Briefly for all subscribers, the key things to know from Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, July 28 are:
* Jessica Roden had the scoop last night on 1News about the scale of the postcode lottery now evident in Aotearoa-New Zealand’s health system after decades of under-funding and rampant population growth. See more below in The Lead and the podcast and video above, Charts of the day and Docs of the Day below.
* Jessica’s report includes charts detailing the different thresholds for seeing specialists and getting treatment between regions, including a system most patients haven’t heard of before called: Clinical Priority Assessment Criteria (CPAC). See more in The Lead and above.
* The Auditor General has also reported on the scale of the crisis of the ‘postcode lottery’ in the health system, including that 10,000 patients had waited more than a year to see a specialist and a further 2,500 had then had to wait another year for treatment. See more in Charts, Number and Docs of the Day.
* A 69-year-old with leg bones that grind ‘bone on bone,’ but hasn’t been operated on after three years, features in today’s Quote of the day.
* Today’s must-read is Jessica’s report: Postcode lottery persists three years after creation of Health NZ. Some people are being denied elective surgeries that they would qualify for if they lived in a different region. See more in Picks ‘n Mixes below
* Today’s must-listen is from Amanda Gillies via RNZ/Newsroom’s The Detail about domestic violence. See more in Number and Quotes of the day below.
Paying subscribers can hear more detail, analysis and commentary in the podcast and video above and get the links and sourcing below the paywall first, along with my full Picks ‘n’ Mixes for this morning. If paying subscribers give it more than 100 likes I’ll open it up for full public listening, sharing and reading later in the day.
The Lead: Our health system’s postcode lottery catastrophe
Decades of underfunding and rampant population growth are now cascading through a rationing system that has created massive gaps in treatment standards and results between regions and demographic groups. Those gaps are so bad that 10,000 patients had waited for more than a year just to see a specialist by the end of 2024, with another 2,500 waiting more than another year for treatment.
That was detailed last night in Jessica Roden’s essential report on 1News, and a subsequent online report that included charts showing the scale of the crisis. I’ve reproduced them below because everyone should know the detail, alongside detail from a report by the Auditor General.
Chart of the day: We’re waiting…
Number of the day: 10,000 waiting more than a year
10,000 - The number waiting for a specialist appointment for more than a year, as at the end of December last year, as reported by the Auditor General in his report on equitable access to planned care.
Quote of the day:
“My right knee is actually bone-on-bone grinding,” said Nelson pensioner Sharleen Strawbridge, 69, who is taking painkillers and has been referred for knee surgery for the third time.
“We all pay the same taxes... one town's hospital shouldn't be any less important than another hospital around the country.” Strawbridge via Jess Roden for 1News
My Pick ’n’ Mix Sixes for Monday, July 28
My Top Pick ‘n Mix Six
* Raphael Franks for NZ Herald: 'We are suffering': Solo mum used Afterpay for food since power bills chewed up benefit
* Amy Williams for RNZ: Auckland woman horrified council tried to take rough sleepers' belongings
* Luke Malpass for Sunday Star Times-$: Government to halt building code changes for three years. The pause is the start of a new regime which will limit changes to the code, with the next review being held in 2028.
* Jordan Dunn for NZ Herald: 'Terrifying explosion': Surge in prison segregation as violence rises
* Jamie Ensor for NZ Herald: ‘Alarming’: Peters on 'careless' immigration, and his ‘friend’ Farage
The Best of the Rest
Scoops & news breaking this morning
* Marc Daalder for Newsroom Pro-$ (free from tomorrow): The carbon market is on course to collapse in the 2030s
* Jonathan Milne for Newsroom: Attorney-General rules her own Govt’s voting crackdown breaches human rights
* Alice Peacock for Newsroom Pro-$ (free from tomorrow): Govt KiwiSaver cut ‘final nail in the coffin’ for self-employed
* Richard Harman for Politik-$: An institute established to expose corruption in politics is now being accused of playing dirty politics itself.
* Sam Sherwood for RNZ: 'Awful error': Baby dies following overdose after pharmacy allegedly gives medication at wrong dosage
* Oliver Lewis for BusinessDesk-$: The Government is considering reviving a critical freight study that was last updated using data from 2017 and 2018.
Politics, Geopolitics & Global Economy
* Jamie Ensor for NZ Herald-$: 'Divisive rhetoric': Opposition critical of Peters' immigration comments
* Jack Tame interviews Penny Simmonds for 1News’ Q+A: Job cuts as part of Govt's polytech reform necessary - Simmonds. The Vocational Education Minister told Q+A the net job losses were necessary to address unsustainable deficits.
* 1News’ Q+A profiles NZ First MP Jamie Arbuckle: 'Call me Mr Cash Man': MP seeks protection for hard currency "Cash is legal tender, and you should be able to purchase with cash," Jamie Arbuckle said.
* Column by Luke Malpass for Sunday Star Times-$: Where will Willis end up on supermarkets reform? The economic growth minister has made a big deal of supermarket competition - but what will she manage to deliver?
* Greg Ip for WSJ-$ (gift link): The Depopulation Bomb
* Reuters: US and EU clinch trade deal to avert prohibitive US tariffs, Trump says
Economy, Business & Tech
* Alka Prasad for Sunday Star Times-$: From lab to market: Startups warn research support at risk as Callaghan winds down. Even while some of its programmes will live on, the loss of the Callaghan Institute has innovators concerned about even less ability to commercialise science.
* Nadine Higgins for NZ Herald: NZ has hundreds of thousands of family trusts. Here's why most of them aren't needed
* Tom Pullar-Strecker for The Post-$: Scaffolding rules set for overhaul under health and safety reforms. Scaffolding will no longer be required for “less risky jobs” as the Government plans to allow people choose safe options “based on how dangerous the job is”.
* Dan Williams on his substack: The Case Against Social Media is Weaker Than You Think
* Juliet Speedy for Stuff: The growing economic divide between the North and South Islands
* Ava Whitworth for Stuff: Rising rents, slower sales leave traders fearing for mall's future
Housing, Transport, Infrastructure & Councils
* Julia Gabel for NZ Herald: Doubts over Govt’s hotline for road cone complaints
* Phil Pennington for RNZ: Billboard camera footage secretly used by transport agency
* Phil Pennington for RNZ: NZTA has not developed national tolling plan
* Russell Palmer for RNZ: Will the government's changes bring down building costs?
* RNZ: No penalty clauses paid on stalled Waiouru army base housing project
* OneRoof: ‘I will cry’ - House first-time buyers queued up to see sells for ‘life-changing’ sum
Health & Education
* Nikki Macdonald for The Post-$: ‘Irresponsible and dangerous’: Health NZ patient safety staff cut by 30%, Health NZ staff investigating healthcare harm and patient safety were left overstretched by a 30% cut, new documents reveal.
* NewstalkZB: 'Alarming': Christchurch hospital departments working below full staffing levels
* Deep-dive by Amelia Wade for Sunday Star Times-$: A state building project was canned, now its local school is languishing
* Jack Tame interviews Welby Ing for 1News: Top teacher: Why standardised testing, streaming doesn't work.
* Editorial by NZ Herald-$: Trust key to easing vaccine hesitancy
* Thomas Coughlan for NZ Herald-$: Waikato med school business case beats Auckland and Otago – but only just
Poverty, Living Costs, Work, Incomes, Benefits, Justice & Crime
* Amanda Gillies for Newsroom/RNZ’s The Detail: Bruised and broken - New Zealand's silent crisis
* Hannah McCallum for The Post-$: ‘I’d love to be out of a job’: Food rescue group marks five years as demand climbsWith an estimated half a million needing help to put food on the table, one of the biggest food suppliers to frontline organisations, the New Zealand Food Network, is a critical lifeline.
* Column by Rob Campbell for Newsroom: NZ wants the economic benefits of migrants without helping them
* Laine Priestley for ODT via RNZ: Dunedin near 'tipping point' amid soaring rents, charity warns
* Blayne Slabbert for The Press-$: Why the price of butter hurts more than it should
* Rob Stock for Sunday Star Times-$: MPs deluged with examples of irresponsible lending
Climate & Environment
* Ian Llewellyn for BusinessDesk-$: One of Huntly Power Station’s Rankine units will be retired in February if electricity market participants and regulators cannot agree on ways to pay for its future operation, says Genesis chief executive Malcolm Johns.
* RNZ: Taranaki mayors push for govt hydrogen help
* Ben Leahy for NZ Herald-$: Cold dread: Home 'worthless' after Auckland Council buys unit next door
* NZ Herald: 'Miscommunication': DoC backtracks over call that could have cost 700 jobs at Otago mine
* Column by Rod Carr for Sunday Star Times-$: Farmers should be careful what they wish for. Farmers are practical realists but do they know what’s in their best interests when it comes to climate policy, emissions reduction and the methane target?
* Becky Ferreira for 404Media: Scientists Report Surreal Scenes In the World’s Most Northern Town
Good news & Solutions
* Jenny Ling for Northern Advocate: 'Don’t give up': Couple who went from the streets to a home share message of hope
* RNZ: Govt removes barrier in bid to increase counsellors in public mental health
* OneRoof: Off grid and on stilts: 'Cyclone-proof' home hits market for $380,000
* Northern Advocate: New ambulance fleet hits Northland roads thanks to Grassroots Trust
* Will Harvie for The Press-$: Multi-million dollar “gifts to the nation”. Rewilding is underway and walking tracks are being cut or planned, after four donors poured money into a project in the Kaituna Valley.
* Column by Christopher Mims for WSJ-$ (gift link): The New Chips Designed to Solve AI’s Energy Problem
Docs of the Day
* Office of the Auditor General report on Providing equitable access to planned care treatment
* Seek job ads report for June showing job ads down 3% from May.
* Building & Construction Minister Chris Penk via Beehive: Building Code pause brings certainty to construction
* Building & Construction Minister Chris Penk via Beehive: Overseas products to make it cheaper to build
* Transport Minister Chris Bishop via Beehive: Reducing councils’ ridiculous use of road cones
* Interview video: Winston Peters on ‘alarming developments’ from immigration
Cartoon of the day: On the money
Ka kite ano Bernard
