Northland news in brief: Police name victim in fatal State Highway 12 crash near Matakohe
The Paihia Fire Fighters team took part in the Northland Fire Brigades Sub Association Drivers Challenge and achieved a clean sweep of awards. Heath Taylor secured first place, Kaine Joyce was runner-up and Paihia Fire Brigade won the team competition.
Dietitian boosts healthcare
Health NZ's first dietitian permanently based in the mid-North is offering dietetic care for acute patients at Bay of Islands Hospital, as well as support for outpatients and those in the community. Rachel Keane started her role in January, which involves providing specialised nutritional support for patients with serious or complex health conditions. These plans help manage these conditions, promote recovery and improve overall health outcomes.
Recycling bags out, bins in
Kerikeri residents will soon need to adapt to a new way of recycling, as local waste operators transition away from taking bagged recycling in favour of bin-only collections. Far North District Council says the change was part of a move to improve efficiency and reduce contamination in the recycling stream. This means branded recycling bags are no longer available for purchase in Kerikeri stores. Kerikeri residents can still recycle a broad range of items at the Waipapa Re:Sort Station.
Northland food to the fore
Savour Northland will take place in October. Developed in collaboration with the local hospitality and producer industry, Savour Northland 2025 will again showcase the region's food, drink and manaakitanga through a calendar of events. Last year 126 events were featured. There were also 49 entries in the Savour Northland Challenge, which encouraged restaurants, cafes and food trucks to present the ultimate expression of Northland on a plate or in a glass.
Farmer withdraws appeals
Dairy farmer Phillip Bayly has withdrawn two appeals he filed against abatement notices issued by the Northland Regional Council (NRC) after NRC agreed to cancel the notices as part of a wider enforcement resolution. Bayly had appealed two separate abatement notices – one concerning wastewater management at his Hūkerenui Rd farm and another prohibiting silage discharge at his Inksters Rd property in Towai. The notices required immediate environmental compliance actions, including the preparation of a wastewater management plan and the prevention of contaminant discharges to land and water. The council had sought enforcement orders against Bayly and three others in relation to dairy operations across five farms in the region. However, a joint memorandum submitted to the Environment Court on May 1 proposed a resolution that if enforcement orders were granted by consent, the abatement notices would be cancelled. The court accepted the agreement and issued the enforcement orders.
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RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Healthworkers want politicians to waive private healthcare while in office
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins. Photo: RNZ A group of healthworkers - including specialists, GPs, nurses and paramedics - have signed an open letter to MPs asking them to waive private healthcare during their time in office. Politicians making critical decisions about the public health system system - to cut funding, defer maintenance, or implement restructures - should not be allowed to "insulate" themselves against the consequences, they write. Their prescription? All MPs - and the families of Cabinet ministers - should rely on the public system. The group's spokesperson, Northland cardiologist Marcus Lee, said the public deserved leaders who were so committed to public healthcare that they were willing to stake their family's wellbeing on it. "Essentially we want fair and transparent leadership with integrity. We want people who have skin in the game." The test was whether politicians were "comfortable and confident" enough to rely on the public health system for their families, he said. "If it's good for them, it's good for us. If it's not good enough for them, it shouldn't be good enough for anyone." Some healthworkers say politicians making critical decisions about the public health system system - to cut funding, defer maintenance, or implement restructures - should not be allowed to "insulate" themselves against the consequences. Photo: RNZ The letter asks MPs to consider questions like: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not believe having private health insurance meant he was out of touch with the problems besetting the public system . "I think we're well aware of the challenges in the healthcare system, which is why we've put a record amount of investment in," he said. "We inherited again a botched merger that just created a layer of bureaucracy and we've put the money in, we're hiring more people, we've got clarity on the targets. "We're starting to see some stabilisation of those targets and in some cases improvements on those health targets. "But we now need a high performing Health NZ, and that's what we're fixated on." Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not believe having private health insurance meant he was out of touch. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Labour's health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall said MPs with private health insurance were "betting their own money against the public system". "Ministers of Health should place a bet on the public health system succeeding and meeting New Zealanders' needs. Having private health insurance is a sign that you're not willing to place that bet." Labour's health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall says MPs with private health insurance are "betting their own money against the public system". Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins - a former health minister himself - took a less hard-line approach. "I got health insurance 20 or 30 years ago as a union membership benefit and I've kept it since then, although I'm fortunate I haven't really had to use it. "I'm not going to begrudge people who have it, but I want to make sure that if you haven't, you still get the standard of care you deserve." Health Minister Simeon Brown said he did not have private health insurance, but he would not impose that choice on anyone else. "Ultimately there's a large number of New Zealanders who use health insurance, that's a fantastic part of our health system, and ultimately people make individual choices." Brown said his focus was on timely access to quality healthcare for New Zealanders, which included making better use of the private sector. "We will work with private hospitals to unlock capacity, publicly funded [patients] but in private hospitals to speed up access." Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Education Minister Erica Stanford both have private health insurance. Finance Minister Nicola Willis (L) says she has private health insurance but Health Minister Simeon Brown says he doesn't. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey does not, saying he is "happy using the public health system". Other National MPs were more coy. Minister of Climate Change, Energy, Local Government and Revenue, Simon Watts: "I won't answer that, it's a personal question." Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Disability Issues, Social Development and Employment, Louise Upston: "That's not a question in the public interest." Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford: "I'm not interested in talking about that. It's not necessary for people to know - I don't go out into the general street and ask people about their health insurance." Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March said it was "quite rich" to see politicians not being worried about the state of the public healthcare system, when they had the means to pay for private insurance or private care . "That is why we are really concerned with the government's flirtation with privatising more of our public healthcare system, which will ultimately see our poorest less able to access basic healthcare." For some Labour MPs, it was a matter of principle. Kelston MP Carmel Sepuloni: "I believe as politicians if we're going to be working to ensure the healthcare system works for everyone, we should be reliant on it too." Nelson MP Rachel Boyack: "My father was a public health chief executive so I've always had a strong belief in the public health system, and that the health system should be available to all New Zealanders, and that includes me as an MP." Mt Albert MP Helen White could understand why some people opted to have it, but it was not for her: "I just think that I should live by my principles. Also I probably couldn't afford it. I know I'm on a decent salary, but it's a lot of money." Mt Albert MP Helen White says she probably couldn't afford health insurance. Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers Labour MP Ginnie Andersen said health insurance was not in her budget: "By the time I pay my mortgage and my insurance and my rates and feed my children." ACT Party leader David Seymour, who is also the Associate Health Minister, said the healthworkers made "an interesting argument" - but in his view, MPs should come from a broad range of backgrounds. "I don't think you should have to fit into a sort of ideological straight-jacket to do that." The healthworkers behind the letter said MPs who refused to give up their private safety net would be revealing "exactly what they really think about our healthcare system". "We'll be watching to see who has the courage to put their family where their policies are." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
15-07-2025
- RNZ News
Auckland GP sees increase in patients coming to acute clinics after being referred away from hospitals
A doctor at a private urgent care clinic, said they've been overwhelmed by patients coming with colds and flu-like illnesses over the past week. Photo: Supplied/ Unsplash - Nap studio An Auckland GP said he's seeing an increasing number of patients coming to their acute clinics after being referred away from hospitals that have been hit by winter illnesses. On Tuesday, Health NZ said the city's public hospitals were at their "upper limit", with many turning up at emergency departments with respiratory illnesses - but said it is not turning patients away in Auckland and Northland. Earlier, St John said there had been delays handing patients over to Auckland City and Middlemore Hospitals on Monday afternoon and that it was working with hospitals to manage the situation, including using telehealth and taking patients to non-hospital clinics. Carlos Lam, who works at a practice in East Tāmaki, said the acute clinic run by the practice had been filled by patients who were unable to be seen in a timely manner at hospital. "They've been a bit frustrated waiting in the hospital, or they've called Healthline, and Healthline has advised they see a doctor straight away," he said. He said there's pressure on their clinics as some staff are getting sick themselves and having to take leave. Dr Lam said they've been overwhelmed by patients coming in with colds and flu-like illnesses over the past week - with patients having to wait about three to four hours. He said many have been to Middlemore Hospital, only to be given vouchers and referred to their clinic - he noted that there were babies and older patients among them. Meanwhile, North Shore district nurse Lesley Pook said she's seeing the impact of the full hospitals through patients she's seeing in the community. Pook, speaking as a New Zealand Nurses Organisation delegate, said patients - some with respiratory infections - who otherwise would've stayed in hospital are being discharged earlier. "That puts a lot of pressure on our service to be able to deliver care for these people , we don't have the staffing to be able to do that adequately, a lot of times like last week, we were down 23 hours last Thursday, so that was 23 hours of care we couldn't deliver that day," she said. Northland emergency doctor Gary Payinda, speaking in a personal capacity, said he's noticed increasingly that patients were being referred to private urgent care in recent months. "As a result of our ED being full, we certainly have seen an increase in the number of patients we attempt to refer away, and to give patients telehealth appointments, to give them vouchers to be seen in the private sector, at for profit urgent care locally, so we have been struggling with that during times where we have increased numbers of influenza A." Dr Payinda said even during a normal season, they're struggling to give patients timely care due to overwhelmed hospitals and severe nursing shortages. "This is not just a seasonable flu thing, that might be the straw that broke the camel's back, but the camel was already sick and starved and emaciated to begin with," he said. Dr Payinda said it used to be unacceptable to be treating patients in the hospital corridors, but that was becoming more frequent. He said EDs could do a much better job if there were safe staffing levels for every shift. HNZ's northern acting deputy chief executive, Vanessa Thornton, said in a statement that no patients were being turned away in Auckland or Northland. "In Auckland and Whangārei, people may be offered other options to expedite their review if they are presenting with non-urgent illnesses," she said. She said hospitals' EDs have been very busy as expected during winter. "We also work closely with key partners such as Hato Hone St John, urgent care providers, and telehealth to manage high demand and provide points of escalation. "We work closely to ensure primary care, urgent care providers and our hospitals are able to work together and share workload to deliver the best care for our community." She said anyone who needed urgent or emergency care should go to ED without delay or call 111. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
15-07-2025
- RNZ News
Auckland hospitals at their upper limit
health Auckland Region 21 minutes ago Significant pressure at Auckland's major hospitals this winter is being felt across almost all the different parts of the health system, including at general practice, private urgent care and in the community. The pressure is becoming so great GPs have said they are overwhelmed by the sheer number of people with winter sicknesses. One nurse said the system is so stretched she is seeing sick patients discharged into the community before they're ready. Today Health NZ said the city's public hospitals are at their "upper limit", with many turning up at emergency departments with repiratory illnesses, but said it is not turning patients away in Auckland and Northland. Lucy Xia reports.
