Podcasts about te whatu ora

A senior doctor has said she's kept awake at night by having to ration care at Whangarei hospital which she says is understaffed and under resourced. Others say it's frustrating, exhausting and like being on the deck of the Titanic. Senior Northland doctors, who are union members walked off the job and onto the picket line this morning, on a 24 hour strike, after a break down in negotiations over pay and conditions. All hospitals in the region, including Whangarei Hospital and its emergency department are still open, although Te Whatu Ora says some planned treatment and appointments are being disrupted. Checkpoint called the Whangarei doctors who were striking and they spoke to Lisa Owen about thieir experiences.

Te Whatu Ora has upped security for staff at the birthing unit and Christchurch Hospital after the latest assault. Waitaha Canterbury director of operations Hamish Brown says the staffer involved is being well supported and Te Whatu Ora is continuing to remind staff to take precautions when leaving the hospital campus at night.

Some security guards at Waikato Hospital have expired qualifcations, while others lack critical training. That is according to a senior security officer and licenced private investigator who resigned from the Waikato Hospital security team last month. Te Whatu Ora requires contracted security guards to have a current Level Two certificate of approval, but not security staff it employs directly. Steve Buckland 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.

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 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.

There are concerns high wages paid to casual medical staff to plug gaps in the health system are discouraging doctors from taking full time positions. Te Whatu Ora said its forecast full year spend on contractors and consultants is 477 million dollars or about 4 percent of its annual internal personnel budget. But it can't say exactly how much of that is for locums or doctors who plug roster gaps. Dr Lisa Ten Eyck spoke to Lisa Owen.

For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to MP Shanan Halbert about Casey Costello's Te Whatu Ora language directive, consultation opening on the new relationship and sexuality education draft framework, and the Treaty Principles Bill being voted down at second reading. For International Desk, they spoke to Jean Lantz Reisz from the University of Southern California Law School about the removal of Kilmar Abrego García from the United States without due process. Wire Producer Sara spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson for City Counselling about council amalgamation and the roles available in Auckland Council in this year's local elections. And she spoke to Dr Olivier Jutel from the University of Otago on the use of AI in political content, specifically ACT's recent social media post.

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has directed Te Whatu Ora to say “women” instead of “pregnant people” in all communications. The government has opened consultation on the new relationships and sexuality education (RSE) draft framework. And last week, the divisive and controversial Treaty Principles Bill was voted down at second reading. For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these issues.

Te Whatu Ora is proposing to slash jobs from a department that brings in millions of dollars a year and ensures safety in hospitals, rest homes and other community health providers. The union said the proposal is non-sensical and will cost far more than it saves, while the former chair of Health NZ has called it extremely risky. Keiller MacDuff reports.

An eleven year girl who was mistaken for an older mental health patient was forcibly injected with anti-psychotic medication that's not normally used for children and wasn't even the first choice of treatment for an adult. A rapid review of the incident by Te Whatu Ora has found several significant failings. Te Whatu Ora Chief Clinical officer Doctor Richard Sullivan spoke to Lisa Owen.

Te Whatu Ora is encouraging all spa pool owners to regularly clean and maintain their pools in response to a spike in a potentially deadly disease. Public Health Medicine Specialist Dr Matt Reid spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

On today's episode, new online gambling licenses are to be auctioned off by the government, the latest political poll shows both the coalition and the Prime Minister are losing support, the former governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has won the race to succeed Justin Trudeau as the next Prime Minister of Canada, Greenland is holding a general election on Wednesday, it's a semi-autonomous part of Denmark and independence is a major issue - particularly after U.S President Donald Trump expressed interest in controlling the world's biggest island, new online casino gambling licences to be auctioned off by the government will mainly go to large foreign operators, the father of a man who accidentally drowned in Wellington harbour is promising to keep pushing for permanent balustrades along the waterfront, and Te Whatu Ora is encouraging all spa pool owners to regularly clean and maintain their pools in response to a spike in a potentially deadly disease.

Simeon Brown made a big announcement today regarding Te Whatu Ora, sacking Lester Levy, reinstating the board, and relying on the private sector to reduce the surgery wait list by mid-year.Chris Hipkins speaks at the Labour's State of Nation, announcing portfolio reshuffles, new portfolio and the party's main priorities heading into the election 2026.Winston is back in the news, this time with his 'anti-woke' targeting diversity targets in the public sector.That and much more in tonight's Friday show!=================================Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠=================================Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter.@patbrittenden @Chewie_NZFollow us on BlueskyPat @patbrittenden.bsky.socialChewie @chewienz.bsky.socialEmily @iamprettyawesome.bsky.socialMagenta @xkaosmagex.bsky.social

A new report from the Nurses Organisation is calling on Te Whatu Ora to support culturally safe staffing ratios. NZ Nurses Organisation Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku spoke to Corin Dann.

Patients in Auckland City Hospital's main building are without hot water. An issue with pipes emerged yesterday afternoon - and will take up to three days to fix. Te Whatu Ora says it has contingency plans ensuring clinical care continues. Patient Voice Aotearoa Chair Malcolm Mulholland says the maternity ward's in that building. "They're going to have to be transported away from the maternity ward to another part of Auckland Hospital in order to have a shower - that's certainly not ideal for mothers who have just given birth." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Student nurses say they're looking to Australia for jobs, after only half of this year's graduates found roles at the national health agency. The nurses' union says it's a stark contrast to two years ago, when Te Whatu Ora was hiring all of them. Kate Green has more.

1500 more Te Whatu Ora jobs are on the chopping block according to the union and that is on top of a round of voluntary redundancies. The Public Service Association claims that more than 1100 roles are going from the digitial and data group at Health New Zealand. Along with more 350 jobs from the National Public Health Service, including advisers who help people quit smoking. Former chair of the Te Whatu Ora Pacific Senate Sir Colin Tukuitonga spoke to Lisa Owen.

The National Nurses Student Unit says health agency Te Whatu Ora has failed its most basic duty to plan for the future nursing workforce. Student Nurse Co-chair Bianca Anderson spoke to Alexa Cook.

Te Whatu Ora has offered just 844 of 1619 graduate nurses jobs on Wednesday, which is only 50 percent of the cohort. National Chief Nurse for Health NZ Nadine Gray spoke to Corin Dann.

Measles, one of the most contagious diseases, remains at high risk of an outbreak in New Zealand. There are low levels of immunisation the country and a growing number of cases overseas. A briefing paper to the government has warned the Health Minister that low vaccination rates, coupled with overcrowded housing and poverty are making communities vulnerable to contracting measles. Just last week, Health New Zealand confirmed a person with measles on Waiheke Island was the eighth possible case this year. Dr Susan Jack, the National Clinical Director for Te Whatu Ora spoke to Lisa Owen.

Questions to Ministers Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? NANCY LU to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on the economy? Dr PARMJEET PARMAR to the Associate Minister of Justice: What recent statements has he seen about the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill? Hon CARMEL SEPULONI to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she agree with Opposition leader Christopher Luxon, who said, "I can tell you we're going to be straight with the New Zealand people, tell it as it is - the good, the bad and the ugly"; if so, why has the weekly reporting of income support and hardship figures stopped? MARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI to the Lead Coordination Minister for the Government's Response to the Royal Commission's Report into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions: Does she agree with the Whanaketia report that "The State failed to address the ongoing systemic impacts of colonisation that contributed to Maori being taken into care, in which Maori experienced abuse and neglect. This includes recognising the inherent mana motuhake of iwi and hapu, structural reform that would have enabled Maori to exercise rangatiratanga and mana motuhake"? KAHURANGI CARTER to the Minister for Children: Does she accept that the State's failures "to consider or recognise an ao Maori ... view, tikanga, te reo and matauranga Maori" were circumstances that led to abuse; if so, is she confident that the proposal to repeal section 7AA is not a continuation of this? Hon GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations: Does he stand by his reported statement that previous National Governments had made good progress on Treaty settlements, and they hoped to restore some of that momentum; if not, why not? JAMES MEAGER to the Minister of Justice: What actions is the Government taking to reduce the number of victims of crime? TAMATHA PAUL to the Minister for Children: Does she accept advice from officials that "New Zealand and international evidence indicates military academies have limited effectiveness in reducing offending"; if not, what evidence can she name that supports her approach to youth justice? Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL to the Minister of Health: How many Te Whatu Ora staff members have now expressed interest in accepting the voluntary redundancy first offered in August, and how many, if any, have had their request approved despite their local manager recommending against accepting it? PAULO GARCIA to the Associate Minister of Housing: What recent announcements has he made about emergency housing? Hon WILLOW-JEAN PRIME to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by all her statements and actions in relation to Te Ahu o te Reo Maori; if so, why?

Cardiac specialist, Dr Dean Boddington finishes his permanent role at Tauranga Hospital this Friday. After 16 years, he is leaving citing burnout.

In an email, Te Whatu Ora has told some staff they have to take three weeks mandatory leave and it needs to be taken from 23 December to 10 January. That amounts to 11 leave days and four statutory holidays, money correspondent Susan Edmunds spoke to Lisa Owen.

A Wairarapa health centre is heaving with new patients and having to rely on Give a Little, sausage sizzles and sales of donated jam to stay in the black. First Health and Wellness Centre is a nurse led practice, that doesn't currently have a Te Whatu Ora funding contract. Run by a charitable trust - it provides casual and urgent medical care, including for patients that can't get appointments at their normal clinic or GP. The centre's clinical director Nurse Trish Wilkinson spoke to Lisa Owen.

A West Auckland GP practice has been forced to defer tax payments and ask for a rent holiday because of a growing number of patients unable to pay.  Earlier this week we brought you the story of another  GP practice that was allegedly told by a committee established by Te Whatu Ora to set up a cafe inside their clinic to bring in extra cash. In September, General Practice New Zealand surveyed Primary health Organisations or P-H-Os, they deliver GP services. About 76 % of them responded.  44 % of PHO's have clinics in their network that are facing closures, 13% had up to five facing closure. Many are restricting patient access in some way; among the reasons given are financial pressure, a lack of GPs, retention and burnout issues. The Kumeu Village Medical Centre is among those desperately trying to balance the books, owner Dr William Ferguson spoke to Lisa Owen. 

A struggling GP practice was allegedly told by a Te Whatu Ora committee to set up a cafe inside their clinic to bring in extra cash. In September, General Practice New Zealand surveyed Primary health Organisations or PHOs, that deliver GP services; with about 76 percent of them responding. More than 60 percent of the PHO's have clinics in their network that are facing closures, 61 percent are reducing services, and 100 percent are restricting patient access in some way. Among the reasons given; financial pressure, GPs, retention and burnout issues. In the survey, one practice revealed Te Whatu Ora's fees review committee, which makes independent recommendations about increases to GP fees - suggested one medical centre set up a cafe within their practice to ease financial pressures. Andrew Swanson-Dobbs is CEO, of WellSouth and the PHO, for the clinic who got the cafe advice, he spoke to Lisa Owen.

Documents released by Te Whatu Ora yesterday revealed new details about the huge deficit facing our hospitals. The agency's commissioner Dr Lester Levy spoke to Corin Dann.

On today's episode, documents released by Te Whatu Ora on Tuesday revealed new details about the huge deficit facing our hospitals, the Defence Force says a salvage team is being put together to figure out how to get HMNZS Manawanui off the sea floor in Samoa, news came out on Tuesday that Marokopa fugitive Tom Phillips and his three children Jayda Maverick and Ember had been seen and talked to by two teenage hunters who passed them in bush, Anna Coddington's bilingual waiata 'Katuarehe' has taken out the top prize at Aotearoa's most prestigious songwriting award ceremony on Tuesday night,

Cutting bed numbers at the new Dunedin Hospital to balance the building budget is absolutely not an option for one Southern mayor. A group of mayors met with Te Whatu Ora earlier this week to hear what options there are are for slashing more than a billion dollars out of build costs, possiblities include cheaper cladding and a smaller building size. The government revealed rebuild costs were on track to blow out to 3 billion dollars but it's insisting the hospital be completed within the current budget of about 1.9 billion, meaning potential trims, Southland mayor Rob Scott spoke to Lisa Owen.

Join host Paul Spain and Jo Hilson, Chief Technology Officer of Tourism Holdings, as they discuss the latest tech news, including NZ police unauthorised access to facial recognition sites, Sparks TransGo partnership with Transpower, Te Whatu Ora's digital upgrade, Teachers concerns on AI usage, Qualcomm considers Intel takeover, Apple news and hands on review of Google TV streamer 4K and iPhone 16. Plus, a look at technology integration and innovation at Tourism Holdings and more.Thank you to our show partners One NZ, Spark, HP, 2degrees and Gorilla Technology.

GPs have complained to the Commerce Commission over government contracts they say are illegal and unfair and hurting patients. The General Practice Owners Association filed a formal complaint against Te Whatu Ora for alleged breaches of the Fair trading Act .The Association claims GPs have no negotiating power and Te Whatu Ora adopts a take it or leave it attitude. GenPro chair Doctor Angus Chambers spoke to Lisa Owen.

Te Whatu Ora has scrapped the highest Code Black alert used by some emergency departments to show when they are critically overcrowded or understaffed. Ruth Hill reports.

It's been revealed nearly 70 Te Whatu Ora staff have signed non-disclosure agreements since the end of November and 38 within the Ministry for the Environment. It's prompted a complaint to the Public Service Commission from Labour. Its health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said the NDAs stifle internal debate and legitimate scrutiny. Health NZ chief executive Margie Apa said agreements were for staff involved in addressing recent financial pressures and dealing with Budget-sensitive information. Employment law expert Barbara Buckett spoke to Lisa Owen.

A health expert is calling a Hawke's Bay scheme targeting services for young Māori and Pacific people lazy virtue signalling.    Health NZ in Hawke's Bay has amended the two-year scheme, which used to provide free GP and nurse services to all residents aged 14 to 24.    From this month, young people must meet one-of-four criteria —including being Māori or Pacific— to be eligible for the scheme.   Auckland University Emeritus Professor of Medicine Des Gorman told Mike Hosking it means they take priority over other young people.   He says resources should be targeted on an individual basis.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Whatu Ora seems to be backtracking on a move that would have seen new mothers in the capital miss out on toast post-labour. Community midwife in Wellington Suzi Hume spoke to Corin Dann.

Over 30 senior doctors have written to MPs and Te Whatu Ora calling for urgent action over staff vacancies in Gisborne with claims some patients are going blind waiting to see the hospital's only part-time eye doctor. The region now has the highest senior doctor vacancy rate in New Zealand, which doctors say is the result of years of under-investment, and now exacerbated by recent hiring restrictions and budget cuts, reporter Lucy Xia explains.

Leaked documents show West Coast Health has proposed closing weekend and after-hours GP clinics and using a telehealth service instead. Marked as confidential and for Te Whatu Ora staff only - the document states high workloads and recruitment issues in the region have put pressure on primary care practices and their staff and after hours services are no longer sustainable. The proposal also notes they're under severe financial pressure, Jean Edwards reports.

More than two dozen of our future doctors may have to head to overseas after Te Whatu Ora didn't match them with jobs for their first year out of medical school. Te Whatu Ora has offered 538 students post-graduate jobs, with 25 - mostly international students missing out, despite having studied and completed all their qualifications here. It comes as some GP practices have weeks-long waiting lists while hospitals and emergency departments around the country struggle with understaffing, and ballooning wait times, Luka Forman has more.

The junior doctors union is accusing Te Whatu Ora of playing down a shortage of medical registrars at Waikato Hospital, and fears the wellbeing of doctors will get worse as a result. Resident Doctors' Association national secretary Deborah Powell spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Te Whatu Ora has ordered a hiring freeze for all non-frontline jobs, and has repeatedly denied it will affect any clinical roles. But one specialist, who doesn't want to be named, said a hospital job he's applied for has gone unfilled for months, while costly temporary locum doctors haved plugged the gap, Luka Forman reports.

The Labour Party says the government's reasons to justify cost-cutting at Te Whatu Ora are just spin. Labour's Ayesha Verrall spoke to RNZ's Ruth Hill.

A memo leaked to RNZ has revealed Dargaville Hospital no longer has an on-site doctor overnight and is relying on a telehealth service and nurses. Te Whatu Ora Northern region's hospital & specialist services director Mark Shepherd spoke to Corin Dann.

A memo leaked to RNZ has revealed Dargaville Hospital no longer has an on-site doctor overnight and is relying on a telehealth service and nurses. Te Whatu Ora Northern region's hospital & specialist services director Mark Shepherd spoke to Corin Dann.

A senior public health physician said the government is trying to focus attention exclusively on the performance of Te Whatu Ora as a distraction from what actually needs to be addressed, Dr Belinda Loring speaks to Susana Lei'ataua.

An expert in health systems says he expects job losses within the leadership team of health agency Te Whatu Ora. Robin Gauld from Otago University's Centre for Health Systems and Technology spoke to Corin Dann.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins is accusing the government of "political spin" by appointing a commissioner to head health agency Te Whatu Ora. Hipkins spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

On today's episode, we hear from Labour leader Chris Hipkins after his party has accused the Government of "political spin" by appointing a commissioner to head health agency Te Whatu Ora, a large contingent of survivors of abuse in state care are expected in Wellington today to see the final Royal Commission of Inquiry report tabled in Parliament, we talk to a survivor and a lawyer, Transport Minister Simeon Brown is promising to speed up work on a new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangarei, and the director of public policy group Monopoly Watch, Tex Edwards, is warning any move by The Warehouse further into the supermarket business could be used by the existing duoploy to argue against increased regulation of the sector.

The former chair of Te Whatu Ora says the government's move to put a commissioner in charge is the 'wrong diagnosis and wrong treatment' for the health system. Rob Campbell spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

GPs are expecting to hear back shortly - on whether Te Whatu Ora will budge on its proposed four percent funding boost - or clinics will be forced to hike fees. Nelson Bays Primary Health chief executive Sara Shaughnessy speaks to Susana Lei'ataua.