RACS has taken the opportunity of a change of leadership in three key roles in the Aotearoa New Zealand health system – the Minister of Health and the Chief Executives of Te Whatu Ora and Manatū Hauora - to provide a written briefing, setting out the current issues facing surgical services and the role of RACS in the healthcare system, and requesting improved communication and collaboration.
RACS advised the biggest priorities needing action by Government with support from the College are:
1. Health reforms – stabilisation and funding
2. Workforce – supply, training, and retention
3. Needs-based equitable healthcare – access, service delivery, and outcomes
4. Maintenance of and improvements to existing health infrastructure
5. Planned care – meeting targets to reduce waiting lists
6. Sustainability – reducing emissions, reusing and recycling surgical waste
RACS offered to share the wealth of clinical expertise and system intelligence within the College, to make this available to the Minister, Manatū Hauora and Te Whatu Ora. RACS shares the Minister’s intention to facilitate effective decisions and advance concrete action to implement health reform.
The Minister of Health announced on 7 March 2025 his five key health priorities:
1. Focussing Health New Zealand on delivering the basics and achieving targets
2. Fixing primary healthcare to ensure New Zealanders have timely access to a doctor
3. Reducing emergency department wait times so that 95 percent of people are admitted, discharged, or transferred within six hours
4. Clearing the elective surgery backlog by partnering with the private sector to deliver more planned surgery
5. Investing in health infrastructure, both physical and digital, so we are building for the future
Read briefings
Briefing to Incoming Minister of Health February 2025 (PDF 1.41MB)
Briefing to Chief Executive (Acting) Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand February 2025 (PDF 1.42MB)