NZ’s Health System in Crisis
It increasingly looks like the Government has realised that its own underfunding of HNZ is causing a problem, but it is seeking to create a narrative that it is due to financial mismanagement and “bureaucracy bloat”.
Health
The Shocking Decline in Mainstream Journalism
This all goes to illustrate the misleading content of much mainstream journalism these days.
Health NZ Is an Omnishambles
Health NZ aka Te Whatu Ora is a shambles. It just goes to show that giving an organisation a new Māori name doesn’t automatically make things better. In fact, on the evidence thus far it is a whole lot worse.
The Pandemic Response Was the Turning Point
Where does this leave us? It means that accountability is highly unlikely.
What’ll They Do When the Smokers Vanish?
How can smoking cancers “peak” half a century after smoking did?
Sitting Is the Opposite of Standing
Michelle Aitken Michelle is interested in the relationships between science, culture, and policy. She has a background in performing arts and hospitality, and is a MEAA member. Sitting Sitting is the opposite of standing Sitting is the opposite of running around Sitting is a wonderful thing to do As Particle’
Fluoride in Water: Protect Your Health and Environment
NZDSOS Understanding the Issue Brushing teeth and using tap water are daily routines. But did you know that the very authorities responsible for fluoridating our water wear hazmat suits to handle the chemicals? If fluoride can’t be safely disposed of in natural waterways, why is it added to our
Is a Banger Tune More Important than a Baby’s Life?
One of the most jaw-dropping scary sights I’ve seen on the roads was passing a girl driving solo on Tasmania’s West Tamar highway. She had her head down, texting on her phone, with earbuds in. In other words, she was completely sensory-isolated from what was going on around
The Cost of Eating Healthy
Puneet Vatsa, Lincoln University, New Zealand and Alan Renwick, Lincoln University, New Zealand The rising price of food has been making headlines for the past decade. But prices have not been rising consistently across all food groups – and this has major health implications for New Zealanders. Last week Stats NZ
An Overdose of Orange Cones?
Joanne Crawford, Victoria University of Wellington; Chris Peace, Victoria University of Wellington and Danaë Anderson, Victoria University of Wellington The government’s recently announced review of New Zealand’s health and safety system puts the spotlight back on the 2015 Health and Safety at Work Act – and why it has
NZ’s Mental Health Targets Aren’t Enough
Dougal Sutherland, Victoria University of Wellington On the face of it, the government’s recently announced targets for improving mental health care are laudable. But without more detail about how those targets will be achieved – and funded – New Zealand’s struggling mental health sector is still running on hope. The
The Fraught Relationship Between Science and Power
Toby Rogers Toby Rogers has a PhD in political economy from the University of Sydney in Australia and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of California, Berkeley. I would like to start a conversation on the relationship between science and power. By “science” I mean the field
The Case for Coding Automated Vehicles With Human Values
Michelle Lazarus Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences While fully self-driving cars are a hypothetical product of the future, some levels of autonomous vehicles (AVs) are already here. As with other forms of AI, humans must weigh the costs and benefits of incorporating this new technology into
Countering the Distrust and Disillusionment in the System
NZDSOS Public distrust of the heath system and disillusionment with the medical profession is alive and well in New Zealand. As we take stock of the last few years, it is clear the collateral damage has taken its toll in many ways, but the remedy as to how we can
Do Health and Safety Laws Threaten the Great Kiwi School Trip?
Chris North, University of Canterbury The Conversation Most of us will remember a school trip – that sense of excitement and anticipation of days spent outside the classroom, away from school and home, making new friends [and] appreciating teachers and parents in a new light. Indeed, what is known as “education