Govt announces fixing mess it probably created...

... but one very important question was unasked.

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Yesterday (18 May), Ministers Simeon Brown and Matt Doocey released statements announcing $164 million over four years to “expand” urgent and after-hours healthcare services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

Minister Brown said:

“This means 98 per cent of New Zealanders will be able to receive in-person urgent care within one hour’s drive of their homes.”

Which is nice… as long as there are doctors at those clinics. And if the waiting rooms are not crammed from wall-to-wall with over-crowding. Not much point in “one hour’s drive of their homes” if there’s a six-plus hour wait to be seen.

However, whilst both statements were of the usual Good News Spin, there was one critical detail left out. More on that in a moment.

RNZ reported the government announcement, copying and pasting the Ministerial press statement almost word for word, but with some ‘filler’:

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Kelvin Ward, chairperson of the Royal College of Urgent Care, wondered where the medical personnel would come from. He pointed out the chronic shortage of skilled staff already being experienced throughout the country. There was no back-up reporting or answer to this question.

And again, a critical detail was left out.

TVNZ’s website reported the spending announcement:

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Landlord Luxon said “When a child's fever spikes in the middle of the night, parents have somewhere to go without delay”.

“Without delay”? Some of the services would not be available to the public until next year, and others were two years away. That’s commonly referred to as a “delay”.

Again, a critical detail was left out.

The NZ Herald’s story:

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Sadly, Mr Coughlan’s reporting was little more than parroting the government’s spin. It certainly wasn’t the same degree of ascerbic criticism that he levelled against the Green Party’s alternative Budget.

No bias intended, I’m sure.

But as with other report, Mr Coughlan failed to ask The Question.

From The Press:

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Bridie Witton’s reporting was pretty much a re-hash of government spin, plus other media. It glossed over the fact that some places wouldn’t be seeing any medical centre for at least two years. Landlord Luxon’s remark about “parents have somewhere to go without delay” was dutifully reported as gospel, though there most certainly would be a delay.

The Otago Daily Times carried the story, adding local interest and referencing the on-again, off-again, on-again new hospital build:

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The government media release in the ODT was obviously crafted with a Southern Region aspect in mind.

Again, a salient question was still left out of the story.

From the Waikato Times, more of the same. Nothing to add, except the usual local ‘spin’ and gratuitous cameos from local National MPs:

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Still, a crucial question remained unasked.

The Bay of Plenty Times was identical in most respects to other media, with local National Party faces to add local flavour. Yada yada.

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The crucial question was still not put to Landlord Luxon or the two National MPs flanking him, all three in their matching blue suits.

TV1 and TV3 broadcasts at 6pm carried coverage of the funding announcement as lead stories, so obviously the producers of those two programmes thought it was an important event. TV3’s anchor newsreader even helpfully described this government as “turbo-charging urgent and after-hours care”.

National’s spin doctors would’ve appreciated that. “Nice touch.”

But neither TV network asked The Question.

So, by now you’ve either guessed what crucial question was not asked by every single media outlet in this country, or are waiting with bated breath.

Quite simple.

Is the $164 million (spread over four years, making it a measely $41 million per year) new money? Or has it “re-prioritised”.

And by “re-prioritised”, taken from existing Health budgets after all the cuts to services; mass redundancies; service closures; staff shortages often forcing doctors to carry out basic tasks like changing beds,; new staff hiring frozen and generally under-funding the Health sector to make “savings”.

This is critical. At every government funding announcement, our media must ask that question: “Is this new money or ‘re-prioritised’ from other government spending?”.

Because as sure as night follows day, if this government can get away with a fiscal shell-game of swapping cash around, without any additional increase in funding, then we are being fooled. We might as well be an old-style Soviet state where 5 Year Plans yielded extraordinary growth-results, and much of it was fake numbers.

If the media doesn’t ask that most basic question, this government will pull sleight-of-hand tricks from now to Election Day. Landlord Luxon and his crew are not renowned for their transparency.

So do your job, media people. You’re good at what you do, (most of you). Ask the question at every opportunity:

“Mr Prime Minister, is this new money or ‘re-prioritised’ from other cuts to government spending?”

Your move.

*UPDATE*

At 8.11am (19 May) on RNZ's “Morning Report”, Corin Dann interviewed Dr Karl Cole from Papatoetoe Family Doctors. Dann was heard stating:

“So this is new money we're told, on top of the existing Health budget…”

It is unclear where Dann gets that information from. That question was not put to either Simeon Brown and Luxon in earlier interviews that same morning.

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References

Beehive: New and improved urgent and after-hours healthcare

Beehive: Urgent care closer to home for rural and remote communities

RNZ: Budget 2025 - Government commits $164m over four years towards after-hours health care

TVNZ News: Budget 2025 - Govt's $164m plan for urgent, after-hours healthcare

NZ Herald: Budget 2025 - Christopher Luxon announces $164m for new 24/7 urgent care services

NZ Herald: An average registered nurse’s after-tax pay will fall under the Green Party’s tax plan

The Press: Budget 2025 - Labour labels $164m over four years for urgent care ‘pocket change’

Otago Daily Times: Boost for urgent, after-hours health services in South

Waikato Times: After hours care expansion for Waikato in $164 million boost

BOP Times: Tauranga to get new 24/7 urgent care service by 2026, Luxon announces

BOP Times: Pāpāmoa patients upset as Consult365 medical clinic closes after nine months

NZ Herald: Hutt Hospital doctors told to make beds, clean sinks

NZ Herald: Hiring freeze - Doctor jobs unfilled as Health NZ cost-cutting bites

RNZ: Counties Manukau GP on govt funding for after-hours care

RNZ: Health Minister on new $164 million for urgent clinics

RNZ: PM Luxon on suspension for Te Pāti Māori MPs over haka

Previous related blogposts

The bewildering world of Chris Luxon - The tax rort that keeps on giving...

The Bewildering World of Chris Luxon - Broken Promises, An Angry Country, and a Govt on Life Support

Nikki Noboats adrift - have the wheels finally fallen off this inept government?

Nikki Noboats, Digital Nomads, Totally Noclue

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Acknowledgement: Chris Slane

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