Podcasts about health nz

Intravenous drug users are demanding a say in the future of the South Island's needle exchange services, warning health leaders are gambling with their lives. In seven weeks, needle exchange programme DISC Trust will hand over its long-standing contract, which provides sterile drug injecting equipment at six sites around the South Island. Health NZ's chosen new provider still hasn't revealed how or where it plans to run the service. Katie Todd reports.

In the first of a four-part collaborative series with the Medical Technology Association of New Zealand, eHealth Talk host and HiNZ media editor Rebecca McBeth interviews MTANZ CEO Cushla Smyth about the challenges facing medical device suppliers and the future of the sector.They discuss findings from MTANZ's latest member survey, procurement delays, the lack of clarity over whether Pharmac or Health NZ will manage medical device contracting, and what this uncertainty means for investment and patient access to new technologies.Cushla also shares her vision for building a thriving, patient-focused medical technology industry in Aotearoa.

36,000 nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants are on strike for 24 hours over what they say is Health NZ's refusal to staff hospitals at safe levels. One emergency department nurse described the conditions as the worst she's seen in 30 years. Health Minister Simeon Brown insists the pay offer on the table is fair and accuses the union of hurting thousands of patients with its hard-line tactics. Ruth Hill reports.

Thousands of nurses have swapped scrubs for the picket line today as they walked off the job for 24 hours. 36,000 nurses, healthcare assistants and Kaimahi Hauora are on strike until 9am tomorrow. The walk out follows stalled pay talks and concerns about safe staffing levels. Health NZ chief executive Dr Dale Bramley spoke to Lisa Owen.

Nearly 4,500 patients are having procedures or specialist appointments postponed due to the nationwide strike by nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants, which kicks off at 9am on Wednesday morning according to Health NZ. Ruth Hill reports.

Thirty-six thousand nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants across the country are walking off the job on Wednesday for 24 hours. Health New Zealand acting chief clinical officer Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard spoke to Corin Dann.

Thirty-six thousand workers from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation are walking off the job on Wednesday, after talks with Health NZ broke down this week. RNZ health correspondent Ruth Hill spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Tens of thousands of nurses will walk off the job tomorrow. Last-ditch talks between Health NZ and the country's biggest nurses' union have failed to stop a nationwide strike. Health NZ estimates more than 4,000 planned procedures and specialist appointments will have to be postponed. National Chief Medical Officer, Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard, says essential services will continue - but warns people needing non-emergency care should contact their GP or Healthline first. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 29 July 2025, 36,000 nurses are set to go on strike tomorrow. Health NZ's Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard tells Heather the impact on elective surgeries is huge as thousands will have their operations delayed. NZ business legend Sir Michael Hill has passed away. Chair of Michael Hill, Rob Fyfe, tells Heather about the huge legacy he leaves behind, and why setting goals was the most important lesson from Sir Michael's success story. A High Court judge has ordered Oranga Tamariki to pay $108,000 to a former foster family. This is the case of Moana where OT tried to remove the girl because she is Māori and the foster parents are Pakeha. Plus, the Huddle debates whether medication should always be checked by two pharmacists before it's dispensed after the tragic death of a baby. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2025 Wednesday the 30th of July, 36 thousand nurses go on strike today, former Health NZ Chair Rob Campbell tells Ryan what he thinks needs to be done to reach an agreement with Health NZ. The ANZ premiership will soon be free to air on TVNZ, NZ netball players association Executive Manager Steph Bond shares her thoughts. Cotality has done a report finding record numbers of us are refinancing our mortgages with a new bank, Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davison explains what it means. Plus UK/Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on UK PM Sir Keir Starmer saying the UK will recognise a Palestinian state at a UN meeting in September unless Israel meets certain conditions. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I understand what the Prime Minister is saying about these pay increases for board members at Crown agencies, such as Health NZ and Kāinga Ora, but I'm not buying it. The top payment was $90,000. It's now $160,000. Christopher Luxon says the Government needs to offer higher pay for these board roles so they can attract the best people. But tell that to the 28,000 people who have lost their jobs in the past year. Tell that to the hospital staff striking for more pay. Tell that to the hospital staff who have had a gutsful of staffing levels going south. Tell that to most people in New Zealand, and I think they'll say that the Government couldn't be more tone deaf if it tried. As Labour leader Chris Hipkins is saying, people are struggling to make ends meet and this just shows how out of touch the Government is. To be fair, the Prime Minister is correct when he says that they need to make these roles worth people's while. Because, whether we like it or not, the Crown is competing with the private sector in trying to get the best people. But being correct doesn't always make someone right, and someone needs to tell Christopher Luxon that people don't care what he knows until we know that he cares. There he was again yesterday saying that he understands that people are doing it tough at the moment. He knows. But does he care? The way Public Service Minister Judith Collins puts it is that this is actually a strong move by the Government. Because past governments have been too chicken to pay its board members more, and she says we can't expect these people to work for chickenfeed. I get what Judith Collins is saying too. And I know that, in the scheme of things, it's not as if these increased payments to board members will amount to a massive amount of money. But for me it's all about perception and the message it sends. Yes, people putting their hands up to sit on government boards want to be recognised for their time and effort. But consider how busy the Government has been telling local councils to cut their cloth. Consider how busy the Government's been telling government departments to cut their cloth. Yes, people on government agency boards should be paid what they're worth, but now is not the time for 80% pay increases. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've got an appointment at the hospital this week, you might want to check it's still going ahead. Nurses are going on strike tomorrow from 9am for 24 hours. 4,300 surgeries and specialist appointments will be affected. It's a complete withdrawal of labour. It's 36,000 nurses. It'll affect every place where Health NZ provides health or hospital care, and it's the middle of winter. The nurses union's been bargaining. It's the usual stuff - pay and staffing levels. Also as usual, they say if it's life or death, you will be seen to. They had a bargaining meeting yesterday with Health NZ, which didn't go well. They've been bargaining since last September and haven't found common ground yet. The nurses say they are too short staffed and departing nurses are not being replaced. And without more pay, nurses will keep being tempted across the Tasman. So, what were they being offered? Health NZ says a new graduate nurse on $75,773 would gain a total pay increase of $8,337 (or 11%) by the end of June 2026. What's more, they say the average salary for both senior and registered nurses, including overtime, PDRP allowance, and penal rates, is $125,662. Until these guys can sort out who's right and come to a deal, this may not be the last hospital strike we patients must endure this winter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The news today that half of the departments at Christchurch Hospital are operating below full staffing levels doesn't surprise me. In some departments, they are less than 80 percent of what they should be. So, if I'm not surprised, does that mean my expectations of the hospital system are pretty low? The answer to that is “yes”. I expect that the basics are covered and that's about it. That our hospitals are full of brilliant people doing their best, stretched to the limit, covering the basics. The nurses union is describing the staffing situation as “alarming”. One of its delegates has told our newsroom that it constantly feels like they don't have enough staff. And it would be great if they didn't have to move staff around departments to try and cover everything. Health NZ says it gets that. But it's dealing with increased demand (more patients) and it's struggling to hire people. Here are some numbers for you. Child health, oncology and intensive care unit nursing have around 30 full-time equivalent vacancies. With two of those departments having roles vacant for more than a year. But none of that surprises me anymore. Just like I'm not all that surprised by the news that Christchurch Hospital is getting relatives of patients to go in and sit with them and help out where they can. Again - is that because of my low expectations? That I've come to expect that the basics will be covered and that's about it? But here's where Health NZ's sob story about not being able to hire staff starts to wear a bit thin. There are a whole bunch of nursing graduates ready to work, who haven't been hired to work in our hospitals. Fifty-five percent of graduate nurses looking for graduate roles in a hospital have received rejection letters. Many of them for the second time. The mid-year intake has just been finalised - with 722 applying but only 323 getting placements. One of the ones who have received a rejection letter is Melanie McIntyre, of Christchurch. She came back here from Australia in 2019 to begin nursing training. She did a pre-health course in 2021 and started her degree in 2022. She says she thought nursing was a safe career but, three years down the track, she is disheartened and unemployed. After her first rejection, she spent eight months sitting in what they call the national talent pool. Which is, effectively, a waiting list for employers across the health sector looking for entry-level nurses. But that's been a no-goer for Melanie and, since February, she's been volunteering at a charity hospital. She is so disheartened, that she would like to move back to Australia. But she's in her 40s and her kids aren't keen on going back to Australia. So here she is in Christchurch, with a nursing degree, can't get work in a hospital, and is doing volunteer work instead. She says: “It's just so disheartening. I actually struggle to get out of bed because I'm not sure what else to do.” I bet. But I suspect that, what we're seeing here, is the impact of hospitals not having enough senior people to supervise the new nurses on the wards. And, if that's the case, then I don't see things changing anytime soon. If at all. Which is why my expectations of the hospital system are, what you could describe, as pretty low. That it's brilliant for the basics - but that's about it. And only as long as the people doing the doing are prepared to keep going. But how do you rate your expectations of the hospital system? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Sunday Panel, Newstalk ZB host Roman Travers and journalist and editor, Jo McCarroll, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! New reports show Health NZ is hiring less nursing graduates than ever. Why are we training nurses and not employing them? Butter prices have shot up - and it's been a leading story across the nation's news outlets all week. Are we blowing the outrage out of proportion? Algorithm fatigue - are we sick of our social media feeds showing us what we think we want? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Less than half of graduating nurses are getting hired by Health New Zealand. New data reveals only 323 out of 722 mid-year graduates gained entry level jobs in hospitals. The Nurses Organisation says that number used to be as high as 90 percent. President of the National Student Unit, Bianca Grimmer, says it's forcing students into roles they're not exactly after. "Nurses have a purpose and a 'why' for why they want to go into the workforce and where they want to work - and they're really stronger in the health system and those places that they're really passionate about." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Belief politicians should have skin in the public health system game. Health workers have signed an open letter asking MPs to voluntarily waive private healthcare for themselves and their families while in office. It says healthcare becomes personal when politicians rely on the same EDs, waitlists, and services as everyone else. Former Health NZ Chair Rob Campbell told Andrew Dickens MPs won't give up their healthcare any more than they'd turn down their next pay rise, but it does highlight a point. He says that it highlights the fact that if you don't deal with the problem, you're probably not going to effectively deal with the problem. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 23rd of July, red meat continues to go gangbusters, but we could be doing better, and the industry has some warnings. Lester Levy is moving from the Health NZ Commissioner to the new board chair, and gives us an exclusive on what he has, and hasn't, achieved. Mark Mitchell and Ginny Andersen discuss pay transparency, the butter meeting between Nicola Willis and Fonterra, and the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election on Politics Wednesday. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health New Zealand is moving into its next chapter after a year under a commissioner. The board's making a return today, with outgoing commissioner Lester Levy taking up the role as chairman for the next 12 months. Levy told Mike Hosking that although the agency's reached a turning point, the challenge isn't over. He says they need to involve clinicians and those on the ground in decisions and provide modern tools to the workforce. But Levy says the organisation's financially on track and has a very stable platform to move forward. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you don't want to face the unpalatable truth about your boozing, the alcohol lobby is on your sideOutdated alcohol guidelines put New Zealand out of step with modern research, but our health authorities are in no hurry to update themIn Canada, proposed guidelines for low-risk drinking set the weekly limit at two drinks.Here in New Zealand, the recommendation is to cap alcohol at 10 drinks weekly for women, and 15 for men, with two alcohol-free days per week.Despite these guidelines being nearly 15 years old, and documents from Health NZ showing that they consider a review of the guidelines to be 'necessary', for now, the guidelines are staying as they are."The complication is that the Ministry of Health has come in over the top of [Health NZ] and has said 'actually these are our guidelines ... we want to control this and we're putting a pause on that work'," says RNZ's Guyon Espiner."It certainly does show that they're listening to the alcohol industry, who are pretty exercised about this - because as you can imagine, this could have a significant effect on sales if people did take this advice and did drink significantly less."In a series of articles over the past few months, Espiner has reported on issues of alcohol harm and how the alcohol lobby has impacted policy in New Zealand…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Changes to a decades-long needle exchange contract have left people worried the decision will breed distrust, potentially leading to needle-sharing. Health NZ has not renewed the contract for DISC Trust, which has operated needle exchange services across the South Island for 35 years. Health chiefs have instead opted for a new provider. Katie Todd reports.

An Auckland mental health facility catering for people with long-standing or chronic problems will shut down. Health NZ has been consulting on its proposal to close Rauaroha Segar House, and this afternoon told patients and staff the service will close its doors. Reporter Jimmy Ellingham spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Student nurses and midwives say they're taking on the same workloads as qualified staff in order to fill gaps in the sector, and they are doing it all for free. It comes as nurses, midwives and other healthcare staff around the country prepare to take strike action over what they say is a failure by Health NZ to address their staffing concerns. Australia has just introduced a payment for eligible students doing work placements and they say a similar system should be introduced here. Evie Richardson reports.

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.

More than 36,000 Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora have voted to strike for 24 hours. The Nurses Organisation says the strike is due to Health NZ's failure to address safe staffing concerns. Health NZ is offering a 3 percent pay rise over two years, plus two payments of $325. But the union said the agency was refusing to provide safe staffing levels in its latest contract offer. NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter talks to Paddy Gower about what it would take to resolve their concerns.

The leader of a union representing junior doctors has said she is dreading the day when a hospital worker's killed at work. Since a staff member was held up at gunpoint outside Palmerston North Hospital in April, Checkpoint has heard from many health workers who don't feel safe on the job. Health NZ has said it is continuously improving security and taking on feedback. But unions said the problem is still a big one and one even wants to see security guards with beefed up powers. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

Health bosses driving controversial plans to cut maternity beds at Wellington Hospital have changed their minds. Health NZ acting chief executive Robyn Shearer spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

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 NZ has said gynaecology had 12 "resourced" (staffed) beds, with capacity to flex to 14, and 26 resourced maternity beds, with the ability to flex to 37 beds (11 unresourced) in response to Wellington Hospital's trial aimed at making more room for patients from the overcrowded Emergency Department. Health NZ's group director of operations Jamie Duncan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

In today's episode, the union representing midwives says Wellington Hospital cutting beds from its gynaecology and maternity wards in a trial aimed at making more room for patients from the overcrowded Emergency Department is a bad move, Health NZ says gynaecology has 12 "resourced" (staffed) beds, with capacity to flex to 14, and 26 resourced maternity beds, with the ability to flex to 37 beds (11 unresourced) in response, the Finance Minister says several thousand more families will benefit from the changes to FamilyBoost, monitoring potential dangers, such as intruders or eavesdroppers, is the focus of the country's new space squadron, and it has been a huge weekend of music in the United Kingdom - with Black Sabbath performing a farewell show in Birmingham, and Oasis back on stage together to kick off their high-anticipated reunion tour in Cardiff in Wales.

The amount of money Health NZ is spending on locum doctors to plug staff shortages is increasing and could reach $200 million this year. Checkpoint has obtained figures that show the spend on fill-ins is rising fast. A frontline doctor and the senior doctors union have said it is frustrating to see the increasing pot for temporary workers, when officials are saying money is so tight. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

Doctors in Northland are blaming a massive increase in wait times for colonoscopies in the last six months on Health NZ's decision to cut pay rates for locums. Ruth Hill reports.

Are early finishes to blame for the surgical backlog? Surgeon Chris Wakeman claims that public health professionals won't perform surgeries past the 4pm cutoff, causing backlog issues. Health NZ's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Richard Sullivan told Mike Hosking that early finishes do occur. The rosters generally run until about 4:30/5pm, and he says that there are very few operations that can be done in less than half an hour. He says they've been running weekend theatres to try get more people through, but you need quite a big work force to do that consistently. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From 10 on Wednesday morning senior medical and dental officers in Northland will go on strike for 24 hours. Health New Zealand Chief Clinical Officer Dr Richard Sullivan 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.

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.

A mental health facility for some of our most difficult to treat patients has been given a last-minute reprieve ahead of its pending closure. Health NZ has proposed shutting Segar House, a publicly funded intensive programme for people with long-standing or chronic mental health problems. But staff have been rallying to save it, and now more voices are joining those calls, including a former patient. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

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.

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.

There's a belief EDs could be diverting patients away with vouchers for urgent care clinic consultations, more than they are. It's believed Auckland's Waitakere Hospital is sending away around 25 patients a day with vouchers due to long wait lists. The Health District's total voucher spend jumped 60% between 2022 and last year. The Royal College of GPs' Medical Director, Luke Bradford told Mike Hosking there's pressure on EDs to meet Health NZ's target of seeing patients within six hours. He says it's cheaper to hand out a $150 or $200 voucher, considering the average cost for a visit is 800. Bradford says it's a reasonable way to help manage the flow of EDs, and vouches are a solution to managing a recession and a lack of resources. 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.

A new measles case has been identified in Auckland and it's a crew member working with Fullers 360. Health NZ protection clinical director Dr Susan Jack spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Join host Paul Spain and Jonathan Good (Scentian Bio) as they explore Scentian Bio's innovative technology, poised to transform real-time chemical sensing in food, health, and environmental monitoring. Jonathan explains its origins and potential uses, such as detecting food contamination and wearable health diagnostics. Plus, tech news from the week including, Governmental email protocol challenges, Health NZ's proposed workforce changes, Spotify's flexible payment options, AI's energy demands, the Potential hazards of orbital overcrowding and more.Thanks to our Partners One NZ, 2degrees, HP, Spark and Gorilla Technology

Keeping our top medical talent on New Zealand shores, compromised care and growing wait lists. These are some of the reasons over 5,000 senior doctors have walked off the job in unprecedented 24-hour strike action over stalled pay and conditions talks. Health NZ said the strike has forced the postponement of more than 4,000 planned procedures. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

More than 5000 senior doctors from the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists union are striking for 24 hours. Health NZ's chief clinical officer Richard Sullivan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

A former health chief said cutting the number of intensive care beds planned for the new Dunedin Hospital is taking chances with the region's health. 30 intensive care unit beds were originally planned, with capacity for a further 10 beds. But Health New Zealand has cut the number of ICU beds to 20 on opening, with room to increase to 40 beds in the future. Tess Brunton reports from Dunedin.

The plans to close Segar House - which offers a publicly-funded, intensive psychotherapy day programme - the only one of its kind in the country.