Showing 14 of 14 articles
Attorney-General Hon Chris Bishop has announced the appointment of Vanessa Curac as a District Court Judge. Ms Curac has been practising law for 25 years, having started out as a solicitor for Oranga Tamariki, before becoming a Barrister in 2004, working in the Youth, Family and Criminal Courts. Her practice has focussed on representing young people in the Youth Court, children in the Family Court and young adults in the District Courts in South Auckland.
Deteriorating and asbestos-riddled buildings on two former Manukau Institute of Technology sites in Ōtara, covering over eight hectares of Crown land, will be demolished to enable future housing redevelopment. The Government acquired these sites in 2019 through the Land for Housing Programme and is seeking zoning changes to repurpose the land from education to housing use. Preparations including project management appointments and contractor procurement will take about six months, followed by approximately 15 months for demolition and site remediation, with community updates planned throughout the process.
Deteriorating and asbestos-riddled buildings at two former Manukau Institute of Technology sites in Ōtara, covering over 8 hectares of Crown land, will be demolished to address safety concerns and enable future housing development. The government acquired these sites in 2019 through the Land for Housing Programme and is seeking to rezone them from education to housing uses, with demolition and site remediation expected to take about 21 months. Preparatory work, including appointing project management and securing consents, will take around six months, with demolition contracts to be tendered through LINZ to ensure experienced contractors and competitive pricing.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey launched Auckland's third mental health co-response team to provide timely, appropriate support for people in mental distress, reducing reliance on criminal justice responses. These teams, comprising police and mental health workers, operate during peak demand times and have already shown positive outcomes, including fewer emergency department referrals and increased wraparound support. Funded by a $28 million Budget 2025 investment, the initiative aims to roll out 10 such teams nationwide to improve crisis response for 111 mental health calls.
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has appointed District Court Judge Jonathan Moses as the first Chief Community Magistrate. Judge Moses, admitted to the bar in 1985 and a former UN senior trial attorney, was previously the Executive Judge of the Manukau District Court and a founding solicitor of the Mangere Community Law Centre. He will assume the role after a ceremonial sitting on May 27 at the Manukau District Court, highlighting the increasing significance of Community Magistrates.
Whangārei, Hutt Valley, and Hawke’s Bay hospitals will soon have peer support workers in their emergency departments, joining eight other hospitals already offering this service as part of a $61.6 million funding boost for better mental health crisis response. Peer support workers use their lived experience to help patients feel understood and supported during vulnerable times, improving connection to follow-up care and overall crisis support. This expansion aims to provide faster access to frontline workers and enhance mental health care across New Zealand.
A new 30-bed specialised spinal rehabilitation centre will be built at Manukau Health Park, replacing the outdated 20-bed Ōtara Spinal Unit and expanding rehabilitation capacity to improve patient care and ease pressure on Middlemore Hospital. This $128.5 million investment includes refurbishing Middlemore Hospital’s adult rehabilitation ward, resulting in a total of 58 rehabilitation beds to meet rising demand through 2040. The modern facility will feature enhanced therapy spaces, integrated clinical services, and improved patient access, reflecting a patient-centred design aligned with the new Model of Rehabilitation.
New Zealand has lowered the starting age for bowel screening from 60 to 58 across most regions, enabling around 40,000 more people to access early detection and potentially preventing hundreds of cancers and deaths over 25 years. The rollout is staged to ensure sufficient workforce and endoscopy capacity, with the FIT for Symptomatic pathway expanding nationwide to help detect bowel cancer earlier in symptomatic individuals and reduce unnecessary colonoscopies by at least 30%. These initiatives aim to improve cancer diagnostics and care, supporting earlier detection and better prioritization of patients to save more lives.
A new dedicated child mental health service, Te Ooritetanga oo ngaa Ratonga moo ngaa Tamariki, has been launched in Counties Manukau to provide faster access and early intervention for young people up to intermediate school age facing moderate to severe mental health challenges. This specialist team, part of the Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, includes a range of professionals and aims to support the region's rapidly growing youth population with wraparound care. Funded by an $18.7 million government investment, the initiative is part of a broader plan to expand the mental health workforce and improve crisis response to prevent youth from falling through the cracks.
Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey announced the launch of the first four mental health co-response teams in Canterbury, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, and Counties Manukau, pairing mental health workers with Police to better respond to 111 mental distress calls. These teams aim to provide immediate support and reduce reliance on criminal justice responses, improving outcomes by decreasing emergency department visits and use of Mental Health Act powers. Funded by a $28 million Budget 2025 investment, the initiative expands on previous pilots and is part of a broader government strategy to enhance crisis response and mental health services nationwide.
The Counties Manukau after-hours service in South and East Auckland now operates 24/7, providing urgent care at any time and reducing pressure on Middlemore Hospital's emergency department. This restoration reverses the 2020 closure and aligns with the Government's Urgent Care and After-Hours Framework, aiming to ensure 98% of New Zealanders live within an hour of urgent care. Similar expansions are planned nationwide to improve access and support rural communities.
New Zealand is expanding urgent care services with new 24/7 and extended-hour clinics opening in Dunedin, Hutt Valley, and other regions, supported by a $164 million government investment to improve access and reduce emergency department visits. The initiative aims for 98% of New Zealanders to access urgent care within one hour, with additional improvements planned for rural areas, including trials in six remote locations and enhanced after-hours pharmacy and diagnostic services. Efforts also focus on affordability through capped co-payments and subsidies, alongside ongoing collaboration with local providers to tailor services to community needs.
Women in Counties Manukau are now receiving specialist gynaecology care much sooner, with long waits for a first specialist assessment significantly reduced over the past year, according to Health Minister Simeon Brown. The number of women waiting over four months for their first gynaecology appointment dropped from over 305 to just 30, marking a 90.2 percent reduction. Counties Manukau clinicians and healthcare teams have played a crucial role in reducing waitlists through strategies like running extra weekend clinics and maximizing available clinic sessions, resulting in a 35.6 percent reduction in the total gynaecology waitlist.
Ten polytechnics will be re-established from 1 January 2026, aiming to restore regional decision-making and support economic growth, according to Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds. The move is part of building a locally led and future-focused vocational education system, following extensive industry feedback. The new federation will include ten polytechnics, with Te Pūkenga acting as a transitional entity for up to a year to manage unallocated programmes and support the handover process.