Government Cuts – Privacy Commissioner’s findings on Manage My Health breach another wake-up call to resource health IT properly after 1000 jobs go

The Privacy Commissioner’s finding that Health NZ and Manage My Health had deficient security safeguards confirms what the PSA warned about in January: the health sector’s IT systems are under-resourced and vulnerable.

“This finding should be a wake-up call. Nearly 100,000 New Zealanders, many of them in Northland, had their most sensitive personal information stolen because security was not up to scratch,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pukenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

“Tomorrow’s Budget will make scandals like this a feature of public services in New Zealand as the Government moves to dismiss thousands of public servants. We know services are already being damaged, members tell us of the mounting toll cuts have inflicted.” See PSA March member survey here, released today.

“In January, the PSA called on the Privacy Commissioner to investigate the impact of cuts to Health NZ’s digital workforce. He declined. Since then, we have seen the Waikato payroll failure affecting 4,000 health workers, and OIA documents showing Health NZ’s own internal reports warned that cutting IT staff would increase risks to patient care and hospital resilience.

“The pattern is clear. Health NZ’s digital workforce has been cut by nearly 1,000 roles. The systems these workers maintained and protected are ageing and vulnerable. IT problems are taking longer to resolve. The people who understood those old systems and their weaknesses are gone.

“The Government needs to stop treating health IT as a cost to be cut and start treating it as the critical infrastructure it is. Properly resourcing digital services in the health system is not optional – it is essential to protecting patient safety and privacy.

“New Zealanders whose personal health information was stolen deserve better than this.

“We hope tomorrow’s Budget marks a turning point in health funding, and not more of the same – patient care must be a priority,” said Fitzsimons.

Note: PSA March member survey released today: Underfunded, understaffed, and struggling – PSA survey confirms grim impact of cuts

5 January 2026: Minister must confront Govt’s own role in weakening Health IT security

29 January 2026: Another major IT failure again exposes Govt’s reckless cuts to health digital services

5 March 2026 Payroll failure hits pay for 4,000 Waikato health workers, urgent review needed

13 March 2026: Risks to patients of Govt’s Health IT cuts laid bare in explosive report

10 April 2026: Damning survey confirms PSA warnings: Govt. cuts are wrecking health IT

The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.