Casey Costello: Associate Health Minister on the Government confirming a funding boost for Hato Hone St John

There's some good news for the nation's largest ambulance service.

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has announced Hato Hone St John will receive $21 million in additional Government funding.

She says St John has also settled its pay dispute with unions, with no further industrial action planned.

Costello explained that New Zealand First has a coalition agreement to meet a greater portion of the ambulance service's annual budget - but this will go a long way.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The government has announced a funding boosts. Speaking of money
for Saint John, it says an agreement has been reached
between the ambulance service and the unions. So this is
going to cost another twenty one million dollars in additional funding,
and Saint john has confirmed there will be no further
strike action from its workers, which is good news. The
Associate Minister of Health as Casey Costello. Hey, Casey, hi
here the how are you very well? Thank you? So

(00:21):
has this money basically gone directly into wages?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
It sounds like we don't have a direct visibility, but yeah,
this has been the trigger that's allowed the unions and
Hattorney Saint John's to reach an agreement. So we're really
pleased with that.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
So what level of this organization are you now funding?

Speaker 2 (00:42):
So we're at the figures currently at and there's still
a little bit work being done, but it's looking between
eighty four and eighty six percent is now funders. As
you know, we've got a coalition equipment to meet greater
portions of hattwenty Saint John's in your budget. But this
is going a long way and I think the breakdown
now is I think they have about eight percent of

(01:04):
fundraising three percent of commercial funding, and then we've got
the part payment funding that comes through as well.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
So when are you guys going to get it to
the ninety five percent?

Speaker 2 (01:18):
This is the negotion that we've got to work through now.
It's and it's a really important piece of work and
we completely understand it and it's working understanding what the
expectations of had twenty Saint John's around what they want
to achieve around their operation environment and their fundraising and
other commercial ventures.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
So yeah, we will keep full funding.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
It's it's kind of this is where I've had different
conversations with its full funding of the operational costs. So
that's the frontline costing, but then we have the other
factors around you know, their their capital works and property
development and those sort of things. So we've just got
to be really clear about what we've missing to around
that funding model.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
Okay, alrighty, And so if you were to go to
the ninety five percent, which you guys have have agreed
to in the coalition agreement, then how much more do
you have to put in?

Speaker 2 (02:11):
Well, this is where we're looking at what the part
payment funding is in the total numbers. So I'm still
waiting to see what that total amount is. Looking at
the others they've got, I think we're currently sitting at
about ninety one percent. I'm not sure whether.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
Those figures are exactly right yet, so we're just going
to work through that this in Casey, I see this
tobacco business is still dogging you. Do you know whether
the AG has been asked to have a look at
the situation? Is the AGE looking at it yet?

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Oh? I don't know. The story basically was the Isa
Beral wrote to the AG, and that's as far as
I know, And I didn't even know she'd written until
media sort of reached out to me asking for an
opinion on the fact that she'd written. But as I've said,
I'm welcome if it could put it to bed and
we can actually get back to focusing on getting people

(02:57):
quit smoking and be happy.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
All right. Hey, Caseie, thanks for all us through to
really appreciate this case Costello, the Associate Minister of Health.
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