17428 (2025). Hūhana Lyndon to the Minister of Health

17428 (2025). Hūhana Lyndon to the Minister of Health: Are there any current plans for a comprehensive review of healthcare staffing levels across regional hospitals in New Zealand, similar to the investigation being carried out at Nelson Hospital?

Hon Simeon Brown: Health New Zealand holds operational responsibility for staffing and wait times at its hospitals across the country. The waitlists facing patients are unacceptable follow the previous government’s decision to scrap health targets, which has led to ballooning wait times across the country. Under our Government, the frontline health workforce is the strongest it has ever been. I expect Health New Zealand to continue building on this momentum by making any necessary improvements to staffing levels to ensure our health targets are met.