Source: New Zealand Labour Party
Simeon Brown cannot ignore the stark warnings of nurses at Starship Hospital who say his hiring freeze has put lives at risk.
“Eighty-five nurses at Starship are demanding urgent action. That should be a massive wake-up call for Christopher Luxon and Simeon Brown,” Labour health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall said.
“These are the nurses caring for some of the sickest children in New Zealand. They should be able to focus on looking after their patients, not having to fight a failure of a Health Minister to get the staffing they need to do their jobs safely.
“New Zealanders should be able to trust that when their child needs treatment, there will be qualified nurses there to deliver it.
“Nurses have been warning about staffing shortages up and down the country. These shortages are the result of the Government’s hiring freeze, with only 54 extra nurses hired in two years.
“Our children deserve better. Our nurses deserve better. Families going through the unimaginable stress of childhood cancer deserve a health system that is there for them when they need it most.
“Labour will end National’s hiring freeze and guarantee every eligible New Zealand-trained graduate nurse a job in our health system.
“National has already done serious damage to our health system. Another three years of the same will only make it worse. New Zealanders cannot afford to take that risk,” Dr Verrall said.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/11/08/national-continues-to-fail-starship/