<a href="https://www.kathyspencer.net" target="_self" class="wixui-rich-text__text">​​​ ​ Kathy&nbsp;Spencer

The smoke and mirrors of health funding

Is investment in our health system at a record high, as Luxon suggests, or is it being cut?

Published in the Post 17 December 2024

Read online (paywall)

Health NZ: a diagnosis and the first step to recovery

The three causes of Health NZ's poor performance and budget blow-out, and what needs to happen now

Published in the Post 18 November 2024

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The tax debate that won't die - why we finally need to tax capital gains

After mulling it over for 57 years, it's time for either National or Labour to bring us into step with the OECD by taxing capital gains

Published in the Post 10 September 2024

How David Seymour can deliver faster access to medicines

We will know Seymour is having an impact when there are fewer Givealitte pages and fewer people heading to Australia for treatment

Published in the Post 7 August 2024

The false logic of the "need versus race" debate

Will sensible evidence-based policies be changed to comply with the coalition Government's "need, not race" mantra?

Published in the Post 27 May 2024

Read online (paywall)

Slashing red tape around medicines

Will David Seymour be able to make it happen?

Published in the Herald 13 December 2023

Finger pointed back at WorkSafe in Whakaari Case

How has WorkSafe been held to account for its failings?

Published in the Herald 29 November 2023

Pre-election policy frenzy is not the worst of it

Unfortunately, the ability to develop good policy has been lacking for some time

Published in the Herald 7 September 2023

Lessons from a restructure: is it really worth it?

Last year's health restructure illustrates many of the pitfalls of extensive remodelling

Published in the Herald 4 August 2023

Barriers remain after scrapping $5 prescription charge

Repeat prescriptions are costly for patients and a poor use of doctors' time

Published in the Herald 30 May 2023

Hit-and-miss official information access is mostly miss

It is all too common for OIA requests to be mishandled and for information to be concealed.

Published in the Herald 27 April 2023

Too Little Too Late

The Health Minister lacks answers.

Published in the Herald 5 December 2022

Income insurance

It's not too late to get this right.

Published in the Herald 6 October 2022

Cost of living payment

It's a fiasco but National has no answer.

Published in the Herald online 3 September 2022

Deciles affect only 3% of school funding

Will the 6 years of work to replace them be wasted?

Published in the Herald on 29 June 2022

Long-awaited review of Pharmac

What to look for in the final report, and why it matters.

Published in the Herald on 6 April 2022

Unemployment support

Forget about a new unemployment insurance scheme: just fix the scheme we have.

Published in the Herald on 25 February 2022

The disgusting state of Whangarei Hospital

The system for investment in our public hospitals needs radical change.

Published in the Herald on 29 November 2021

A new prescription for Pharmac

Too often it is left up to seriously-ill New Zealanders to fight for access to medicines that should be funded by the public health system.

Published in the Herald on 5 August 2021

Has Andrew Little been sold a pup?

The new health structure won't fix longstanding problems.

Published in the Herald on 3 May 2021

Simpson Review won't solve Canterbury DHB's problems

Labour has said it will use the Review to make major reforms to our health system if re-elected, but how would that help?

Published in the Herald on 28 August 2020

EQC: just remove the cap

It is time to get rid of the EQC claim cap before the next disaster strikes.

Published in the Herald on 6 August 2020

Eight months is far too long to wait

Long waits for surgery are not inevitable and need to be addressed by the expert panel reviewing our health system.

Published in the Herald on 13 May 2019

The elephant in the waiting room

To get surgery without the current very long waiting times, we should pay surgeons to work only in the public system

Published in the Herald 12 September 2018

Continual restructuring - it's such a waste

Incessant restructuring of government agencies is getting in the way of better public services

Published in the DomPost and The Press on 13 December 2018

12 years in court and still fighting

Disabled adults and their carers deserve better financial support

Published in the DomPost on 27 February 2018

Tax burden unfair on smokers

Addicted smokers are paying $2 billion extra in tax - $7,000 per year for a pack-a-day smoker

My first article was published in the DomPost on 28 December 2017