01 Jul 2025
1 year ago
3604 views
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has today announced that Pharmac have created their comprehensive list of medical devices which are used in public hospitals, to improve the way they manage medical devices. “Almost everyone diagnosed or treated at a public hospital relies on medical devices for their care. These can range from bandages and cotton swabs to pacemakers, hip replacements, hospital beds, and robotic surgery machines,” Mr Seymour says.
01 Jul 2025
1 year ago
2151 views
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has empowered Pharmac and Medsafe to explore the utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up their processes. “Faster access to medicines has always been a priority of mine. For many New Zealanders, pharmaceuticals are life or death, or the difference between a life of pain and suffering or living freely,” Mr Seymour says.
24 Jun 2025
1 year ago
3368 views
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour welcomes the passing of first reading for a Bill to make it easier for New Zealand businesses to receive new investment, grow and pay higher wages. The Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Bill has passed its first reading in Parliament today. “New Zealand has been turning away opportunities for growth for too long.
23 Jun 2025
1 year ago
3460 views
Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged to see overseas investment decisions being made twice as fast following his Ministerial directive letter (the letter) to Land Information New Zealand (LINZ). “Last year I issued a Ministerial directive letter setting out my expectations for faster consent processing timeframes under the Overseas Investment Act (the Act),” Mr Seymour says. “The letter set my expectation that LINZ, the regulator for the Act, will process 80 per cent of consent applications in half the statutory timeframes for decisions.
21 Jun 2025
1 year ago
2284 views
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that red tape is giving Kiwis serious headaches, and the Red Tape Tipline has received over 750 submissions. “A submitter to the Ministry for Regulation’s Red Tape Tipline has complained that the threshold for probate has not kept up with inflation. This means that more Kiwis have to go through the tedious legal process that is probate, while they are mourning,” Mr Seymour says.
19 Jun 2025
1 year ago
2432 views
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that the Ministry of Education are now consulting on changing, merging, or removing approximately three-quarters of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) licensing criteria. “Earlier this year the ECE Sector Review instigated 15 changes to modernise and simplify regulations,” Mr Seymour says. “The changes to the ECE regulations show the power of a sector review.
18 Jun 2025
1 year ago
2099 views
Associate Health Minister David Seymour says the Government is delivering on its promise to cut red tape and give Kiwis greater access to more treatments, starting with melatonin and medicinal psilocybin. “Many New Zealanders have asked me why people can buy melatonin overseas but they can’t buy it from their local pharmacy. Medsafe has assessed this and decided there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be available on pharmacy shelves right here at home,” says Mr Seymour.
18 Jun 2025
1 year ago
2207 views
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour welcomes the introduction of legislation to make it easier for New Zealand businesses to receive new investment, grow and pay higher wages. The Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Bill has been introduced to the House. “New Zealand has been turning away opportunities for growth for too long.
17 Jun 2025
1 year ago
2639 views
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced an Early Childhood Education (ECE) Funding Review to ensure the funding system is simple, fair, and gets value for money. Mr Seymour has established an ECE Funding Review Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG), chaired by Linda Meade to carry out this review. It will report on it’s findings this time next year.
17 Jun 2025
1 year ago
2183 views
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed Natalie McMurtry as Pharmac’s Chief Executive. Natalie McMurtry will start as Pharmac’s Chief Executive on Monday 15 September, taking over from the Acting Chief Executive, Brendan Boyle. “For the first time, Pharmac has its own Minister.
16 Jun 2025
1 year ago
2240 views
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says this Government has prioritised student attendance and as a result we’ve seen every term since Term 1 2024 record higher attendance than the same term of the previous year. In Term 1 of 2025 65. 9 per cent of students attended school regularly, an increase of 4.
16 Jun 2025
1 year ago
2264 views
Associate Health Minister David Seymour says the oestradiol patch funding decision is an example of Pharmac’s new patient-centric approach. From December 2025 Pharmac will fund two brands of oestradiol patches, Estradot and Estradiol TDP Mylan. “Pharmac received significant feedback at the end of last year about a decision to move to Estradiol TDP Mylan as the only funded brand of oestradiol patch.