Nurses turn their back on Simeon Brown
The Health Minister has a history of lying about nurses, doctors, privatisation contracts and our public health system
Hospitals are short an average of 587 nurses every shift last year. Cancer, heart and trauma patients faced the most understaffed wards and emergency departments.
This comes on top of official nursing data that shows 1/2 of all day shifts and 1/3 of night shifts were understaffed last year
Cancer patients are moving to Australia to access life saving care and drugs. These include blood cancer patients who believe National broke their promise around funding critical cancer drugs.
Health NZ appears to be backtracking on its policy of allowing 24/7 access to patients by carers, a move which nurses’ unions say is about the chronic understaffing, and which will disrupt patient care and risk safety
It comes as revelations of dishonesty under the National Party leadership continue to unfold:
Government health spending claims have been 'inflated' and 'misleading'. National used 2018 data and included GST in "misleading" Kiwis.Senior doctors' union says underfunding explains staffing shortages and ballooning wait times for patients
Health NZ acted unlawfully in concealing nursing data for over a year, until the Ombusdman forced their hand in 2025. Health NZ had given 2022 and 2023 data readily in the past.
Simeon Brown continues to hide the cost and nature of health privatisation contracts, as he hands over the majority of procedures to private operators, despite privatisation proven to cost lives and quality. And is ultimately more expensive.
More and more public health specialists are shifting to the privatised sector, which will push NZ to the US style healthcare system Simeon is promoting. That includes funding private telehealth providers at 367% + more than community GPs.
Simeon Brown continues to lie about nurses’ pay, claiming they earn an average of $125,000 when publicly searchable information reveals Simeon’s claims are a deception. It also ignores hours worked.
And the Minister has put through legislation to gag health professionals, including doctors, from speaking out about public health matters.
Seriously, who wouldn’t turn their backs on this “Taliban” faction Health Minister?
Doctors have little choice but to strike again later this month as Simeon Brown and the National Party continues to gaslight the genuine “backbone” of this small country.
Heard the first woman who did it on natrad. She says it was unplanned, she decided if he wasn't going to listen them she wasn't going to listen to him. She said he didn't offer anything, but came to tell them off. She was overjoyed when about 35 others joined her. She said he didn't look well pleased when nobody clapped as he left.
A beautiful thing.
Thanks for the synopsis of what the Coalition of Cruelty have done to, or are in the middlevof doing to our health system.
Putting all that into a single post was a tad overwhelming. But necessary!
Our Minister of Health Dr (Short for dictator) Simeon Brown got what was coming when the spontaneous protest broke out. But sadly, I don't think it will change anything. Has there ever been so many strikes from our health workers in such a short space of time? Has there ever been so much subterfuge, deliberately misinforming and gas lighting? Does he, or the Coalition of Cruelty even care?
If it wasn't likely to take so long, there should be an independent inquiry into him, the other three Associate Health Minister, and senior leadership and governance of Health NZ. And New Zealand still needs an Australian-style independent corruption commission.