Health Practitioners (Replacement of Statutory References to Medical Practitioners) Bill

Kia ora e Te Māngai o Te Whare. I am happy to take the remainder of my time just to add some statistics to the conversation.

We support this piece of legislation, and I was highlighting the nurse practitioner vocation and how important it is under this piece of legislation to recognise the expansion of this particular profession. On 31 March 2015, we had 50,356 practising nurses, of which 142 were nurse practitioners. On 31 March 2014, there were 107 nurse practitioners, so we have actually seen an expansion of 25 percent in this particular profession. The most interesting statistic I want to share with the House is that of the 35 new nurse practitioners, 15 were Māori. So we have had an increase in that profession over the last year of 43 percent Māori, and there were also three Pacific Islanders.

Within the context of this expanded scope of practice, what it has done is provide opportunities for Māori nurses and Pacific nurses, who in the last financial year represented over 50 percent of the nurse practitioners that we had in the country. I think that that is a fantastic development, and I am, obviously, incredibly pleased to commend the bill to the House. Thank you.

The four main objectives of this Health Practitioners (Replacement of Statutory References to Medical Practitioners) Bill are to allow health practitioners with the required competencies and knowledge to perform more statutory functions and more functions, to make it easier for the public to access health services, to allow the health workforce to use its knowledge and skills, and to facilitate innovative services and efficient practice. I think this bill achieves those four objectives. The bill as introduced is in seven parts, relating to seven Acts that are being amended. The Acts are the Accident Compensation Act, the Burial and Cremation Act, the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act, the Holidays Act, the Land Transport Act, the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act, and the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Our healthcare needs are changing in New Zealand, and the way we deliver health services is changing and evolving as well. That is only to the benefit of health consumers, people like you and me—well, Mr Deputy Speaker, probably not yourself, but people like myself—who live in a smaller community and will access health services. If I think about people in smaller, remoter communities throughout New Zealand, there is often a cost to accessing health services relating to travel to access health services. Sometimes the level of expertise and availability of health professionals may not be there, necessitating a wait for access to health services, and the provisions in this bill go a long way to overcoming those issues for people.

Nurse practitioner is a role that—as the previous speaker, Louisa Wall, rightly noted—is a growing and exciting aspect of being a health professional in New Zealand. I was speaking to a group of nursing students in Christchurch very recently, who were in their final months before they were to graduate and then go and find jobs out in the community. I spoke to them about this bill, because it was going through the House at the time, and they were excited, but their tutor was excited because their tutor could see the potential for career development of her nursing students—about 120 of them were in the lecture theatre.

It is an exciting advancement in the provision of health services for all of us New Zealanders, and it is a wonderful career enhancement for those in the medical profession. I commend this bill to the House.

Bill read a second time.