Simeon Brown says he knows he has a lot to learn as he comes to grips with the Health portfolio. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The newly minted Health Minister says the buck will stop with him on delivering better healthcare for all New Zealanders.
Simeon Brown was handed the portfolio, often referred to as a poisoned chalice or hospital pass, by the Prime Minister in a new year reshuffle.
He takes on the job from Dr Shane Reti - a Northland GP - who Brown says he respects and continues to seek advice from.
"I've got a lot I need to learn, obviously Shane is someone I'll be engaging with. I need to build my knowledge," Brown told RNZ in a sitdown interview this week.
He sees the role as a "huge opportunity" and a portfolio that matters to every New Zealander.
"It's a privilege and a huge responsibility to be appointed Minister of Health.
"My real focus, as I've said, is to make sure we as a government can deliver timely and quality access to healthcare for all New Zealanders."
Lester Levy Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
A commissioner was put in at Health NZ under Reti's watch in July after several board members chose not to be reappointed and the books showed a significant deterioration in finances.
Lester Levy, who had recently been appointed chair of Health NZ, was elevated to commissioner for a 12-month term.
With his tenure coming to an end in July, Brown has to decide whether to keep him in the job or not.
"I think he's highly experienced and he understands health really well and it's a huge part of what government does.
"He's got a huge task ahead of him with his deputy commissioners."
Brown told RNZ one of the key issues he needs to think about is what the governance of Health NZ looks like in the future.
Health NZ chief executive Margie Apa has faced criticism in her role given how out of hand the deficit had got before ministers, or the board, were made aware.
Brown said Apa's ongoing employment at Health NZ since July has been an issue for the commissioner, not the minister.
"I've been clear about my views that there needs to be change across the leadership of health in New Zealand," he said.
Apa's term is due to end in June.
Experience as parent and patient
While Brown says he doesn't have the medical knowledge of his predecessor Reti, he has experienced the healthcare system as a parent and patient, which is how he plans to prioritise fixing it.
"I've got three young children so we use the health system on a regular basis. I'm also a local member of government and through that have helped a lot of people to get the access they need."
He says he's seen the challenges and problems and "my focus is making sure the patients' view and concerns and needs are a top priority".
One of the biggest problems he's identified through the briefings he's had so far are how long patients are waiting in emergency departments to be seen.
"When National was last in government I think it was consistently above 90 percent being seen within six hours, and now that's clearly down in the 70s, and that's not good enough."
Brown also wants to shake up primary healthcare.
"It's not just about making sure the hospitals are there working, but how do we invest in prevention and get better access to GPs."
Brown also wants more of the good health stories to be told.
"There's hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who use the health system every year, whether it's hospital care or electives... we've made new treatments available through investment in cancer drugs.
"There's a lot of good stories around what that investment is doing, and I think we need to do that more, actually tell that story," he says.
On the flipside Brown acknowledges an ageing population and workforce challenges put a negative spotlight on health.
"Those issues are always going to mean there are challenges around increasing cost and our ability to deliver, and we have to be realistic."
