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Francesca Rudkin: Health is a priority in National's Ministerial reshuffle · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Like many of us, over the summer, Prime Minister Christopher
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Luxon used his downtime to reflect on the year that
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: had been, and, like many of us, put together his
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: in and outlist for twenty twenty five. This is the
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: way the young people do New Year's resolutions these days,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: but what's in and out to corner new rather crude spin.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Yesterday afternoon, when he announced a reshuffle of ministerial roles
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: for national MPs, Melissaly lost all her portfolios. Matt Doocy
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: is handing over acc Tourism and Hospitality and Youth to
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  Speaker 1: various other MPs to focus on his mental health and
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  Speaker 1: Associate Health roles, and doctor Shane Retti passes on the
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: health portfolio to Simeon Brown, instead picking up a new
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: university's role plus science, innovation and technology. The emphasis on
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: health and economic growth is not a surprise, and while
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: the Prime Minister continues to express confidence in Retty spoke
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: of his achievements last year, it's clear he's decided his
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: ministerial skills are better used elsewhere. However, the health goals remain.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: What the government wants to see is fast a cancer treatment,
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: short stays in eds, shorter wait times to see a GP,
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  Speaker 1: get specialist appointments, or get an elective treatment. But health
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  Speaker 1: is a beast of a portfolio and obviously it became
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: clear to the Prime Minister that the New Zealand public
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  Speaker 1: is not impressed with the speed of progress towards these targets.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: I appreciate Luckson's loyalty. Others questioned Retty's performance last year,
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  Speaker 1: but loyalty doesn't get the job done, and Luxon needs
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  Speaker 1: a political operator who can, in his words, deliver and execute.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: Step On up then the delivery man, Simeon Brown. Prime
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  Speaker 1: Minister Luxon described Doc Dirretty as a top quality human
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  Speaker 1: being in a team player when asked how he took
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: the news and look, I couldn't agree more. He's a
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  Speaker 1: good guy. I've always found him to be thoughtful, dignified,
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  Speaker 1: his intentions, genuine and knowledgeable on the health system. But
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: he wasn't quite as good at communicating how things were
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: moving forward and simple, decisive, reassuring soundbites. Yes there were wins,
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  Speaker 1: such which is the announcement of cancer drugs, another seventeen
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: billion been thrown in health over three years, and suggestion
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  Speaker 1: of change in culture at Health New Zealand. But these
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  Speaker 1: can't compete with headline grabbing issues. The system is facing
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: things like staff shortages, government issues, funding deficits in the
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  Speaker 1: proposed scale back to Dunedin's hospital rebuilt on top of that,
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  Speaker 1: too many frontline and senior clinicians said doctor Retti was
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: out of his depth. I wonder if doctor Etti is
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  Speaker 1: quietly signed with relief at being moved on from a
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  Speaker 1: portfolio often seen as a poison chalice. As Claire Trevet
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  Speaker 1: calls it. He might not have had the mongrel to
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  Speaker 1: get health under control quickly enough for the national leader,
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  Speaker 1: but that's not to say he won't be effective in
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  Speaker 1: his new roles. Well, the Prime Minister has previously said
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: he sees no need for a reshuffle. This actually is
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  Speaker 1: a positive start to twenty twenty five for Luxin sure,
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  Speaker 1: if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but if you
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  Speaker 1: think you can do better, then hell yeah, let's go.
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  Speaker 1: Hopefully we will get a more efficient health system out
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  Speaker 1: of it. For more from early edition with Ryan Bridge.
• 3:08
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