She believed parents would be shocked by the development.
“You’re increasing the risk of complications and death from cancers.”
A statement this morning from Health Minister Simeon Brown’s office said claims cancer treatments had been suspended were wrong and “distressing” for parents.
“A handful of chemotherapy sessions have been delayed by a few days, and never by more than seven.
“Two bone marrow transplants have been moved slightly from their original dates. This happens from time to time even when Starship is fully staffed, and both are still going ahead.”
Two patients from outside of Auckland had also been transferred to Christchurch for assessment, “which is how New Zealand’s national child cancer network is designed to work”.
“This is the hospital managing demand and winter pressures as usual,” the statement said. “Clinical teams have been closely involved throughout in deciding how best to manage this.”
The Starship nursing vacancies were the result of natural attrition, with vacancies from July either filled or recruited. There would be no further vacancies by December or January.
“Paediatric oncology is highly specialised work, so these roles need nurses with specific skills and experience. Graduate nurses are a valued part of the workforce, but they cannot always simply be placed into complex specialist roles.”
The statement claimed there was no hiring freeze at Health New Zealand.
‘Decisions not made lightly’
In a statement last night, Health New Zealand confirmed that due to nursing shortages and high demand in the paediatric haematology/oncology service, some treatments had been “rescheduled”.
“These decisions are not made lightly and are based on clinical need,” Starship director medical and community, Dr Greg Williams, said.
“Patient safety and high-quality care is always our highest priority.
“We want to reassure parents and families that their children will get the clinical care and support they need.”
The nurse spoke to the Herald to alert the public but asked not to be named to protect her job.
She said the severe staffing shortage was not simply related to the winter flu spike. It had been critical “all of this year”.
“Over the last year with budget constraints, they’ve not hired new nurses. Anytime a nurse left, they weren’t replaced.”
She said the hospital had lost a lot of senior nurses along with their experience.
She was unsure when the postponement of chemo and bone marrow transplants took effect or how many patients were affected – questions the Herald has put to Health New Zealand.
“They’ll be lots of other things postponed. Orthopaedics I’m sure will have a lot.
“It’s so wrong. We shouldn’t not be able to hire staff and we shouldn’t be placing patients at risk by not having staff.”
Asked how widely known the postponement measures were, she replied: “I don’t think it’s widely known because I think it would have got out to the public.
“It’s ridiculous that it’s even happening. You can delay other things without impacting a child’s outcomes.”
Starship children’s hospital in Auckland is home to the national child cancer unit. Photo / Michael Craig
Williams said the hospital was “totally dedicated” to caring for and treating some of New Zealand’s most unwell children, and committed to patient safety.
“Starship Hospital’s paediatric haematology/oncology service is managing nursing staff shortages at a time of high demand and clinical complexity.
“As a result of these shortages, we have had to reschedule some treatments, to ensure our services can still be delivered safely, within capacity, while remaining within reasonable timeframes.”
Williams said Starship was recruiting experienced and new graduate nurses as quickly as possible.
“We are supporting the service with staffing from across Starship and Auckland City Hospital, and are also working closely with the Child Haematology and Oncology Centre in Christchurch.
“We recognise and greatly value the extraordinary commitment and contribution of our teams who come to work each day to care for kids and their families.”
Child Cancer Foundation responds
Child Cancer Foundation chief executive Monica Briggs said: “Our hearts are with every child with cancer and their whānau who may be feeling anxious in light of this news. We recognise how incredibly difficult the childhood cancer journey is, even in the best of circumstances and how deeply unsettling any uncertainty around treatment can be for families.”
Briggs said the foundation recognised the extraordinary work of the healthcare professionals who cared for these children and families, in increasingly challenging circumstances.
“While clinical decisions and hospital operations sit with health providers, our commitment to families remains unwavering. We will continue to provide practical and emotional support – drawing our families closer at this time.
“Our purpose has always been to ensure no family faces childhood cancer alone. Now, more than ever, we want families to know that we are here, we care deeply, and we will continue walking alongside them every step of the way.”
Nursing staffing analysis
In August, the Herald reported that staffing levels on the national child cancer ward at Starship fell to 41% of its target staffing across September 2025, and there were nine days that month when no shifts met their nursing staff targets.
Almost a quarter of all nursing shifts across the country that year were at some point understaffed, according to the analysis.
In August, New Zealand Nurses Organisation chief executive Paul Goulter said when shifts were under staffing targets, it meant they were “chronically short” of meeting patient needs.
“This creates a lot of stress on the nurses because they want to do the best thing for their patients, and they can’t do that because the shift is understaffed.”
He said health authorities needed to properly resource and staff hospitals according to patient need – “not to some opaque budget number [or it’s] dangerous for all New Zealanders”.
Clarification: This story has been updated to reflect the fact Health Minister Simeon Brown rejects the claim care was ever suspended. Cancer care was delayed for some patients.
Lane Nichols is Auckland Desk Editor and a senior journalist for the New Zealand Herald with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.