![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/doctor-hospital-scaled-e1770772135780.jpg\")
Simeon Brown thanks the country\u2019s healthcare workers for their dedication. File photo supplied<\/p>\nSimeon Brown thanks the country\u2019s healthcare workers for their dedication. File photo supplied<\/p>\n
The state of New Zealand\u2019s public health system is set to be one of the key issues debated during this year\u2019s general election campaign, and Health Minister and Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown says the Government is delivering real results for patients.<\/p>\n
He says Kiwis are receiving faster access to healthcare, with the latest quarterly results showing year-on-year improvements across all health targets despite a busy and challenging winter.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur frontline teams have made steady progress ensuring New Zealanders can access timely, quality healthcare when they need it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese improvements mean real benefits for patients \u2013 faster cancer treatment, more children protected from disease, and shorter waits for surgeries and specialist assessments that improve people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Key improvements for the July-September quarter in 2025 compared to the same time the previous year:<\/p>\n
Faster cancer treatment: 86.8 per cent of patients started treatment within 31 days, up from 84.6 per cent in 2024. That\u2019s supported by the Government\u2019s $604 million Pharmac boost delivering 33 new cancer medicines.
\nImproved childhood immunisations:\u00a082.6 per cent of children fully immunised by age two, up from 75.7 per cent in 2024 \u2013 the largest gain across all targets \u2013 protecting thousands more young Kiwis from preventable diseases.
\nShorter emergency department stays:\u00a068.9 per cent of patients admitted, treated or discharged within six hours, up from 67.5 per cent in 2024, despite higher attendances \u2013 meaning doctors and nurses are treating increased volumes of patients and still getting people seen faster.
\nShorter waits for elective procedures:\u00a065.9 per cent of patients received treatment within four months, up from 62.2 per cent in 2024.
\nShorter waits for specialists:\u00a062.3 per cent of patients had their first assessment within four months, up from 61.2 per cent in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cStrong improvements in immunisation rates mean parents giving more Kiwi kids the best start to life, protecting them and others from preventable diseases,\u201d Brown says.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite union strikes cancelling around 13,500 procedures and appointments between July and September [in 2025], patients are still spending less time waiting than last year for life-changing elective surgery.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Elective Boost has delivered thousands of additional hip and knee replacements, cataract surgeries, and other procedures since February, helping more Kiwis get ready for an active summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is about getting Kiwis back to work and helping them return to the activities they love with their families. Making it easier to access care when you need it is a key priority for our Government.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile our health targets are driving progress, we know too many Kiwis are still waiting too long to be seen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank our healthcare workers for their dedicated work throughout a challenging winter, and for continuing to put patients first.<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether, with a record $30\u202fbillion annual investment and more doctors and nurses on the frontline, we\u2019re rebuilding the system around patients, strengthening accountability, and driving better outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Labour Party health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says Brown is \u201cpatting himself on the back on progress for his health targets, ignoring the fact all five of them fall short\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNational\u2019s failing\u00a0health\u00a0targets don\u2019t show an accurate picture of how New Zealanders are getting the\u00a0healthcare they need,\u201d\u00a0she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe targets focus on pushing people out the door, whether or not they\u2019ve received the care they need. They\u2019re a failure.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder National, it\u2019s harder and more expensive to see a doctor when you need one with GP fees nearing $100. Currently 650,000 Kiwis can\u2019t afford to see a doctor when they need to. National is completely out of touch.<\/p>\n
\u201cLabour\u00a0will make it cheaper and easier to see a doctor, with three free doctor\u2019s visits each year for every New Zealander.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Simeon Brown thanks the country\u2019s healthcare workers for their dedication. File photo supplied The state of New Zealand\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":277977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[156183,156184,134,156185,156186,527,156187,111,156188,139,69,156189],"class_list":{"0":"post-277976","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-access-to-healthcare","9":"tag-elective-boost","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-health-minister-simeon-brown","12":"tag-health-targets","13":"tag-healthcare","14":"tag-labour-party-health-spokesperson-ayesha-verrall","15":"tag-new-zealand","16":"tag-new-zealand-public-health-system","17":"tag-newzealand","18":"tag-nz","19":"tag-pakuranga-mp-simeon-brown"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=277976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/277977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=277976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=277976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=277976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}