Never There

The coalition fails to show.

On the phone, long, long distance
Always through such strong resistance
First you say you’re too busy
I wonder if you even miss me

Never there
You’re never there
You’re never ever, ever, ever, there

Songwriter: John M. McCrea.

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Three notable events this week: the Living Wage meeting Lyndy wrote about yesterday, a crisis meeting at North Shore Hospital, and the annual Koroneihana gathering in the Waikato. They all had something in common.

You can probably guess: the common factor was that the Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, his deputy, David Seymour, and Winston Peters didn’t turn up to any of them. Neither did senior government ministers such as Simeon Brown, Chris Bishop, or Nicola Willis. So much for being representatives of the people.

Yesterday, 1 News covered Sophie Tomes, a nurse with three years of experience, who said the workload can be crushing, and she has shifts she described as “traumatic”.

Nurse Sophie Tomes, with three years of experience, said the workload can be crushing and that she has shifts she described as “traumatic”. (Source: 1News)

I wrote:

All the trickle-down bullshit in the world is not enough to justify our nurses being traumatised by their workload. I hope voters think of people like Sophie when they vote. National and ACT failed to turn up. Just like they’ve been failing to turn up for our public service since day one.

We heard that five hours into a 12-hour shift, Sophie was in such extreme pain that she ended up in the emergency department herself with appendicitis and then had to wait more than 24 hours in the corridors of the hospital before having surgery.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) delegate Lesley Pook, a nurse for 35 years, said that this year was the worst she’s ever seen in our health system.

NZNO delegate Lesley Pook has worked as a nurse for 35 years. (Source: 1News)

Lesley said that, “We had to defer 500 patients from across Waitematā in the last month.” That’s an awful lot of people they couldn’t see but who needed care.

I was shocked when I heard her say, “We were told by someone in upper management that we weren't allowed to give gold standard care anymore. We had to be giving bronze care. Which, to me, is unacceptable.”

I’ve worked in sectors where things had to be rushed and weren’t given the care they needed, but there is a big difference between releasing software with known problems and giving patients “bronze” or third-rate care. These nurses didn’t sign up to be told to be less thorough and to give patients less attention than needed; it must be awful and go against everything they believe.

Here’s the report from 1 News, who I’ve got to say continue to do excellent work covering the crisis in our health system:

Wayne commented, “Can people not see the dedication of these nurses and yet they are still underfunded, underpaid and have spent the last three years living on the false promises of this government. Time for a change.”

Alex wrote, “I was up at the Waikato Hospital ED Tuesday night; the nurses said it’s been non-stop for the last few months, 24/7...”

Multiple issues are at play, but Simeon Brown's decision to run the health service as leanly as possible has meant it fell apart when this particularly bad flu struck.

Yes, there are issues with people not being able to afford to see a Doctor, or being unable to get an appointment for weeks. People can’t afford emergency clinics like White Cross, so they end up in hospitals which have insufficient bed space, doctors, and nurses to provide the healthcare they need.

The Nurses Organisation invited all parties to attend, and Labour's Shanan Halbert, New Zealand First's Daryl Harbraken, the Greens' Hūhana Lyndon, and Opportunity's Daniel Eb were all there to hear about the issues.

National and ACT failed to show, and Leslie Pook, the veteran nurse mentioned above, said they “should be really ashamed”. I completely agree; imagine being the Minister of Health when a crisis meeting is being held and being too busy to attend. It beggars belief; what could be more important than that?

Maybe Simeon had confession; I can imagine that taking a while, but surely he could have sent someone in his place. David Seymour, the associate Health Minister, wasn’t available either and couldn’t send anyone in his place, which is a bit more understandable given the composition of his caucus - yikes, I wouldn’t put those people in front of anyone either.

And so their seats remained empty, just like the BHN debates they pulled out of, or the Living Wage meeting, or Koroneihana.

Sam Collins, Labour’s candidate for the North Shore, posted:

“Tonight the nurses from North Shore Hospital held a Public Meeting to share with the community the pressure our system is under and how it’s putting patients at risk. They also invited the local MPs and candidates from all parties. Simon Watts and Dan Bidois were both invited, along with the ACT representatives. None turned up. Each week, they sit in Cabinet and caucus with Health Minister Simeon Brown. They had the chance to commit to better care. They still have the chance to convince their colleagues to listen to these nurses. They won’t, but luckily you also have a chance to vote for better. Vote for a party that cares enough to turn up, fund our healthcare system, and listen to our nurses.”

Imagine you were a hard-working nurse who came to share these really important issues about the health crisis, only to find that the government couldn’t even be bothered to show up and listen.

This week has seen Koroneihana, and early this afternoon, Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po will give her address. The contrast between her integrity and mana and that of the government will no doubt bring a range of emotions.

Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po. Photo: Birdwood School.

Once again, Christopher Luxon was not there, supposedly because he was still returning from the Pacific Islands Forum, to which he and Winston took two separate military craft and still managed to miss the main event. It sounded like a crock to me, as if Luxon preferred to enjoy the warm weather a bit longer rather than face a cold reception; I mean, the flight would have left whenever he wanted.

In Luxon’s place, he sent Tama Potaka as National’s token representative. Seymour was even worse. Failing to attend himself, he sent Karen Chhour, who must still be wondering how on earth she became an MP, as anyone would after hearing her speak.

Needless to say, Labour and the Greens were fully represented:

The two parties that want to represent all New Zealanders were there to listen, which is the focus of the Friday session when politicians are welcomed; not so much to speak - this is not a time for political slogans, but to listen.

Josephine, who had been watching live, said, “It was awesome to see Te Pāti Reipa and Te Pāti Kākariki being represented well, with both leaders present. It was noticeable that the government leaders weren’t there, although I heard Winston Peters had intended to be there but was unwell.”

She continued, “Chippy spoke well after Kingi Kiriona, the Labour candidate for Hauraki-Waikato, but the whaikōrero I really loved was from Tuku Morgan. He ripped the government a new one. He threw the wero (challenge) down to the opposition parties, and he encouraged everyone to get enrolled and vote, baby vote.”

You can watch that speech from Tuku Morgan here, and I really recommend you do:

Those who need a living wage, nursing staff who need help, and Māoridom, which is sick of the constant attacks from this government, deserve more than empty chairs where their leaders should be. They deserve to be listened to by the people who lead them, at the very least.

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If you have a Gold Card, are a student, or are unwaged, there is a 15% discount.

Have a great Saturday, all of you lovely people.

Ngā mihi,
Nick.

To end today, it’s Cake, as in “this government says let them eat…” with Never There. If you’re Gen X, you probably love this band; I hope others enjoy it too.