Category: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Whangārei doctor says the funding model in general practice is “beyond broken” and accused the Ministry of Health of having an “anti-GP ideology”.

Bush Road Medical Centre general practitioner Dr Geoff Cunningham told Morning Report a survey completed last year showed that GPs were doing about 46 percent of their work unpaid – often after hours and on weekends.

Dr Cunningham said he worked close to 11-hour days with a 10-minute lunch, as well as extra hours at night and on the weekends.

On Tuesday, the ACT Party proposed easing pressure on GPs by getting pharmacists to treat more everyday conditions.

While Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he was confident in his party’s promise of three free doctors’ visits a year, which he said was “realistic”.

Cunningham said he had “deep concerns” about Labour’s proposed policy due to limited capacity and its apparent reliance on AI.

He also described the idea that GPs were going to be replaced by other practitioners as “political sound bites”.

“There’s no such thing as a straightforward consult,” he said.

“And the data shows that having a regular GP, people are 30 percent less likely to be admitted. There’s a 30 percent reduction in all-cause mortality or death in that patient group.

“That’s going to happen as people lose touch with and contact and overall care with a regular general practitioner. We need to bolster the GP workforce. “

Cunningham said it wasn’t about recruitment, but rather retention.

He said more and more GPs were leaving due to the paperwork burden.

“They’re reducing their hours or they’re sliding into easier things that pay better like Telehealth, skin cancer, ADHD work, and even cannabis clinics and things like that,” he said.

“There’s no paperwork involved. There’s no after hours and they get paid more. It’s as simple as that.”

Cunningham said he loved his job and his patients, but had “had a gutsful of the attitude and what seems to be a really deep set anti-GP ideology, I think, in the Ministry of Health.”

He said in over 25 years as a GP, nothing seemed to have gone their way, including a lack a support from hospitals.

“We just seem to be underfunded every year. More and more work gets dumped on us unpaid every year,” Cunningham said.

“We get increasing lack of support from the hospitals. Increasingly, we can’t get x-rays, we can’t get ultrasounds.”

Cunningham said the ministry and Health New Zealand had to realise that people liked GPs.

“We know people who work in those organisations and there is an anti-GP ideology and sentiment in those organisations,” he said.

He said New Zealand were 2000 GPs short of what Australia had and the public deserved better than that.

Fixing health services not ‘going to be an overnight success’

National’s deputy leader Nicola Willis told Morning Report the issues GPs were facing was why the government was establishing the Waikato Medical School.

“A real focus for the medical school is on ensuring we have GPs in rural and regional New Zealand.”

Willis said a barrier for training at the moment was having to relocate to Dunedin or Auckland.

“We are working with the sector to relieve the pressure that is on them – things like extending prescriptions, allowing community pharmacies to do more…

“None of this is going to be an overnight success story but there is one thing that will make it a lot worse and that is by dramatically increasing demand for GP services.”

Willis was referring to Labour’s policy of giving every New Zealander three free visits to a GP.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Education Ministry says it will help 65 schools cover the bill for last year’s clean up of asbestos-contaminated sand.

The ministry said it approved one-off grants totalling $1.4 million for removal, decontamination and make-good costs.

It said 127 schools applied for $1.66m between them but about half were turned down, mostly because they wanted recompense for asbestos testing, which the grant did not fund.

The payments followed the discovery of asbestos in some varieties of coloured sand last year.

Dozens of schools and early childhood centres were forced to shut at the time.

The Ministry of Education said in December of last year that it was setting up the scheme to provide support to schools having to spend thousands of dollars replacing contaminated carpet, curtains and other items.

At the time it said only schools “experiencing financial difficulty” would receive reimbursement for asbestos-testing costs.

Early learning services were not being included in the support scheme, the ministry previously said, as they were privately owned entities co-funded with government subsidies and parents fees.

Whānau Manaaki chief executive Amanda Coulston said last year the not-for-profit had spent $40,000 on testing for 13 of its kindergartens at the time and estimated the final cost to be between $300,000 and $350,000.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Doctors are calling for deep systemic changes to primary care and its funding models.

Morning Report has heard from GPs who say they are doing countless hours of unpaid paperwork, that they are burning out, and, in some cases, thinking about shutting up shop.

Dr Geoff Cunningham who is a GP and partner at Bush Road Medical Centre in Whangārei spoke to Morning Report.

More to come…

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Doctors are calling for deep systemic changes to primary care and its funding models.

Morning Report has heard from GPs who say they are doing countless hours of unpaid paperwork, that they are burning out, and, in some cases, thinking about shutting up shop.

Dr Geoff Cunningham who is a GP and partner at Bush Road Medical Centre in Whangārei talks to Morning Report.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Weeks before ski field lifts usually start spinning, Queenstown’s Coronet Peak has flipped the switch on a $2 million “snow factory” to lay down the first coat in Autumn.

Crews have started producing snow from a high-tech fridge-like machine housed in shipping containers that can operate in temperatures of up to 20 degrees.

Coronet Peak’s learners and ski play areas were due to open on 29 May, about two weeks ahead of 2025.

Ski area manager Nigel Kerr said the snow factory was the first of its kind in the South Island and could run around the clock, unlike traditional snowguns that needed sub-zero temperatures to operate.

“It’s turning about 10,000 litres of water a day into about 240 cubic metres of snow, made up of small frozen particles. It’s so cold that it actually doesn’t stick together,” he said.

Kerr said the electric unit had already produced at least 800 cubic metres of “less snowball, more sprinkle-style snow”, to build a base on the mountain’s lower slopes where snow cover was hardest to maintain.

“This is our Achilles’ heel, the bottom of the mountain, so this is where we need to make the snow,” he said.

The snow factory did not require chemical additives and would not lose flakes to the wind, he said.

“We’re not pushing it with the snowcats. We’re actually making the piles in situ, so there’s no wastage, which is another difference to normal snowmakers,” he said.

Coronet Peak head of slopes Eddie Boxer said crews spent the summer laying pipes, pouring concrete and installing power and water systems before the factory was installed by staff from Italian company TechnoAlpin.

“Our pre-Christmas and into the New Year project was getting all the infrastructure in place and then come New Year, we were going pretty hard at trying to get the foundations in place ready for the factory to be landed. There’s a lot of steel and about 42 cubic metres of concrete, plus four metre piles underneath it to support it all,” he said.

“The actual installation of the factory was incredible. Within a day, we had everything stacked up with the crane and then it took about another week-and-a-half to fit it all. Within two weeks, it was pretty well commissioned.”

Snowmaking team lead George Morrissey was there when the factory first fired up.

“It was a pretty warm night. It felt pretty strange actually seeing snow in conditions that we shouldn’t have, just being able to flick a switch and have it come out was pretty impressive,” he said.

Boxer said some of the first snow would be trucked into central Queenstown for an urban ski competition on 29 May, while the rest was earmarked for the ski area’s expanded learner slope and snow play area.

Crews also took a ute-load to last months’ Arrowtown Autumn Festival to toss over the crowds.

“It was a crowd favourite, I reckon. The kids went crazy for the snow,” Boxer said.

Kerr said the snow factory would give certainty to early visitors and seasonal staff.

Although tourism was booming in Queenstown, early season snowfall was well below average last year and El Niño could bring unpredictable conditions, he said.

“Not every year goes to plan. It’s nice to have a backstop. This is our backstop,” he said.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Education Ministry says it will help 65 schools cover the bill for last year’s clean up of absestos-contaminated sand.

The ministry said it approved one-off grants totalling $1.4 million for removal, decontamination and make-good costs.

It said 127 schools applied for $1.66m between them but about half were turned down, mostly because they wanted recompense for asbestos testing, which the grant did not fund.

The payments followed the discovery of asbestos in some varieties of coloured sand last year.

Dozens of schools and early childhood centres were forced to shut at the time.

The Ministry of Education said in December of last year that it was setting up the scheme to provide support to schools having to spend thousands of dollars replacing contaminated carpet, curtains and other items.

At the time it said only schools “experiencing financial difficulty” would receive reimbursement for asbestos-testing costs.

Early learning services were not being included in the support scheme, the ministry previously said, as they were privately owned entities co-funded with government subsidies and parents fees.

Whānau Manaaki chief executive Amanda Coulston said last year the not-for-profit had spent $40,000 on testing for 13 of its kindergartens at the time and estimated the final cost to be between $300,000 and $350,000

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The NZ Transport Agency has restored millions of dollars of funding for the police to carry out driver breath testing after revelations last year that officers had falsely recorded thousands of tests.

The agency has authorised $18 million of funding to police following an independent analysis of breath testing data.

It comes as Minister of Transport Chris Bishop says he’s “frustrated” at the length of time it’s taking the agency to release the report.

“I’ve told them to get on with it ASAP,” he told RNZ.

RNZ revealed last year that about 130 police officers were under investigation throughout the country after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”.

Each year, $24m of funding from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) for the Road Policing Investment Programme (RPIP) is dependent on the successful delivery of all speed and impairment activities to agreed specified annual levels, known as delivery dependent funding (DDF).

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

This is assessed on a quarterly basis, with a pro-rated amount of DDF available to be authorised to spend ($6m per quarter).

Following RNZ’s reporting last year, NZTA halted $12m worth of funding until it was satisfied police had met their breath test targets.

In December it was revealed NZTA had commissioned an independent analysis of breath testing data to try and identify the full scale of falsely recorded tests.

On Monday, an NZTA spokesperson said the agency had confirmed police performance had met the required targets for the first three quarters of the 2025/26 financial year.

“Based on this a decision has been made to authorise the spending of the delivery dependent funding.”

NZTA expects to publish the findings of the independent analysis in the coming weeks.

Acting Assistant Commissioner of road policing and district support Superintendent Steve Greally said resolution of the issue required “extensive analysis and reassurance work across police”.

He said it had provided police an opportunity to “further strengthen our systems and reinforce the high standards expected of our people”.

“There has been a considerable effort made by our dedicated road policing staff across police to provide assurance that our practices and data remain accurate and reliable.

“The independent finding in respect to the significant efforts of our frontline being legitimate is pleasing.”

Greally said the continued expectation of staff was that they “deliver road policing activities every day with utmost professionalism and a vigourous commitment to preventing harm on roads”.

RNZ earlier obtained a series of weekly reports to Bishop on the issue under the Official Information Act.

One update, from 27 October, said NZTA had identified a preferred supplier to independently analyse the breath screening test data file provided by police.

“This independent analysis will identify whether any further irregularities (over and above any detected by NZ Police) are discernible.”

In an update to Bishop on 13 October, NZTA said police could not determine if any irregular testing was undertaken while officers were stationary.

“NZTA is supporting and encouraging NZ Police to identify what, if any, options exist for removing these limitations, and to look beyond current detection methods to ascertain the true scale of irregularities.”

Then Acting Deputy Commissioner Mike Johnson earlier told NZTA that while the algorithm had “proven effective” in identifying tests conducted while the device was in motion, “there remains limitations in detecting all forms of irregular testing, including those undertaken in specific locations”.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Some mayors say council reforms will help communities gain their voice, while others fear they’ll lose their identity.

Ministers on Tuesday gave councils an ultimatum: come up with plans within three months or the government will do it for you.

Councils were to form voluntary groups and present their ideas to government about how they wanted to reorganise.

Local Government Minister Simon Watts and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop said there was broad support from councils, and some had already made headway on plans.

Others with a history of disagreement on the matter told RNZ three months was not a lot of time.

Nelson mayor Nick Smith has long held the view that merging with Tasman was “the right answer” for his city, citing common interests and unnecessary duplication.

Nelson voted in favour of amalgamation in 2012 – but Tasman voted against.

“I think time has moved on,” Smith said.

“I hope my Tasman colleagues recognise that the ‘do nothing’ option is not going to be consistent with the direction of government.”

But Tasman mayor Tim King was leaning towards waiting for the government’s “backstop” process which would force reform before the 2028 local elections.

He would have preferred central government just decide on the country’s local government model, “rather than the divisive argument that inevitably comes with communities trying to thrash out these sort of governance arrangements for themselves”.

The biggest problem councils faced was financial pressure, and amalgamation “doesn’t necessarily save money and it doesn’t necessarily make everything magically better,” King said.

Bespoke, different structures around the country were not the most efficient or effective system, he said.

The rural – urban divide

Southland mayor Rob Scott is ready to go, having already proposed creating two unitary authorities – one for Invercargill, and for the rural areas of Southland District and Gore District.

“Trying to run them under one council … you’d end up with a very city-centric kind of approach,” he said.

Fewer, bigger councils, with community boards, was “the right way to go”, Scott said.

“It’s actually decentralising … and putting a whole lot of power into our community boards and getting that real localised decision-making happening, which I believe is the actual blueprint for how we should run local government in New Zealand.”

But Gore mayor Ben Bell was less convinced, saying it would be “incredibly complicated” to effectively split the regional council in two.

A single council would probably make the most sense, he said: “not that I necessarily support it”.

“If the numbers stack up, and it’s the right thing for our ratepayers, and that’s what they want, then absolutely … I do what the ratepayers want me to do,” he said.

“But there is also a real big call from … the rural part of our communities, that they want to keep their rural identity, and that merging with the city would make it more of an urban identity.”

Timaru mayor Nigel Bowen looked forward to teaming up with smaller councils, escaping the influence of bigger cities.

“We’ve long had the complaint … that you’ve got that urban voice seat sitting in Christchurch that can dominate a regional council table, and effectively they’re making regional policy decisions for rural communities, and that’s been a real concern of ours for some time,” he said.

The “obvious” option was to join the other two South Canterbury councils – Mackenzie and Waimate – and potentially Ashburton and Waitaki which would offer even more scale, he said.

Bowen said rural councils might be worried they’d be swallowed up by bigger councils, but said there were ways to ensure local voices were heard – like having more local boards.

“I would hope that councils see this as an opportunity to lead their own destiny, rather than have it done to them.”

Councils press on with plans already underway

The three Wairarapa councils had already been discussing either merging themselves, or going even wider and joining up with the Wellington region.

South Wairarapa mayor Dame Fran Wilde was pleased the reform announcement seemed to leave room for “bespoke arrangements” so new entities would not be forced to follow Auckland’s model.

Auckland has 21 local boards responsible for local decision-making, and Wilde said while they were big, they did not have much power.

“My view has always been that that is the wrong model, that if they want more unitaries, big unitaries, they need to give more power to the local authorities,” she said.

“I get the impression from what the government has said that this is a possibility if we ask for it.”

Whangārei mayor Ken Couper said despite Northland already being well into amalgamation talks, the three-month timeframe would be “quite a challenge”.

“But … I guess what they’re clearly saying to us is, if we want to have a ‘for Northland, by Northland’ solution, then this is our opportunity.

“So that should be enough impetus for us to take it really seriously, rather than wait around and have something imposed on us that we may not like.”

The announcement strengthened the process that was already started, he said.

Taranaki councils were also “early adopters”, having already begun conversations, said New Plymouth Mayor Max Brough.

Whether or not they would be able to agree on a plan within three months was the “billion dollar question”, he said.

“I guess if we don’t, we can sit back and find out what’s going to happen to us,” he said.

Some may be concerned that local voices would be lost, Brough said.

“You’ve got to make sure you get the representation right around the district, that’s probably one of the biggest hurdles to the whole thing.

“The rest of it’s just meat and three vege stuff.”

Officials will evaluate councils’ ideas and Cabinet will make final decisions next year, with the reforms set to be in place before the 2028 local elections.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand