NZ News

Patients worry about rise of corporate-owned GP clinics, but they say judge us ‘on the outcomes’

Published

1 year ago

October 17, 2025

The traditional family doctor who knows you and your medical history (and probably your mum as well) is increasingly being replaced by corporate employees and video screens.

Lower Hutt resident Annette Campbell-Orpin is enrolled with High Street Health Hub, one of 65 clinics owned by Green Cross Health.

She and her husband both have chronic health conditions – but neither has a regular GP.

“You’re constantly explaining why you are on certain meds, you’re explaining your condition,” she said.

“You wonder if they even stop to take a look at your notes.

“You know you’ve only 15 minutes and they’re just rushing you through because you’re no longer a patient – you’re revenue.”

While everyone knew about the GP shortage and the pressure on primary care, patients still needed to be “treated like people”, she said.

“I fear one day there’s to be a big stuff up or a mix up where it may actually cost someone their life.”

Christchurch mum Georgie Hanafin (a producer with RNZ) has to make regular appointments because both she and her 11-year-old son need prescriptions for ADHD medication.

However, they rarely see the same doctor twice – or even one in the same city.

“When I want to get a repeat for his prescription, we go to the doctor, we sit in front of a TV screen and we get videoconferenced by a doctor in Wellington, who’s never met him.

“He’s autistic, so he’s already at a disadvantage in that he’s not going to trust anyone going near him if he doesn’t have a relationship with them.”

Georgie used to belong to Linwood Avenue Medical Centre.

“And it was great. They knew everyone, you had the same GP, and if you couldn’t get your GP, you got the one in the next room – but they still knew who you were.”

That changed after the practice was bought by the corporate provider, Tend, she said.

“Every time I go there it’s a completely different person. I have to explain the disabilities again, I have to provide context and background. It’s traumatising every single time that you have you go in.

“It’s also expensive, because if you need anything like a medication change or anything mental health wise – they need you to come back again and again and again.”

Corporate ownership increasing

The number of doctors working in GP-owned practices has dropped from 73 percent in 2015 to 64 percent in 2022, while the number employed by corporate-owned clinics doubled in the same period to 14 percent.

Former head of the senior doctors’ union, Ian Powell, a long-time critic of corporate ownership, said the drive to boost profits for shareholders could create “perverse incentives”.

“What can happen is the pressure is on to reduce the time for patient consultation in order to increase the number of patients who are enrolled with the practice, in order to get more funding through the capitation system.”

Capitation is the annual government funding for each enrolled patient, which rose 14 percent this year – but followed decades of underfunding.

A survey released this week by the General Practice Owners Association, GenPro, showed the financial position had worsened for one in four in the last year, with 18 percent making a loss.

GenPro chair Angus Chambers, said some were simply shutting their doors.

“Some of which would be GPs retiring, nobody wants to buy their practice so they’ve just closed it down, others have mergers, sometimes people have closed because it’s not viable.”

Continuity of care was being lost, which was deeply worrying because it was key to early intervention and reducing hospital admissions, he said.

“I think it can be brought back. The model will change, but it requires deliberate choice and funding.”

Even with the Budget bump this year, primary care’s share of funding was still half what it was most OECD countries, he said.

More than half of practices were currently looking for doctors, and competing with telehealth providers, which had a massive cash injection from the government to bolster hard-to-staff regions.

“It’s a vicious circle, isn’t it? You can’t get a GP rurally so they take one out of rural and put them into telehealth. It doesn’t actually improve anything, in fact it makes it worse, because the care that telehealth provides is not as good quality.”

Judge us on outcomes, corporates say

Green Cross medical director Dr Kim Hurst agreed that continuity of care was important – but given the nationwide shortage of 485 GPs, practices needed to provide it in a different way.

“So for example, if I’m off shift but there’s a paramedic or nurse practitioner or nurse prescriber who also knows that patient well and has been part of their care journey, they can provide continuity when I’m not available.”

Data from the College of General Practitioners showed GPs working in corporate-owned practices had the same workload as those in GP-owned practices, she said.

“We have to offer good working conditions or we wouldn’t have doctors wanting to work for us.”

Tend said its patient satisfaction rating of 95 percent showed its model was working well.

Chief medical officer Graham Denyer denied there was any pressure to shorten consultation times or grow at the expense of care.

“Every practice, whether you’re GP owned or not, has to be financially viable and offer quality care to patients, and those things are not mutually exclusive.”

In fact, Tend’s scale allowed it to offer patients a greater range of services and support, he said.

“‘Corporate’ is generally talked about as a dirty word in the general practice environment in New Zealand but I really disagree. I think that corporate general practice organisations – or in fact any general practice large or small – should really be judged on the outcomes.”

Tend encouraged patients with complex conditions to see the same GP or another practitioner in the team at every appointment, and that option was “absolutely available”.

“But for people with straight-forward problems like a UTI or a cough or a cold, they can be seen the quickest by whoever is available.”

Using a multidisciplinary team (including nurses, pharmacists, healthcare assistants and mental health professionals), ensured patients saw the right clinician for their particular need, and kept doctors’ expertise for complex cases.

The hybrid approach of both online and in-clinic appointments allowed patients to get same-day care when they needed it, while use of AI notation ensured whoever saw the patient had immediate access to their record.

Health NZ says work continues to increase access

Health NZ director of living well, Martin Hefford, said he was encouraged by the GenPro findings that most practices have not had to reduce services or opening hours, and that many were still accepting new enrolments.

“However, we are concerned by the number of practices that are increasing fees or are starting to charge for services that were previously free to patients.

“There is a lot of work underway to strengthen primary care, so all New Zealanders receive timely access to quality health care.”

As well as increasing funding and workforce development, and targeting more resources to clinics caring for high-needs patients and those in rural areas, the government was introducing a new national health target for more than 80 percemt of people to be able to see a primary care provider within one week, to take effect from July.

Regarding business model, general practices were independent businesses, he said.

“Health NZ is committed to ensuring that all New Zealanders have access to quality, accessible primary care, regardless of ownership structure. However, we are aware of developments in the sector and continue to engage with stakeholders to understand the impacts of these changes.

“In areas where general practice is less viable, such as parts of the West Coast, Health NZ has stepped in to directly fund and support services. This remains an option where needed to ensure continuity of care and uphold equity of access.

“We continue to work with the sector to strengthen workforce capacity, funding models that meet need and ensure that ownership models, whether corporate or small independent businesses, support the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders.”

Source: RNZ

Latest News

Police say person who fired gun at officers still at large

Published

3 days ago

November 12, 2026

News Staff

Police say a person who fired a gun at officers in Napier is still at large.

Eastern District Commander Superintendent Joel Lamb said Police tried to stop a vehicle in the Pirimai Area at about 10pm on Tuesday.

He said someone in the back seat pointed what was presumed to be a firearm at officers pursuing the vehicle.

“Staff have then heard two distinct gunshots as the firearm was discharged.

“Fortunately, neither of our officers were injured, and the patrol vehicle did not sustain any damage.”

He said hours later, the vehicle was seen travelling north on the Waikato Expressway towards Auckland.

Police seized the vehicle at an address in Manurewa, but they had not found the alleged offender.

Lamb said people who lived at the Manurewa address were engaging with Police.

He said Eastern District and Counties Manukau Police were making enquiries.

“Presenting a firearm at a Police officer is a serious escalation that puts our staff and the wider community at risk. This behaviour is entirely unacceptable.

“We are taking this incident extremely seriously and will be pursuing all lines of enquiry to locate the offender and hold them accountable.”

Police asked anyone who witnessed the incident to contact Police on 105 or online using the reference number 261111/3764.

Information could also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

rnz

Latest News

New Zealand sides named for RLWC finals

Published

3 days ago

November 11, 2026

News Staff

The players tasked with ending Australia’s Rugby League World Cup dominance have been named.

The Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns have announced their squads for this Sunday’s World Cup finals in Brisbane.

Both sides are chasing their first titles since 2008, and both are looking to end their opponents run of three crowns in a row.

“Our Kiwi Ferns have been so dominant in years gone by, and we want to bring dominance back to this jersey, so I think it will be a case of who wants it more,” said co-captain Georgia Hale of the impending clash.

The Kiwis get a major boost for the final as they welcome back Ronaldo Mulitalo after he served a one-match ban for a high tackle against Fiji Bati.

Mulitalo replaces Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who moves to the six-man bench, which again includes utility Te Maire Martin, middle forwards Naufahu Whyte, Erin Clark and Xavier Willison plus fullback Keano Kini.

Loose forward Joseph Tapine will make his 30th Test appearance in a familiar pack again, including second-rowers Isaiah Papali’i and Briton Nikora, and props James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota.

Winger Jamayne Isaako is on the cusp of claiming the New Zealand record for most Test points.

His five goals against Tonga lifted his career points tally to 225 – level with Shaun Johnson – while centre Casey McLean goes into the final with 16 tries in just eight Tests.

Fisher-Harris will again captain the team.

Fullback Ponga said the goal of the group was clear.

“We have high expectations around what we want to achieve, and obviously winning a world Cup is one of them.”

Meanwhile, Ricky Henry has selected a settled side to take on the Jillaroos, led by their lethal centre combination of Stacey Waaka and Mele Hufanga.

Veteran Apii Nicholls takes the number one jersey, Leianne Tufuga and Mackenzie Wiki on the wings.

Henry has stuck with his halves pairing of Chantay Kiria-Ratu and Raecene McGregor with Alexis Tauaneai, Georgia Hale and Otesa Pule up front.

Rounding out the starting pack is Shaniece Monschau, Kaiyah Atai, and Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa.

“We have been building well throughout the tournament; we understand the Jillaroos side, and will give it our all to make New Zealand proud this weekend,” said Henry.

RLWC Finals:

Kiwi Ferns vs Jillaroos- 6.10pm

Kiwis vs Kangaroos – 9.35pm

Sunday November 15

Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Live blog updates on RNZ

Kiwi Ferns:

1. Apii Nicholls 2. Leianne Tufuga 3. Mele Hufanga 4. Stacey Waaka 5. Mackenzie Wiki 6. Chantay Kiria-Ratu 7. Raecene McGregor 8. Alexis Tauaneai 9. Georgia Hale 10. Otesa Pule 11. Shaniece Monschau 12. Kaiyah Atai 13. Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa.

Interchange: 14. Ashleigh Quinlan 15. Annessa Biddle 16. Shannon Mato 17. Ivana Lauitiiti.

Reserves: 18. Brooke Anderson 19. Zahara Temara 20. Brianna Clark 21. Abigail Roache 22. Tenika Willison.

Kiwis:

1. Kalyn Ponga, 2. Jamayne Isaako, 3. Dane Gagai, 4. Casey McLean, 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo, 6. Kodi Nikorima, 7. Jahrome Hughes, 8. James Fisher-Harris (c), 9. Jeremy Marshall-King, 10. Moses Leota, 11. Isaiah Papali’i, 12. Briton Nikora, 13. Joseph Tapine (v/c).

Interchange: 14. Te Maire Martin, 15. Naufahu Whyte, 16. Erin Clark, 17. Xavier Willison.

Reserves: 18. Keano Kini, 19. Phoenix Crossland, 20. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 21. Scott Sorensen, 22. Leo Thompson.

rnz

Latest News

Opportunities to mitigate multi-million-dollar RNZ budget blowout likely missed – experts

Published

5 days ago

November 10, 2026

News Staff

Multiple opportunities to identify and mitigate a multi-million-dollar budget blowout at RNZ appear have been missed, according to the former executive director at Audit New Zealand.

The public broadcaster on Monday revealed a near $12 million shock financial loss after a litany of financial blunders, which will now lead to sweeping job cuts.

The $11.8m loss is more than 25 times the $470,000 RNZ had expected to lose over the year to June.

CEO Paul Thompson took responsibility for the result, and said internal reports gave an inaccurate picture of the finances, meaning the scale of the loss only became clear in October.

RNZ’s former chief financial officer Hilary Parker resigned unexpectedly in early October.

The board said it would commission an independent review into what went wrong.

Independent contractor Stephen Walker, who left the Audit Office earlier this year, said the size of the loss was surprising, as was the length of time it took to identify it – months after the financial year ended.

“Probably more of a concern is that they had seemingly been unaware that they were running up a significant deficit until they were in the preparation stage of their annual report in October.”

Walker said public entities typically produced monthly financial reports.

An interim audit also took place before the end of the financial year, he said, but if the organisation hadn’t identified significant losses at that stage, the auditor could also be in the dark.

“It seems that there’s a real weakness in forecasting and budgeting that’s occurred here and that the monthly accounts, when they’re produced, either haven’t identified these significant variances against budget or the magnitude of them really hasn’t come to light until right towards the end of the financial year,” Walker said.

“And really at that point, there’s no opportunity for the chief executive, the leadership team to take, and the board to take, any corrective action because the year has effectively been completed.”

Walker said the “significant miss” was difficult to account for given it was more than 10 percent of RNZ’s total funding.

He said based on RNZ’s annual report, financial complexity didn’t appear to be a factor.

“This $11.8m loss isn’t made up of one particular item … it seems to have been contributed to by a number of separate expense lines running over budget. So I don’t think it’s necessarily to do with complexity.”

Among the errors, RNZ wrongly counted $2m from land sales as income in its budget. Staff costs also came in $3.2m over budget, including $1.4m in redundancy payments.

Professor at Auckland University’s business school Norman Wong said based on media reports the issues identified were “significant and troubling”.

“But recognising the sale of land as income in their budget is a basic error that one would have expected to have been caught and corrected well before it got to this point.”

With funding reductions at RNZ over the past two years, Walker expected greater scrutiny of financial results.

“Virtually every public entity has had their annual budget reduced. And so you would expect … the leadership team on a monthly basis and board – I’m not sure how frequently the board will consider the information – but you would expect them to be interrogating the results on a regular basis throughout the year,” he said.

Walker said initiating an independent review was the correct course of action and that he’d want to understand what information the leadership team and the board were regularly receiving.

He said he’d “love to say” surprising financial results were rare, but conceded they occured on a semi-frequent basis during his time leading the Audit Office.

“The benefit of independent scrutiny by the Audit Office – and the auditors providing that support to the Auditor General – [is] that the reporting is fairly presented at the end of the year, whether it’s good, bad or ugly.”

rnz