September 2, 2024 • 9 mins
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says she's determined to ensure the health system is as efficient and effective as possible.
A survey by the General Practice Owners Association says 83 percent of respondents are worried about their long-term viability - with 89 percent of them planning to increase patient fees
Willis has promised the health system will look significantly different by the end of this year.
"I think it's going to be a big turnaround job.. but I think by the end of this term of Parliament, you will be seeing significant improvements."
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Eve been coming up in the next hour. Shane Soley's
going to talk us through the markets around the world,
pricing in interest rate carts, Ryman's boss on why they're
raising prices in the hints is that people are living
longer and hanging around longer, basically, and then we'll have
a chat to Gavin Gray out of the UK. It's
seven past six and with us now as the finance
minister Nichola will I say, Nikola.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good evening, Heather.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
What are we going to do about the shambles we've
got in health at the moment?
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well, we're on UCH. We've got a commissioner in there.
He's making sure that that organization is focused on its targets,
which are about delivering more surgery to people, reducing wasting
times and being more efficient, and he is working very
hard on that. We've put more funding in, and we've
guaranteed that we will be putting more funding in at
each future budget. But you and I both know it's
(00:45):
not just about money. It's also about improving the systems
that doctors and nurses when they're doing their jobs, are
well supported to be as efficient as effective as possible.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Do you reckon there? Is efficiencies that can be found
in there.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yes, I'll tell you when I think of it a lot,
and that is when you go to your GP or
you go to see your pharmacist, they're quite limited sometimes
in the roles that they're allowed to perform, and some
of the things you go to a GP for, maybe
a nurse could help with. Some of the things that
you go to a nurse with, maybe a pharmacist could
help with. So expanding the range of things that different
(01:20):
medical practitioners can perform, I think could help reduce wasting
times and deliver more efficiency in the system. And that
is something we're looking at.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Yeah, what do we do though about the funding? Because
I totally take your point and I think you're right.
But doctors, the gps themselves, we are so short on
them and they are completely underfunded. So are you prepared
to throw more money at them?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Well, we have put more money into GP not our
budget for a year. Well actually in this YEW budget
we added more than sixteen billion to the health system.
Over the next few years. Our health is the biggest
area of our budget and will be of every budget
that I deliver, So we ensure that it gets top ups.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
And yeah, I know, I appreciate that, but they have
a look at what the GP's got, didn't they get
four percent?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yes, that's correct.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
That's not a lot, though, is it.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Well, that's of course above what inflation is now at.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, but I mean we're talking about it in a context,
and I appreciate that too, But we're talking about it
in a context where where we have to possibly completely
reinvent the way that we're doing this. Throw lots of
money at primary care so people don't get sick and
end up in hospital. So it's got to be like
multiples of four percent, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Well, I think we're also going to have to look
for new ways of using technology and new techniques and
talk to doctors themselves in our communities about what they
think is needed to free out more than more of
their time. So a lot of doctors choose to work
partial time, not full time. Often that's because of the
nature of the desire to balance family and work place.
So what are we doing actually to use technology so
(02:50):
that they can work some of their hours from home
like many other people do. How could we be using
apps and other technology so that some of them works
that they currently do could be done by others to
minimize the amount of administers of time they're having to spend,
for example. So I'm actually quite hopeful that with technology,
that with a more latural view of the roles of
(03:12):
different health providers, there is more productivity to be got
out of the system, not just a matter of more money.
Of course it's more money, but not just that.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Okay, so how long before how long is it going
to take you do you think Lester Levy dealing with
Health New Zealand the GP's finding efficiencies before we can
all look at it and go, hey, that's working a
lot better now.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
I think you're going to see continued progress over the
next year. I think it's going to be a big
turnaround job that he's got on his hands and that
we've got on our hands. But I think by the
end of this term of parliament you will be seeing
significant improvements. But we have an expectation of progress every
year and you will see that.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Hey, what do you think is going on with the
toast and the maternity Ward and Wellington? Are they idiots
canceling this or are they deliberately are trying to.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I just hated that story because I have one of
those really firm poor memories of the moment after our
first son was born, of the nurse bringing me a
cup of milky tea and veg might on post and
me just feeling an even big ratitude towards her, and
it was so wistful, and the thought that new mums
wouldn't get that really upset me when I read it,
(04:22):
and I think it's just one of those things that
someone somewhere made a silly decision. The decision was that
it would better if people got a full meal after
they gave first rather than posts. But then in practice,
of course, that would be harder to deliver it, so
it didn't happen to some people. And look, doctor Reshi's
made it very clear to healthy.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Do you reckon that's what it was like? Bs on
that story from them. I reckon that they just did
this because of funding cuts.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Well, I take them at face, tell you, and that's
what I read as their explanation.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, but I mean, you know, if you're in hospital,
you have to wait till the prescribed meal time. So
if you're giving birth, I don't know, let's say nine o'clock,
you're waiting until midday one to have some meals no.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Argument to me, hopeless ideas and I'm just glad that
the woman at Wellington Hospital will be getting their time.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Common senses prevailed. But hey, listen, can you actually rule
out the fact though, that there are a bunch of
people working in the public service who are determined to
get you negative headlines and this is one of those examples.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Well, in politics there are always people who want to
search out the negative, and our job is to make extraal,
tangible progress so that people experience that. And I'm confident
that are across a range of domains people are seeing that,
you know, inflation's coming down, interest rates are coming down,
tax releases and bank accounts and ungry please, business confidence
is up. These are real things. So Nancy negative can
(05:39):
go on, but we've actually got to focus on delivering results.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Did you see Carolyn McLeish suggesting that we sell down
some assets.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Yes, I did.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
It's becoming a regular in our slot. I'm just going
to advocate right at your nikola to sell down some assets.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
What did you think, Well, I thought that that was
consistent of the advice that Treasure we gave us after
the election. Obviously, as we're discussed on your show. Previously,
the Prime Minister has said that we don't intend to
be selling those state owned enterprises this term. We are
looking at the purpose of the ownership we have in
(06:17):
many state assets to ensure that we're using that money
to the best advantage for New Zealanders and that they're
performing well. So they're doing that work.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Did you look at TV and Z whether it's multimillion
dollar loss this year and think, well, I'd love to
get rid of you.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Well, look, it's a real worry what's happening with the
media generally. And I acknowledge that I'm onney getting many
who are still managing to operate a profitable business, So
good on you. But across the world the media is
finding things challenging with new revenue models, and TV enged
is caught in that, and it's our expectation that they
(06:53):
do perform better financially. It is a disappointing result and
we're expecting them to work towards a plan to rectify it.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Did you look at a New Zealand's tiny, tiny little
profit and think I'd love to get rid of you.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
No, that wasn't my reaction. We'd actually expected their result
not to be as good as last year they have
been having those engine issues. There is a difficult economic context.
Then they are arrange of factors, but of course at
the same time always saying how can you perform better?
How can you do better next year? That's our job
as a key sheholder.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
And what about New Zealand Posts lost? Did you think
I'd love to divest myself of you?
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Well, the challenge on envied Post, of course is that
I don't think there's anyone else who would want to
take over sending the letters to everyone in New Zealand.
It's a challenging business to run. It's an important public
service and so they balance that, of course with your
career business and the other functions. Again, as for all
of these entities, they've got tax payer dollars that have
(07:57):
funded them through the years, and we want to see
those dollars performing the best they can for New Zealanders.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Nicholas Michael Hill has just posted its results right, and
of course they operate across Australia, Canada and New Zealand
in Australia, and I'm talking about this financial year, the
one that we're eight weeks into. Canada's same store sales
have gone up four percent. Ozsies have gone up five
percent and ours have gone down six percent. What's going on?
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Yeah, Look, I think that there has been some real
challenges with crime. That's a real focus for us coming
in as a government, and we are making progress. In
the first five months of this year, there were fifteen
percent fewer burglaries, ten percent for you, aggravated robberies. So
we are seeing signs of progress, but there's a lot
more work to do, and we're doing it.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Are you worried that if it carries on like this
with the crime that you will Actually I mean, Michael
Hill's only shot two stores, but are you worried they're
going to shut more? Other businesses may fold up and
just decide it's not worth doing business here.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Well, we don't want that to happen, and that's why
we're taking fighting crime so seriously. It's why we're introducing
measures to have stronger centers while we're going hat on
the gangs and people will have observed what happened to
the common chios last week. It's why we're doing everything
we can to disrupt criminal behavior because ultimately it's a
threat to public safety also a threat to business. We
(09:14):
don't like that and we're acting hard list.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Do you know where that sentencing law is at?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
I know that the Minister in charge, Paul Goldsmith, is
progressing that and we'll have more to say about it.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
So oh brilliant. Okay, give them the hurry up, Nicholas,
thank you very much, really appreciated. It's Nichola Willis, the
Finance Minister. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, Listen
live to news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
Eve been coming up in the next hour. Shane Soley's
going to talk us through the markets around the world,
pricing in interest rate carts, Ryman's boss on why they're
raising prices in the hints is that people are living
longer and hanging around longer, basically, and then we'll have
a chat to Gavin Gray out of the UK. It's
seven past six and with us now as the finance
minister Nichola will I say, Nikola.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good evening, Heather.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
What are we going to do about the shambles we've
got in health at the moment?
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well, we're on UCH. We've got a commissioner in there.
He's making sure that that organization is focused on its targets,
which are about delivering more surgery to people, reducing wasting
times and being more efficient, and he is working very
hard on that. We've put more funding in, and we've
guaranteed that we will be putting more funding in at
each future budget. But you and I both know it's
(00:45):
not just about money. It's also about improving the systems
that doctors and nurses when they're doing their jobs, are
well supported to be as efficient as effective as possible.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Do you reckon there? Is efficiencies that can be found
in there.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yes, I'll tell you when I think of it a lot,
and that is when you go to your GP or
you go to see your pharmacist, they're quite limited sometimes
in the roles that they're allowed to perform, and some
of the things you go to a GP for, maybe
a nurse could help with. Some of the things that
you go to a nurse with, maybe a pharmacist could
help with. So expanding the range of things that different
(01:20):
medical practitioners can perform, I think could help reduce wasting
times and deliver more efficiency in the system. And that
is something we're looking at.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Yeah, what do we do though about the funding? Because
I totally take your point and I think you're right.
But doctors, the gps themselves, we are so short on
them and they are completely underfunded. So are you prepared
to throw more money at them?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Well, we have put more money into GP not our
budget for a year. Well actually in this YEW budget
we added more than sixteen billion to the health system.
Over the next few years. Our health is the biggest
area of our budget and will be of every budget
that I deliver, So we ensure that it gets top ups.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
And yeah, I know, I appreciate that, but they have
a look at what the GP's got, didn't they get
four percent?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yes, that's correct.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
That's not a lot, though, is it.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Well, that's of course above what inflation is now at.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, but I mean we're talking about it in a context,
and I appreciate that too, But we're talking about it
in a context where where we have to possibly completely
reinvent the way that we're doing this. Throw lots of
money at primary care so people don't get sick and
end up in hospital. So it's got to be like
multiples of four percent, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Well, I think we're also going to have to look
for new ways of using technology and new techniques and
talk to doctors themselves in our communities about what they
think is needed to free out more than more of
their time. So a lot of doctors choose to work
partial time, not full time. Often that's because of the
nature of the desire to balance family and work place.
So what are we doing actually to use technology so
(02:50):
that they can work some of their hours from home
like many other people do. How could we be using
apps and other technology so that some of them works
that they currently do could be done by others to
minimize the amount of administers of time they're having to spend,
for example. So I'm actually quite hopeful that with technology,
that with a more latural view of the roles of
(03:12):
different health providers, there is more productivity to be got
out of the system, not just a matter of more money.
Of course it's more money, but not just that.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Okay, so how long before how long is it going
to take you do you think Lester Levy dealing with
Health New Zealand the GP's finding efficiencies before we can
all look at it and go, hey, that's working a
lot better now.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
I think you're going to see continued progress over the
next year. I think it's going to be a big
turnaround job that he's got on his hands and that
we've got on our hands. But I think by the
end of this term of parliament you will be seeing
significant improvements. But we have an expectation of progress every
year and you will see that.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Hey, what do you think is going on with the
toast and the maternity Ward and Wellington? Are they idiots
canceling this or are they deliberately are trying to.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I just hated that story because I have one of
those really firm poor memories of the moment after our
first son was born, of the nurse bringing me a
cup of milky tea and veg might on post and
me just feeling an even big ratitude towards her, and
it was so wistful, and the thought that new mums
wouldn't get that really upset me when I read it,
(04:22):
and I think it's just one of those things that
someone somewhere made a silly decision. The decision was that
it would better if people got a full meal after
they gave first rather than posts. But then in practice,
of course, that would be harder to deliver it, so
it didn't happen to some people. And look, doctor Reshi's
made it very clear to healthy.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Do you reckon that's what it was like? Bs on
that story from them. I reckon that they just did
this because of funding cuts.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Well, I take them at face, tell you, and that's
what I read as their explanation.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, but I mean, you know, if you're in hospital,
you have to wait till the prescribed meal time. So
if you're giving birth, I don't know, let's say nine o'clock,
you're waiting until midday one to have some meals no.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Argument to me, hopeless ideas and I'm just glad that
the woman at Wellington Hospital will be getting their time.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Common senses prevailed. But hey, listen, can you actually rule
out the fact though, that there are a bunch of
people working in the public service who are determined to
get you negative headlines and this is one of those examples.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Well, in politics there are always people who want to
search out the negative, and our job is to make extraal,
tangible progress so that people experience that. And I'm confident
that are across a range of domains people are seeing that,
you know, inflation's coming down, interest rates are coming down,
tax releases and bank accounts and ungry please, business confidence
is up. These are real things. So Nancy negative can
(05:39):
go on, but we've actually got to focus on delivering results.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Did you see Carolyn McLeish suggesting that we sell down
some assets.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Yes, I did.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
It's becoming a regular in our slot. I'm just going
to advocate right at your nikola to sell down some assets.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
What did you think, Well, I thought that that was
consistent of the advice that Treasure we gave us after
the election. Obviously, as we're discussed on your show. Previously,
the Prime Minister has said that we don't intend to
be selling those state owned enterprises this term. We are
looking at the purpose of the ownership we have in
(06:17):
many state assets to ensure that we're using that money
to the best advantage for New Zealanders and that they're
performing well. So they're doing that work.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Did you look at TV and Z whether it's multimillion
dollar loss this year and think, well, I'd love to
get rid of you.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Well, look, it's a real worry what's happening with the
media generally. And I acknowledge that I'm onney getting many
who are still managing to operate a profitable business, So
good on you. But across the world the media is
finding things challenging with new revenue models, and TV enged
is caught in that, and it's our expectation that they
(06:53):
do perform better financially. It is a disappointing result and
we're expecting them to work towards a plan to rectify it.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Did you look at a New Zealand's tiny, tiny little
profit and think I'd love to get rid of you.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
No, that wasn't my reaction. We'd actually expected their result
not to be as good as last year they have
been having those engine issues. There is a difficult economic context.
Then they are arrange of factors, but of course at
the same time always saying how can you perform better?
How can you do better next year? That's our job
as a key sheholder.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
And what about New Zealand Posts lost? Did you think
I'd love to divest myself of you?
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Well, the challenge on envied Post, of course is that
I don't think there's anyone else who would want to
take over sending the letters to everyone in New Zealand.
It's a challenging business to run. It's an important public
service and so they balance that, of course with your
career business and the other functions. Again, as for all
of these entities, they've got tax payer dollars that have
(07:57):
funded them through the years, and we want to see
those dollars performing the best they can for New Zealanders.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Nicholas Michael Hill has just posted its results right, and
of course they operate across Australia, Canada and New Zealand
in Australia, and I'm talking about this financial year, the
one that we're eight weeks into. Canada's same store sales
have gone up four percent. Ozsies have gone up five
percent and ours have gone down six percent. What's going on?
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Yeah, Look, I think that there has been some real
challenges with crime. That's a real focus for us coming
in as a government, and we are making progress. In
the first five months of this year, there were fifteen
percent fewer burglaries, ten percent for you, aggravated robberies. So
we are seeing signs of progress, but there's a lot
more work to do, and we're doing it.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Are you worried that if it carries on like this
with the crime that you will Actually I mean, Michael
Hill's only shot two stores, but are you worried they're
going to shut more? Other businesses may fold up and
just decide it's not worth doing business here.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Well, we don't want that to happen, and that's why
we're taking fighting crime so seriously. It's why we're introducing
measures to have stronger centers while we're going hat on
the gangs and people will have observed what happened to
the common chios last week. It's why we're doing everything
we can to disrupt criminal behavior because ultimately it's a
threat to public safety also a threat to business. We
(09:14):
don't like that and we're acting hard list.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Do you know where that sentencing law is at?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
I know that the Minister in charge, Paul Goldsmith, is
progressing that and we'll have more to say about it.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
So oh brilliant. Okay, give them the hurry up, Nicholas,
thank you very much, really appreciated. It's Nichola Willis, the
Finance Minister. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, Listen
live to news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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