6. Question No. 6—HealthDr SHANE RETI (National) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 6—Health6. Dr SHANE RETI (National) to the Minister of Health: Does he consider recent health campaigns have been successful; if so how many people were employed under the Kiwi Health Jobs critical care nursing campaign to 30 June 2022?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): In response to the first part of the question yes. Recent health campaigns include the 2021 COVID-19 vaccination campaign the single biggest health campaign in the country's history. That campaign saw more than 11 million doses of the vaccine administered by a workforce of literally thousands of people many of whom were assembled especially for that campaign. Turning to the second part of the question the Kiwi Health Jobs critical care nursing campaign was one of several recruitment campaigns to recruit nurses from within and outside New Zealand. Between February and the end of June this year the campaign resulted in 175 applications for critical nurse positions—80 were withdrawn or declined; 46 candidates were referred to Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand; 25 candidates have indicated that they would be available more than 12 months from now; another 13 are at the interview stage; and yet another 14 are still being processed by Kiwi Health Jobs; 10 candidates are not critical care nurses but are being considered for other roles. It's not possible to say how many people were employed as a result of the campaign because the employment process for 62 applicants has not yet concluded. Ultimately New Zealand needs more nurses and this campaign is only one of a wider and ongoing workforce plan to train more nurses in New Zealand get nurses not currently practising back into the workforce and to attract nurses from overseas.Dr Shane Reti: Does he stand by his reply to written questions in April that a total of three people were employed under his critical care nurses Kiwi Health Jobs campaign?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The member may not have observed but it is currently August and in the months and weeks since April work continues including on nurse recruitment campaigns which is why many more people have been processed as a result of that campaign than was the case in April.Dr Shane Reti: How can he consider the measles catch-up campaign a success when he wrote to me that in the high measles risk area of Tai Rāwhiti only 28 people in the target group were vaccinated over the two years of the campaign?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The member highlights the very need for Te Aka Whai Ora the Māori Health Authority which that member and his party has opposed throughout. The reality is the equity performance of our health system when it comes to even childhood immunisations has been woeful and we need Māori leadership where it counts in the health system and now we will have it with Te Aka Whai Ora the Māori Health Authority.Dr Shane Reti: Is it correct that despite all the immunisation campaigns that he wrote to me about that child immunisation rates were falling before COVID and overall have fallen dramatically under this Government?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The member again highlights the point that even before COVID-19 there were real problems with our immunisation campaigns particularly for Māori and Pacific children. That's why this Government has made the commitment to improve the equity performance of our health system including by having Te Aka Whai Ora the Māori Health Authority which that member and his party has vociferously opposed.Dr Shane Reti: Did the measles catch-up campaign fail Māori in his hands when of the tens of thousands of Māori in the target group only 4000 were vaccinated over the two years of a $20 million campaign?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: It would be a failure if this country doesn't recognise that we have to do better when it comes to equity performance in our health system. That's why this Government has fronted up and we've established Te Aka Whai Ora the Māori Health Authority something that that member and his party deeply opposes.Dr Shane Reti: Does he stand by his claim in the House last week that the New Zealand Nurses Organisation came up with the idea of engaging with Shortland Street when they have published that It was actually the Ministry of Health team and not the New Zealand Nurses Organisation who suggested Shortland Street could be used as an aspect of the campaign." and that "There is no way it could accurately reflect what is happening for nurses."?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The Real Nurses campaign was a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation entered into at the request of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation. A steering group was established that had Nurses Organisation representation on it and part of the work of that steering group was in addition to developing a website reaching out through other channels to publicise the nature of nurses' work and it included as a result of advice from the creative agency that was assisting them establishing a relationship with Shortland Street. Everything that was done in that regard was fully known and understood by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation."