Summarised by Centrist
Budget cuts loom over New Zealand’s public health services. Experts fear cuts to “critical programmes” like disease prevention and health promotion. Leaked documents show possible job losses and reduced projects, with $29m stripped from funding. Professor Boyd Swinburn warned: “Prevention always cops the chop.” Public health staff report burnout, with some working “11-hour days.” Professor Michael Baker said: “Public health funding is already very low – it needs to go up, not down.”
