Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill

Members, the House is in committee for further consideration of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill. I remind members they are able to participate remotely. If you’re on Zoom and wish to take a call, please type “call” into the chat. You should also use the chat if you want to raise a point of order. Finally, it would be helpful for members to ask multiple questions of the Minister during a call, if they have them. When we last considered this bill, clauses 1 and 2, the preliminary clauses, were being debated. Therefore, the question is that clauses 1 and 2 stand part.

Thank you, Mr Chair. I refer to the Supplementary Order Paper from Dr Shane Reti, where he suggests the amendment of replacing, in clause 1, “Pae Ora (Healthy Futures)” with “Centralising Healthcare”. I believe this is actually a very important point in terms of the transparency of what is happening here. Dr Reti referred in his speech on this to what is happening in the polytechnic sector, that centralisation of the vocational education sector. So I think it is really important for the Minister to explain to us how this centralisation of healthcare is not going to repeat the mistakes that are occurring with the centralisation of the polytechnic. I think this is particularly important because in the polytech sector it has caused some disarray, but in the health sector it could be an absolutely overwhelming thing for our health sector when it is currently having to deal with the pandemic.

So I want to talk about the things that are not occurring in the polytech centralisation, basic things of change management—things like no integration plan, no financial sustainability plan, no operating model, no organisational structure. This has led to a sector that has now more than doubled its deficit and, in some of the polytechnics, it has doubled the staff turnover. Can we imagine what would happen to our health sector if those same outcomes of a poorly managed centralisation doubled the deficits of our DHBs and doubled the staff turnover?

So I think it is really important that this Government speaks to us about what they have learnt from the disaster of the polytech sector centralisation, be very transparent and up front with the public that this is a centralisation, this is a very major change management centralisation—and what will be done differently to ensure that those same very poor outcomes, that same disarray in the sector, does not occur with the centralisation of our healthcare. I would have to say that the timing of this—and, again, when COVID hit, those of us in the tertiary education, vocational education sector tried to urge the Minister to delay the start of that centralisation of the vocational education sector. Again, we should be urging the centralisation of the healthcare sector to be delayed until the sector is not having to manage the pandemic that they are now dealing with.

So the naming of it must describe what is happening, and I don’t believe “Pae Ora (Healthy Futures)” does describe it, because if in fact the outcomes are as they have been with the failed polytechnic centralisation, they will not be healthy futures. They will be very unhealthy futures for all the citizens of New Zealand. So I would urge the Minister to be very transparent about what is being done to have very good change management processes in place, and not the example of the failed polytechnic centralisation. Thank you, Mr Chair.

I move, That the question be now put.

Motion agreed to.

The question is that Dr Shane Reti’s amendment to clause 1 to change the bill title to the “Centralising Healthcare Bill” set out on Supplementary Order Paper 161 be agreed to.

Mr Speaker, the committee has considered the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill and reports it with amendment. I move, That the report be adopted.

Motion agreed to.

Report adopted.