Shane Reti: Health Minister defends surge in non-disclosure agreements impacting Health NZ staff

The Health Minister is defending staff confidentiality agreements.

Labour has complained to the Public Service Commission about the number of non-disclosure agreements gagging Health New Zealand staff from talking about work.

It claims 67 staff have signed them since June - including senior leaders responsible for briefing media and members of Parliament.

Minister Shane Reti says he has no concerns.

"The previous Government did as well - whether they used confidentiality agreements or NDAs or a similar sort of process. They need to be used appropriately, but it's commonplace in commercial environments with particularly sensitive issues."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hither do for cel.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Late last week we found out that Health New Zealand
had decided that fourteen to twenty four year olds and
Hawks Bay would have to pay for their GP visits again,
but it would then also remain free for this age
group as long as they're Mario Pacifica. The Health Minister,
Shane Retti asked for a please explain from Health New Zealand.
He's with us now.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Hey, Shane, Hey, good even here. The good to speak
with you.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
It's good to talk to you. Did you get the
answer you were looking for?

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Yes? Did. When my office was made aware last Thursday
that there was going to be a change, we communicated
back to them that it was not consistent with government policy,
certainly not consistent with my government policy statement. They've worked
on that and there has now been changed. Be meeting
him this morning and it has been changed.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Okay, So what did they say to you about why
they did this? Even though you have this policy in government,
they must have known it.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Yeah, I mean they're trying to target the most vulnerable.
But I've always said and my government policies that would
clearly say is the very first imperative is on health
need and then benderneath that, we understand there are those
that are at a more at risk, like they're now
doing with some of the targeting, But they got that
round the wrong way and have now corrected it.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
And so what has it changed too?

Speaker 1 (01:11):
So what a change to is it is available for
under twenty four year olds that have free access to
a GP if you currently hold a community services card,
currently reside in the Quintal five area, and have a
diagnosed long term condition which includes a number of conditions.
So the first I criteria our ability to pay and
the third criteria is your clinical need.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
And so nothing about ethnicity anymore, No, Shane, did they
were they being deliberately rogue or were they just being
a bit dumb?

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Look, I truly believe they were well intentioned, but they
hadn't read the room. And they are are still to
fully embrace the direction of my government policy statement and
the direction of this government.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
They don't love it.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
We will distribute health resources based on need.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
First, they disagree with you.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
They got this policy wrong. They have rapidly reshaped it
and they're learning that.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
I mean, do you know whether because I mean surely
you asked this question, are you people deliberately disobeying what
we're saying, or did you just not know? Did you
ask that question?

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Look? I asked how it came to be that My
government policy statement is very clear and the case was
made well, look at Mary are clearly a group that
have challenges and their ability to pay and have these
clinical needs, to which I said to them, while look,
you know there are actually other non marty who are
also in similar situations and have that clinical need as well,
and we need to be embraceive of them all, So

(02:37):
change the policy.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
The reason I'm asking you this question is because it
feels like there's a pattern developing here with Health New
Zealand where they just continuously do staff that they know
is contrary to what you guys want.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, there is some reading of the room that they
continue to need to do, and I know the Commissioner
and certainly the senior team are certainly firming up on
what is no longer acceptable. My government policy statement has
been out for several months now. Read the room, Read
the statement that is the direction of travel.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
How high up the food chain did someone sign off
on that thing in Hawks Bay?

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Oh? I don't know an answer to that here that
I need to find that out.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
You should probably find that out because that person is
the person you need to fire, Shane, isn't it what
Lets think about it or just put them on like
a first warning or something like that.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
Look, I would hope that they're there in the right place,
doing the right job. But they got this wrong and
I have my expectation is that they will touch this
learning under their belt and not get it wrong again,
is it?

Speaker 2 (03:34):
Hope?

Speaker 1 (03:35):
So?

Speaker 2 (03:35):
But then they do work at Health New Zealand, So listen,
what do you make of the staff at Health New
Zealand having to sign these gag orders here?

Speaker 1 (03:42):
You know, that's commercial practice and I have no concerns
with that. The previous government did as well. Whether they
use confidentiality agreement or NBA's similar sort of process, they
need to be used appropriately, but it's commonplace in commercial
environments when there's particularly sensitive issues.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Shane, thank you for your time. Really appreciate you coming
on the show and explaining it to us as doctor
Shane Ritti, it's the Health Minister. For more from Hither
Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to news talks it'd be
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