Health Minister Blames Delays on Officials Amid Cuts to Health NZ

The ongoing tension between New Zealand’s Health Minister Simeon Brown and the Public Service Association (PSA) has come to the forefront as the minister attributes delays in responding to Official Information Act (OIA) requests to bureaucratic inefficiencies. However, union representatives argue that these delays are a direct result of significant cuts to health sector resources implemented by the government.

The Ombudsman has been compelled to intervene regarding the protracted release of official documents linked to an OIA request that originated in March 2025. Final documents related to this request were not disclosed until November 2025, prompting criticism from various quarters. The Ombudsman noted that the delays were partly due to a spike in OIA requests associated with government health reforms, which have strained available resources.

In a statement, the Ombudsman’s office indicated that Health NZ had expressed a commitment to prioritizing improvements to its proactive release programme. This initiative aims to ensure future publications are timely, accurate, and comprehensively supported.

Critics highlight that the minister’s claims fail to acknowledge the broader implications of his government’s austerity measures. A representative from the PSA emphasized that “the minister cannot keep demanding savings and then blame officials when the impacts of cuts are felt.” Over 2,000 positions have been eliminated within Health NZ through early exits, voluntary redundancies, and unfilled vacancies, affecting teams responsible for official information requests and critical expertise.

The call for transparency has gained momentum, particularly from Carmel Sepuloni, the deputy leader of the Labour Party. She asserted that the current situation is indicative of systemic issues within the government, stating, “We’re concerned this is not the exception, this is not a one-off. We’re seeing this more and more with health in particular, but across many of the government agencies.”

Sepuloni pointed out that cuts have primarily targeted back-office staff, which include those essential for responding to OIA requests. “Now they’re in a position that they can’t respond to what they’re legally required to respond to in the period of time stipulated in the law,” she added.

The Labour deputy leader further stressed that New Zealand has a longstanding reputation for transparency, which is now at risk due to the government’s policies. She stated, “This government is undermining the Official Information Act, which plays a critical role in enabling public participation and holding ministers and officials accountable.”

In response to the criticisms, Minister Brown asserted that Health NZ had informed him it was sufficiently resourced to fulfill its obligations under the OIA. He expressed that his expectations for compliance and improvement remain high. “Health NZ has been working to improve processes around the proactive release of information as well as regularly updating publicly available data,” he noted.

The timeline of delays highlights a troubling trend. RNZ initially requested documents regarding the government’s newly announced 24/7 telehealth service in March 2025. This request was initially denied, with Health NZ claiming it did not possess relevant procurement or planning information that would not jeopardize commercial negotiations. However, subsequent documents revealed that Health NZ had not employed a competitive process, raising questions about its transparency.

Further complications arose when a follow-up request made in September 2025 regarding the release of outstanding documents was treated as a new OIA request. Eventually, three of the five documents from the second tranche were released by mid-October, while the remaining two were only made available in November.

As the situation unfolds, the dialogue surrounding health sector transparency in New Zealand continues to intensify, with calls for accountability directed at both the minister and the health agencies involved. The implications of these delays not only affect public trust but also pose challenges to the framework of governmental transparency that is crucial for democratic engagement.