Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand has signalled that nearly 1500 more jobs may be cut. This is on top of the over 500 voluntary redundancies already accepted earlier in the year.
The Public Service Association (PSA) said the cuts would impact a net 1120 roles from the Data and Digital group, and 258 roles from the National Public Health Service. They said the cuts include advisors helping people to quit smoking.
“This is another shameful attack on an already stretched public health system that will end up hurting the health of all New Zealanders,” said Ashok Shankar, National Health Sector Lead, PSA Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“Every day New Zealanders are experiencing a health system that is failing to give them the care and support they need – these cuts will only make that worse.
“The Government has chosen to prioritise billions of dollars in tax cuts for landlords and big tobacco, rather than investing where the real need is – improving the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders. Its priorities are all wrong.”
The PSA said about 700 of the roles slated to go were currently vacant due to a recruitment pause. Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand has since disputed the PSA’s claim as to exactly how many roles are to be cut. Health NZ has yet to clarify.
Challenges Facing New Zealand’s Healthcare System
The public sector has faced massive job losses across 2024, a common headline for the National Government this year.
“Without a functioning well resourced Public Health Service, data and digital services, and services that support Māori and Pacific communities, the health of New Zealanders will suffer,” said opposition party MP and Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall.
She says the job cuts could have been avoided and did not buy any arguments that the proposals would strengthen frontline services.
“We are currently experiencing a whooping cough epidemic in New Zealand and are at risk of a measles outbreak, and they’re cutting public health services. None of this makes sense.
“It looks like New Zealanders’ health takes second place to tax cuts.”
And yet headlines this week have also announced that Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Health NZ Commissioner Professor Lester Levy have assigned $30 million in extra funding to support Health New Zealand’s clinical workforce.
A further $12 million will help with minor hospital improvements. The about $20 million for 50 senior doctors aims at filling critical workforce gaps and address health targets in regional or provincial hospitals in particular.
Half of Student Nurses Not Offered Roles
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) said that Te Whatu Ora “utterly failed” graduate nurses after only half of this year’s cohort were hired.
NZNO has more than 5,000 nursing student members nationwide. Two years ago, all graduate nurses were hired.
“It is devastating for nurse graduates to learn today that only half of their cohort have got jobs after three years of hard study and clinical placements,” says NZNO National Student Unit co-chair Bianca Anderson.
“Te Whatu Ora has failed in its most basic duty – to plan the future nursing workforce. The first year of employment is critical for nurses entering the health workforce.
“Te Whatu Ora’s decision to hire just 844 of 1619 applicants (52%) will mean some graduates are forced to find other work and will never go on to nurse. Others will be packing their bags for Australia.”
“These graduates studied nursing because New Zealand was crying out for nurses during the pandemic.
“For decades New Zealand has failed to train enough local nurses and relied on having to import internationally qualified nurses.
“There are only fewer vacancies for graduates this year because of Government cost cutting, not because there is less need for nurses in our hospitals.
“Nursing students train to work in the health sector because they care about people and it is patients who will be affected by these cutbacks on graduates.”
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