common sentiment. I think most of us would feel this way. News this morning that Health New Zealand has been directed to give private hospitals 10-year outsourcing contracts to perform elective surgeries should come as good news for those on the waiting list. As Simeon Brown was talking to Francesca Rudkin about the 10,000 elective surgeries that had been performed, mostly in private hospitals, he gave a hint that the arrangement with private hospitals was likely to be formalised. “This is something that needs to continue to happen so that we can continue to reduce the number of people waiting for those surgeries. The waitlist ballooned over the last six years, that's unacceptable for patients. I'm committed to continuing to use both the public and private system to make sure we reduce that waitlist and ensure patients get seen in a timely manner.” And now it has. Private hospital contracts have in the past tended to be rather short term, ad hoc arrangements designed to take the spill over from the public waiting list. But Health New Zealand has been negotiating 3-year agreements with private hospitals. And that will guarantee high volumes of low complexity patients. They don't want your tricky ones, they don't want your obese smokers, they just want the people who'll be able to come in, have a routine operation, and have the aftercare needed to provide good outcomes. Brown has now directed Health New Zealand to seek even longer-term arrangements, which he says will improve the cost effectiveness of delivery and provide clear investment signals to the private sector. So if the private sector is thinking, do we put up a private clinic in Tauranga that can do routine operations, do you know what? Damn it, we will, if there's a 10-year pipeline of work. Do we invest in the super duper state-of-the-art high tech medical equipment that would take the operating theatre to the next level? Damn it, we will, because we have that pipeline of work. That has to be good news for patients. The number of people waiting more than four months for elective surgery has grown from 1000 in 2017 to more than 28,000 and 2023. Now, I totally accept that waiting lists can be manipulated. You know, over the years, over the many, many years I've been doing a talkback, we've seen successive governments manipulate the waiting list. It looks a hell of a lot better when you just take people off it – you have to be referred by your GP and start the process all over again. That's one old trick. But we also take into account that Covid meant that a lot of elective surgeries couldn't be performed and that happened the Western world over. The Covid pandemic meant that elective surgeries were a luxury, and of course, it ballooned out. So this has to be good news. The fact that the private hospitals will now have a contract where they will be able to deliver these operations for less than they have been charging. The New Zealand Private Surgical Hospitals Association Representative hadn't heard about the 10 years, but said obviously with that certainty that length of agreement it was not unreasonable to expect such deals would provide certainty on costs, which is doctor speak for we'll sharpen our pencil and give you a good deal. However, there are concerns from the medical profession, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons says they were sold outsourcing as a short-term solution. But outsourcing is not a solution to an inadequately funded health system. They said that outsourcing elective surgery deprived surgical registrars of the training they needed, and that it was all so much more expensive. I don't see why the registrars can't pop across the road to Alleviate or Ascot and spend a day in the operating theatre in a private clinic. I mean, it's probably much more complex than that, but when they say surgical registrars won't get the training they need, whatever happened to work experience? Where you could go to a private hospital for a day or a week and help out there. I agree in an ideal world where you pay your taxes to contribute to the good of the community, an adequately funded public health system would be fantastic. Where in the world do you have one like that? Possibly the Nordic states do. But we're a long way from getting that and in the meantime, when you have people who do not have life threatening conditions but who have life diminishing conditions where they can't work, they can't enjoy life, they are living in constant pain, their quality of life is 0. They can't go outside the four walls of their own home. They're swallowing painkillers, which are ineffectual, but at least make them feel like something is happening. The difference between what is considered a relatively routine operation by the medical profession and not having that routine operation is life changing. You may not die from having bone-on-bone pain of your hip or your knee, but you feel like you want to. The difference will be huge for patients. For some of them they don't know how they can go on another hour, far less six months. I just I cannot see how it is a bad thing. Ideally, yes, we would have an adequately funded public health system, and it also might mean that you're not going to get your hip or your knee done privately. If you're a high needs patient, you're gonna have to wait on the public health waiting list – that should diminish given the number of elective surgeries that will be performed in the private sector. The only concern I see is that A) it's failing ideologically to have a publicly funded health system, but needs must. Why should people be collateral damage in a war of ideology? And B) the training for the doctors. But can't they do work experience over in the private sector? C) It's a win for patients, surely. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is directing Health New Zealand to give private hospitals 10 year outsourcing contracts to perform elective surgeries. The directive has caught the hospitals by surprise, and is raising questions about the privitisation of the public system. Anusha Bradley reports.

The Government is legislating health targets to 'lock in accountability'. It's part of a slue of changes to the health system, with the aim of refocusing on outcomes rather than bureaucracy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health Minister Simeon Brown says the Government want patients to be able to see the clear benefits of health infrastructure investments. The Government has approved a suite of amendments to the Healthy Futures Act, put in place in 2022, that it hopes will strengthen the performance of Health New Zealand. Brown says these changes needed to be put in place to ensure the health system could be focused on delivering results over successive Governments. "We've got to focus on improving the timeliness of elective surgeries, specialist appointments and ensuring our young children are getting those immunisations. It's actually just about making sure that the system knows what the focuses should be focused on - and holding it accountable." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health New Zealand will switch to longer-term contracts for mental health support, after the minister intervened over concerns about funding running out. Russell Palmer reports.

Health New Zealand is outsourcing more elective operations to private facilities to ease strain on the system. The agency aims to deliver more than 10,500 additional elective procedures by the end of June, by partnering with private hospitals to expand surgical capacity. The target is within reach with more than 8,600 procedures complete since March. Christchurch colorectal and general surgeon Chris Wakeman told Mike Hosking that although he gets paid less to do public work, this is the future of healthcare. He says it's so much more efficient and you can do a lot more work. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions to Ministers CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? LAURA McCLURE to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: What recent announcements has she made about reforming WorkSafe? NANCY LU to the Minister of Finance: What recent announcements has she made about business tax? Hon BARBARA EDMONDS to the Minister of Finance: Does she stand by her statement about the Budget that "Wages are forecast to grow faster than the inflation rate, making wage earners better off, on average, in real terms"; if so, what is the effect on wage growth over the forecast period of removing the $12.8 billion from future pay equity claims? Dr VANESSA WEENINK to the Minister responsible for RMA Reform: What announcements has he made on reforming national direction under the Resource Management Act 1991? TANYA UNKOVICH to the Minister for Resources: What announcements has he made regarding energy security in New Zealand? Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statement in relation to emergency department wait times, "I expect Health New Zealand to empower clinicians at local levels to fix bottlenecks in real time"; if so, is he confident this has occurred ahead of winter 2025? Dr HAMISH CAMPBELL to the Minister of Education: What announcements has she made regarding learning support as part of Budget 2025? Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? Hon JAN TINETTI to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Does she stand by her proposed changes to WorkSafe; if so, why? PAULO GARCIA to the Associate Minister of Housing: What recent announcements has he made about social housing tenancies? Question to Member Hon Dr DUNCAN WEBB to the Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee: Why did he respond to the referral by the House to the Finance and Expenditure Committee of the Regulatory Standards Bill with a six-month reporting deadline by issuing a call for submissions with a four-week deadline?

For the next month nurses at Auckland City, Starship and Greenlane hospitals will refuse to take 'on-call' shifts. They say Health New Zealand's latest pay offer doesn't keep pace with inflation or the cost of living. Health New Zealand Northern Region Deputy chief executive Mike Shepherd spoke to Corin Dann.

Staff at an Auckland mental health facility are rallying to save what they say is a vital service for people who would otherwise fall through the cracks. Health New Zealand has put forward a proposal to close Segar House, a publicly funded intensive programme for people with long-standing or chronic mental health problems. The proposal said not enough people are treated there and staff would be better deployed elsewhere, but staff say are fighting for it to be saved. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

In today's episode, the family of a 19-year-old Palmerston North teenager who died after taking part in a Run-It game in with friends are having to come to terms with the young man's death, a crackdown on public servants leaking information has been revealed, in a document leaked to RNZ, Health New Zealand says the situation in Tairawhiti Hospital is challenging, but progress is being made with more permanent staff now signing on, down-on-their-luck Kiwis living on Australia's Gold Coast are being offered one-way tickets back to New Zealand when they find themselves homeless and without government support, and for months the seemingly innocuous activity of stacking stones on the shores of Lake Tekapo had increased so much that residents couldn't keep up with knocking them all down.

Health New Zealand says the situation in Tairāwhiti Hospital is challenging, but progress is being made with more permanent staff now signing on. Health NZ's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Richard Sullivan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis talks to Mike Hosking about the week's big issues after the budget announcement last week. Health New Zealand's aiming to perform more than 30-thousand elective surgeries by June 2026 by outsourcing more straightforward cases to private hospitals. Willis says getting doctors and specialists on longer term contracts will get more people the care they need sooner. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon last week announced his intention to raise the retirement age. Willis says no discussions have taken place yet, but says the Government would need to be upfront with their plans. "At some point, a future government is either going to have to slap a lot more tax on people or it's going to have to front up to whether the settings can be tweaked a little bit," she says. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than half of the children on the waiting list for dental surgery have been waiting more than four months. Data from Health New Zealand shows that as of March, there were 5564 young people aged 14 and under on the waitlist, with 2942 waiting more than 120 days. The overall waitlist has grown by about 1500 children in two years. New Zealand Dental Association Spokesperson Robin Whyman talks to Mike Hosking about the issue. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

78 people are to be quarantined after coming in contact with measles. Health New Zealand's said it's reached out to 286 close contacts since the first case was confirmed earlier this month. 90% of people unvaccinated that come in contact with measles will be infected. Dr Bryan Betty said it's one of the most contagious diseases known to man. He says Covid has a reproduction number of 2-3 and influenza is 1.3, so measles sitting at 12 to 18 is completely off the scale. Betty says people should limit their movements. He says if people think they have measles, they should ring their medical centre for advice as they risk spreading the disease if they turn up to their medical centre. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Checkpoint can reveal that Health New Zealand has spent more than $130 million fixing up faux pas with its holiday pay. It all stems from issues related to the Holiday's Act that were identified in 2016, when it was discovered former District Health Boards were not paying staff correctly, including doctors, nurses and health care assistances. Reporter Jimmy Ellingham spoke to Lisa Owen.

Checkpoint has discovered Te Whatu Ora has spent more than 130 million dollars remediating payroll problems and that doesn't include the cost of repaying wages. It all stems from issues related to the Holiday's Act that were identified in 2016, when it was discovered former District Health Boards were not paying staff correctly, including doctors, nurses and health care assistances. Dr Mike Shepherd, Health New Zealand's Acting Deputy Chief Executive Northern Region spoke to Lisa Owen.

Health New Zealand wants to knock 20,000 elective surgeries off its waiting lists by outsourcing thousands of simple cases to private hospitals and getting public sector doctors to work more hours. Anusha Bradey reports.

Senior doctors traded scrubs for placards on Thursday as thousands walked off the job for 24 hours, many braving foul weather on picket lines around the country. They are locked in a bitter dispute with Te Whatu Ora over pay and conditions, with more than 5000 senior doctors on strike until 11:59pm. Dr Richard Sullivan, Chief Clinical Officer for Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora spoke to Lisa Owen.

The Health Minister is standing by the current pay offer to senior doctors. Thousands of planned procedures have been delayed following yesterday's strike action, while Health New Zealand is applying to the Employment Relations Authority for urgent facilitation. Union members have told Newstalk ZB their pay rates aren't keeping up with the private sector or with Australia. But Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking the pay offer is "credible" given Health New Zealand only has so much money to go around. He says the health budget has to cover hospital services, GPs, aged care, and a range of other things, and there's pressure across the board. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The senior doctor's union says a pay increase offered in negotiations with Health New Zealand doesn't seem to have changed. About 5,000 senior doctors have been striking today, after eight months of failed bargaining. Health Minister Simeon Brown is urging members to resume talks. Salaried Medical Specialists Association executive director, Sarah Dalton, says what's being offered won't attract or retain talent. "What would be really helpful would be for the Minister to think about what funds they make available to Te Whatu Ora to help them sort this out." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over 4000 medical procedures are on hold today while 5000 senior doctors strike for better working conditions. This comes after eight months of failed negotiations with Health New Zealand. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says it's not going to fill workforce gaps without major improvements to pay and conditions. Health NZ Chief Clinical Officer Doctor Richard Sullivan told Mike Hosking waitlist times for procedures will now stretch out further. He says the more than 4000 procedures which have been delayed will impact on getting people earlier access to care. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite reports of critical levels of vacancies for senior doctor positions, Taupō hospital now has accreditation to train rural doctors. It will be the first North Island hospital to receive accreditation to deliver the training. Meanwhile senior doctors are still planning to strike on Thursday, despite a new offer from Health New Zealand. Health Minister Simeon Brown talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A report commisioned by Health New Zealand warns its current management of its hospitals and other facilities is so poor, it cannot effectively plan for upgrades or replacements, among other issues. RNZ's Phil Pennington spoke with Ingrid Hipkiss.

Transgender researchers are disappointed Health New Zealand has been told to stop using the term "pregnant people" in favour of "pregnant women". The coalition has told the agency the use of inclusive language is confusing for some people - directing it to use "sex-specific language" from now on. While the move has drawn criticism from some academics, researchers and midwives are in agreement that an 'and-and' approach is probably best. Political reporter Anneke Smith has more.

The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says the pay offer from Health New Zealand would have amounted to a pay cut, when inflation is taken into consideration. Executive director Sarah Dalton spoke to Corin Dann.

The government has directed Health New Zealand to say "pregnant women" instead of "pregnant people" in its health communications. Political reporter Anneke Smith spoke to Corin Dann.

The associate health minister, Casey Costello, has issued a directive to Health New Zealand to refer to "pregnant women" rather than "pregnant people". Labour leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Corin Dann.

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has issued a directive to Health New Zealand to use the term "pregnant women" instead of "pregnant people" in its health communications. New Zealand College of Midwives chief executive Alison Eddy spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

In today's episode, the government has directed Health New Zealand to use the term 'pregnant woman' instead of 'pregnant people', the President of El Salvador has met with Donald Trump in the White House to discuss the U.S. administration's mass deportations, Corelogic has found that in about 20 percent of the country, it could be cheaper to buy a house, the number of people studying to become teachers has jumped after several years of low enrolment, and RNZ music's Tony Stamp tips who will win tonight's Taite Music award.

Hundreds more health workers were assaulted at work last year, according to Health New Zealand data, with Auckland central and Waikato districts seeing the biggest spikes. Reporter Lucy Xia has more.

Wait times for urgent, non-urgent and surveillance colonoscopies all grew last year after Health New Zealand failed to keep up with demand. Ruth Hill reports.

A woman who was referred to Nelson Hospital's gynaecology department waited more than a year to get a first appointment and by then she was so desperate she'd already gone private. Health New Zealand sent a crisis team to Nelson after several senior hospital doctors went public with their concerns about excessively long wait times, under staffing, and lives being put at risk. Aleisha Hosie spoke to Lisa Owen.