Kaitiaki Hauora

17/06/2026

Our friends at Dental for All Aotearoa have shared a Stuff poll on whether Dental care should be free for all New Zealanders. Now it'll be no surprise to you that our position is absolutely yes - dental care should be free for everyone living here. Click the link, scroll down a bit to the poll and vote yes! Let's show our friends at Dental for All Aotearoa our support.

Most Kiwis probably don’t think much about dental care until something starts hurting.

16/06/2026

What do we mean when we say something is "unaffordable"

Economist Dr Bill Rosenberg recently challenged claims that NZ Super is becoming unaffordable, arguing that costs need to be considered in context rather than as large headline numbers.

While his article focuses on superannuation, the question applies equally to healthcare.

We've heard for years that public services are under pressure because resources are limited. But affordability is often as much about choices and priorities as it is about economics.

Before accepting claims that something can't be funded, it's worth asking, compared to what?

Read our thoughts and Bill's article here:

When politicians say something is "unaffordable", compared to what? Economist Dr Bill Rosenberg's recent analysis of NZ Super raises a bigger question that also sits at the heart of debates about health funding, public services and government priorities.

11/06/2026

Submissions on the Disability Support Services Bill close at 1pm tomorrow (Friday 12 June).

Kaitiaki Hauora has opposed the Bill, raising concerns that it could shift responsibility for care away from the state and onto families, while weakening protections for disabled people and carers.

If this issue matters to you, your whānau, or your community, there is still time to have your say.

Disabled people should be able to access support based on need, not on assumptions about who can provide unpaid care.

Make a submission to Parliament here: https://www3.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/54SCSSC_SCF_E6D8596D-C177-486B-CCF2-08DEB47E5457/disability-support-services-bill

https://kaitiakihauora.nz/media/disability-support-services-bill-our-submission

Kaitiaki Hauora has submitted against the Disability Support Services Bill, warning it could shift responsibility for care away from the state and onto families. The submission raises concerns about proposals requiring disabled people to rely on "natural supports" before accessing publicl

11/06/2026

Lowering the bowel screening age from 58 to 56 is welcome.

But more than half of Māori diagnosed with bowel cancer are diagnosed before the age of 60.

If we know Māori develop bowel cancer younger, a screening programme that starts at 56 still leaves many people at risk.

As Tūwharetoa IMPB Chair and Kaitiaki Hauora spokesperson Louisa Wall says:

"If we want to screen effectively for Māori, we should be screening from 50."

Prevention saves lives. Screening needs to reach the people who need it most.

Read more at the link below.

Lowering the bowel screening age from 58 to 56 is welcome, but it does little to address the reality that Māori continue to develop bowel cancer at younger ages than non-Māori.

08/06/2026

A year ago, Doctors Art Nahill and Glenn Colquhoun travelled the length of Aotearoa in their "vanbulance", listening to people's experiences of our health system.

Those conversations, stories and ideas have now been brought together in a new book, Rethinking Health: Lessons from the Hīkoi 4 Health.

The book will be released later this year, alongside a documentary and a return hīkoi to communities across the country.

In 2025 doctors Art Nahill and Glenn Colquhoun bought an old Ford Transit van. Nigel Brown painted it up to look like an ambulance, then they drove it from Te Hāpua to Wellington to protest at the state of the New Zealand health system, holding a series of public meetings throughout the North Islan...

02/06/2026

Mothers deserve facts, not spin.

Was this a simple communications mistake, or were New Zealanders given a misleading impression about what was actually being delivered?

Last week, the Government announced that all mothers would be able to stay in hospital for up to three days after giving birth, giving the impression the policy was available immediately.

But that wasn't the full story.

The Government's own Budget documents show universal access to three-day postnatal stays will be phased in over three years because the health system currently lacks the beds, facilities, and workforce needed to provide it for everyone.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has since acknowledged the announcement was "incorrectly characterised" and required correction.

This matters.

For expectant mothers and whānau, postnatal care is a critical health service, not a political slogan. Families deserve clear information about the support available now, not just what may be delivered in the future.

Kaitiaki Hauora supports improved postnatal care and welcomes investment in maternity services. But trust in the health system depends on honest communication. Presenting a future commitment as a current entitlement risks creating false expectations and eroding public confidence.

New Zealand families deserve transparency, accuracy, and accountability from those making decisions about their health care.

Health policy should be based on facts, not political marketing.

A post stated all mothers would get three-night postnatal hospital stay from now on, but the PM says this is not correct.

31/05/2026

We talk about this budget as barely keeping the lights on. And this headline is correct. Austerity, not reform. Not even close to reform.

Healthcare funding called in sick.

| Budget 2026 boosts health funding but effectively maintains austerity and fails to address long-term system pressures.

31/05/2026

“It sounds like a lot of money, it is a lot of money, it’s not enough money”

“This will keep the lights on for some of us, but not all of us”

Sarah Dalton, ASMS nailed it.