Independent analysis has found that the Health Promoting Schools service is having a hugely positive impact on student outcomes, Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says.

Key findings in the analysis released today include that students in Health Promoting Schools have 29 per cent better reading performance, 60 per cent increased attendance and 42 per cent fewer stand-downs and or suspensions when compared to schools not participating.

“The Government has taken an evidence-based and targeted approach to health services,” Dr Coleman says.

“Health Promoting Schools was developed by the World Health Organization, and encouraging its uptake here in New Zealand was one of the deliverables in the Childhood Obesity Plan launched in 2015.

“The service, through the Ministry of Health, works with school leaders to identify health and wellbeing priorities for their students and to create and implement an action plan. It is a school-community-led process.

“Initially we set the goal of signing up 150 decile 1-4 schools to Health Promoting Schools, we’ve more than doubled that goal with 310 schools.

“As at the end of June 2017, there were 1,565 Health Promoting Schools in total across the country.

“We’re keen to see even more schools signing up to this clearly successful service.”

The independent analysis was carried out by Dr Heidi Leeson. It focused on 807 Health Promoting Schools and compared them with 1,132 other schools. The full report is available here.

An example of Health Promoting School in action - Northland

Waiharara School is a decile 1, year 1-8 primary school in Kaitaia, Northland, with a 100 per cent Maori roll of 17 students. A new principal, faced with less than 10 per cent whanau engagement and a roll declining at 45 per cent a year, engaged the Health Promoting Schools service in 2016.

Students were encouraged to find out what hauora or health meant to the wider school-community. Students highlighted the importance of physical, spiritual, family/whānau and mental health. They identified the need for a student-led local curriculum that builds on their prior knowledge and physical environment.

The school then developed some health and wellbeing priorities including students taking control of their own learning. One outcome was a school trip organised by two students to clean up a local beach for Seaweek.

The process increased whanau engagement to 90 per cent and turned around the declining roll so that it is now increasing by 42 per cent a year. There is evidence of accelerated learning for at-risk students. Year 1 students are now achieving at, or above, the national standard.

Improving boys’ writing is a current focus. An Education Review Office report in February 2017 said, “Children benefit from a settled and positive school tone. They are confident, capable learners”.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the launch of Lifekeepers, a new suicide prevention training programme, will help communities build the capability and capacity to support people at risk of suicide.

“Suicide has a devastating ripple effect across communities, not just for those who die by suicide, but for their families, friends, colleagues, neighbours and the wider community,” says Dr Coleman.

“No single person or organisation can prevent suicide. It is a whole of society problem and we all need to be involved, from Government agencies to employers, friends and families.

“The Lifekeepers programme is about increasing participants’ understanding of suicide risk factors, helping them identify signs that an individual may be at risk of suicide and teaching them the skills to intervene safely and constructively.

“This programme has been developed with input from both clinical experts and academics as well as people who have dealt with suicide first hand.

“The first Lifekeepers workshops are starting this month and the full programme, once complete, will offer a range of modules including face-to-face workshops, online learning modules, refresher courses and post training follow-ups.”

The programme will be delivered throughout New Zealand by the national health provider Le Va free of charge and will focus on vulnerable communities. The training has been prepared for a New Zealand context and uses cultural health models and concepts.

“New Zealand has had a long-term commitment to suicide prevention, and recently consulted on a draft suicide prevention strategy,” says Dr Coleman.

“All submissions received during the consultation on the draft strategy are being collated and considered. The submissions will be incorporated into the final advice provided to the Government later this year and will help inform the wider mental health work currently underway.”

The Life keepers training programme receives $530,000 per year which is an increase of $250,000 per year from previous years.

The Government invested $224 million into mental health at Budget 2017. This includes $100 million which is being invested into 17 new initiatives which signal a move towards a great focus on prevention and earlier intervention, as well as building resilience.

This investment through Budget 2017 builds on the $1.4 billion spent on mental health and addiction services in the last year.

Canterbury is to receive a new purpose built specialist mental health facility valued at up to $57 million, taking the region’s hospital rebuild to well over $1 billion Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says.

Dr Coleman made the announcement with Prime Minister Bill English in Christchurch today.

“The Government’s ongoing commitment to Canterbury’s recovery is demonstrated by its delivery of the region’s mammoth hospital redevelopment project,” Dr Coleman says.

“With $215 million of new hospital facilities at Burwood opened, the $463 million Acute Services Building and $72 million Outpatients facility due to be completed in 2018, we’re able to confirm the next stage of the redevelopment project.

“There’s a compelling case for services to be moved out of The Princess Margaret Hospital and into a purpose built facility.

“The Indicative Business Case for new facilities for mental health services, approved today, outlines two options for services to be relocated to the Hillmorton Hospital Campus.

“The options include different combinations of rebuild and refurbishment costing between $47 million and $57 million and will be built within three years.

“In the meantime, Canterbury DHB will maintain the facility at The Princess Margaret Hospital for patients and staff until the move.”

Canterbury DHB provides specialist inpatient mental health services for the South Island, including a dedicated mums and babies unit, Child Adolescent and Family services and an eating disorders unit.

It also houses the Seager Clinic for long term rehabilitation. These services are all currently housed at The Princess Margaret Hospital.

“An independent clinical review found more work needs to be done with South Island DHBs on the best way for the regional services to be delivered to Canterbury people and the rest of the South Island over the next 50 years," Dr Coleman says.

“With this in mind the next step is that a decision will be made as to which of the options outlined is best.

“The DHB will then work on the details and timelines in the detailed business case.”

The Government invested $224 million into mental health at Budget 2017. This includes $100 million which is being invested into 17 new initiatives which signal a move towards a great focus on prevention and earlier intervention, as well as building resilience.

This investment through Budget 2017 builds on the $1.4 billion spent on mental health and addiction services in the last year.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the number of people signing up for a patient portal at their general practice has more than doubled over the last year.

“Patient portals are convenient, secure and real time savers for both patients and general practice staff,” says Dr Coleman.

“Portals enable patients to access their personal health information whenever they need it. Patients can book appointments, request repeat prescriptions, and message staff securely from their laptop or smartphone.

“Uptake continues to go well. There were 233,839 registrations between June 2016 and June this year, taking the total patient portal users to 407,049.

“This means over 400,000 New Zealanders are now able to access to their own health information and play a greater part in managing their own health and wellbeing.

“GP practice staff are also embracing patient portals because it saves time on administrative tasks, creates efficiencies, and gives them more time with patients. Staff have said it's easy to use and gives patients a lot more control over their healthcare.

“Nearly half of all general practices now offer patient portals, with 471 general practices offering the service, up from 335 in June 2016.

“Patient portal registrations are encouraging, but we’d like to see even more practices putting portals in place and people signing up for them.

“They make things easier for everyone, whether you’re a patient, clinician or practice administrator.”

In 2015 a $3 million funding boost from the Government gave more New Zealanders access to patient portals, this included $500,000 for an awareness campaign.

An interactive map was launched online last year to make it easier for patients to check which general practices offer portals. For more information go to: www.patientportals.co.nz

Over the next four years National will further increase the number of elective surgeries to 200,000 a year, ensuring access to life-changing operations like hip replacements for thousands more New Zealanders.

“Under National, access to elective surgery has increased every year, and we will continue to do more,” Health spokesperson Jonathan Coleman says.

“Elective surgery makes a real difference to patients and their families – it reduces pain, restores independence and improves quality of life. 

“As New Zealanders live longer, access to elective surgery is becoming more important than ever. Doing more is crucial.

“Health has been National’s top funding priority in Government, and our strong economy has allowed us to continuously increase access to world-class health services like elective surgeries in a sustainable manner.

“When we came into office there were 118,000 elective surgeries being delivered each year and they were increasing by only 1,400 a year.

“We’ve changed that. Under National the number of elective surgeries carried out by DHBs has increased by 56,000 to 174,000 surgeries every year and they're expected to reach 178,000 this year.

“That’s tens of thousands more life changing operations such as joint replacements, cataracts, cancerous skin lesions and cardiac surgeries – and we are committed to doing more. 

“Over the next four years we will increase the number of elective surgeries by an average of 5,500 more operations a year meaning we will be doing 200,000 elective surgeries a year by 2021/2022.

“To support this National will increase spending on elective surgery by $30 million per year for the next four years, rising to $120m per year by 2020/21 - part of our record investment in health.

“This is a significant increase and demonstrates our commitment to further increasing access to healthcare for New Zealanders.

“Only National can manage the economy while also continuing to increase access to the world-class health services people need,” Dr Coleman says.

The Labour Party has been trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes with its mythical $8 billion extra health spend, National Party Health spokesman Dr Jonathan Coleman says.

“The ‘$8 billion more’ health spending argument is smoke and mirrors. They are simply rolling out normal baseline increases and comparing them with a mythical situation of an alternative government that apparently doesn’t add a single dollar to health expenditure for four years. That’s laughable and has simply never happened,” Dr Coleman says.

“The Labour massive extra spending myth also shows up in the amount of new budget money they propose to add each year. Labour is planning to add less in health for each year in the next four years than the National Government has added in the last budget alone. 

National new budget operating spend (actual):

• 2017/18        $879 million

Labour proposed new budget operating spend: 

• 2018/19        $847 million
• 2019/20        $689 million
• 2020/21        $826 million
• 2021/22        $795 million

“The reality is every government makes big increases to the health budget. Of course it’s all about what you do with the money rather than the money itself. And the National Government has an absolute focus on lifting results from the health investments we make. 

“The irony is that whether you measure by our respective history of results or just the dollars, when you compare Labour’s proposed plan with National’s track record New Zealanders would receive less from the health sector under Labour.”

National will progressively extend Paid Parental Leave to 22 weeks as part of its Parents and Newborns Package designed to support families to grow and stay healthy, while also putting more money into their pockets.

“National will share the dividends of a growing economy, with more support for families with newborns in a new package made possible only by the improving government finances,” Women Spokesperson Paula Bennett says.

National’s Parents and Newborns Package will: 

• Progressively extend Paid Parental Leave to 22 weeks over two years, with an initial step of 2 weeks on 1 July 2018 followed by a further two weeks on 1 July 2019

• Add flexibility to Paid Parental Leave, by allowing both parents to take some of the 22 weeks off at the same time so they can be at home with their baby together

• Support women to take care of their own health by offering them one free dental course during pregnancy and up to their baby’s first birthday

• Give more families a chance to have a baby by providing a third free IVF cycle, and speeding up access to fertility treatment for eligible couples

Mrs Bennett says this package which make a huge difference for thousands of families during a vital stage in their lives.

“National’s Parents and Newborns package recognises the role of both parents, and allows families to have the flexibility that suits their circumstances. It is good for parents, good for their baby and will help support women in the workforce,” Mrs Bennett says.

Workplace Relations and Safety Spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says National has always wanted to increase Paid Parental Leave in a responsible way.

“We’ve already increased it to 18 weeks and widened the criteria for those that can access it – the improving fiscal outlook means we can now extend Paid Parental Leave further,” Mr Woodhouse says.

Health Spokesperson Dr Jonathan Coleman says that a growing economy is allowing National to help to grow and support new families.

“All New Zealanders deserve the chance to have a family so we are also pleased to be able to further stand behind people struggling to conceive, through funding for an extra IVF for those who need it,” Dr Coleman says. 

“We also want to support pregnant women and new mothers take care of their health.

“As pregnancy can lead to dental problems for some women, we will fund one dental course for all pregnant women and mothers up until the babies first birthday, including a check-up and any resulting x-rays, extractions and fillings. 

“National believes in supporting families to have healthy babies who grow up to be healthy kids, and we are making real progress.

“Around 94 per cent of 8 month olds are now immunised and around 800,000 children under 13 are benefiting from free GP visits and prescriptions.”

Mrs Bennett says the Parents and Newborns Package will ensure parents can spend more time at home supporting each other and bonding with their babies in those important and stressful early months, and we will help them stay healthier.

“National will continue to ensure the benefits of our growing economy are passed on to families,” Mrs Bennett says.

The Parents and Newborns Package will come into effect on 1 July 2018. It is expected to cost $88 million per year from 2019/2020 once 22 weeks of Paid Parental Leave is fully implemented. 

Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges and Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman welcome the fifth Audi quattro Winter Games New Zealand, which officially opens tonight at Coronet Peak.

“Hosting the Winter Games in New Zealand is a great opportunity to showcase our country in terms of both winter tourism and international snow sports competitions,” says Mr Bridges.

“The last Winter Games in New Zealand in 2015 attracted around 2,000 international visitors including athletes, coaches, media and spectators. 

“The Games include international competition in alpine skiing, freeskiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, freeride, curling, and ice hockey.

“This year’s Games runs from today to the 10th of September at locations in and around Queenstown, Wanaka and Naseby. They have gone from strength to strength since their inception in 2009, and there are now plans to make them an annual event.

“The Government has contributed $1.25 million towards the hosting of this year’s games through the Major Events Development Fund.”

“The Games are one of the world’s top five winter sports competitions and the only one in the Southern Hemisphere,” says Dr Coleman.

“This year’s Winter Games are a critical event for Kiwi athletes hoping to qualify for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“On top of the major events funding, the Government has also provided funding of $20,000 to Snow Sports NZ through Sport NZ to help deliver a Continental Cup event in the lead up to the Winter Games.

“The Continental Cup is a great opportunity for our winter athletes who are just shy of qualifying for the Winter Games to get across the line, while also taking advantage of the infrastructure put in place for the games.

“It’s also great for our Olympic hopefuls to include a home event of this stature in their preparation for PyeongChang, and for local fans have the opportunity to enjoy the sport.”

For further information on the Winter Games visit www.wintergamesnz.kiwi/

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says $6.5 million will be invested into the adult cochlear implants programme to increase access.

“For those with profound hearing loss cochlear implants can be a life changing procedure,” says Dr Coleman.

“Access to funded cochlear implants have increased significantly under this Government. In 2014 we expanded the children’s programme so our under 18s could receive bilateral implants, with no waiting list.

“In 2013 we also increased the number of funded cochlear implants for adults from 20 to 40 a year. However, we want even more adults to benefit.

  “That’s why we’re investing an extra $6.5 million into the adult programme for 2017/2018. This will increase the Cochlear Implant Programme's total funding to $14.93 million.

“The total number of funded cochlear implants for adults will go from 40 to 100 for 2017/2018, an increase of 150 per cent.

“The investment will also increase the capacity within the system and cover the additional audiology and rehabilitation time required to support such a massive uplift.

“I have also asked officials for advice around how we can better structure the funding model for this important service going forward.”

The extra $6.5 million will come from reprioritisation within Vote Health.

Notes to Editors

Around 86 New Zealanders receive funded cochlear implants each year. Up to 16 are infants, 30 are children aged 2-18 years and 40 are adults.

There are currently around 224 adults on the waiting list for a funded cochlear implant.

A cochlear implant costs about $45,000 for surgery, implant and switch-on.

The processors need to be replaced about every six to seven years, which costs about $10,000 each time.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman has announced $500,000 to enhance Snow Sports New Zealand’s high performance training facilities.

“With the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games just around the corner, it’s important that our athletes have a state-of-the-art facility to give them the best chance of selection and medal success,” says Dr Coleman.

The $500,000 from Sport New Zealand will go towards the facilities at Cardrona Alpine Resort in Wanaka for snowboarding and skiing.

“This new facility is the benchmark for world-class year-round training for these sports,” says Dr Coleman.

“It combines the latest new dry-slope technology with both a Progression Landing Bag and an Acrobag – these customised airbags significantly reduce injury risk by providing a softer, low-friction surface.

“Having this facility in New Zealand will also mean our athletes can spend more time training at home rather than being based overseas.

“The Government’s investment is the latest in a significant funding program to enhance the daily training environment of New Zealand’s elite athletes.

“Over the last seven years around $35 million has been invested into a range of facilities including the Avantidrome in Cambridge; the Rowing High Performance Centre at Lake Karapiro; the National Training Centre (including the aquatic centre) at the AUT Millennium Institute in Auckland; and satellite centres in Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch.

“These facilities not only support our athletes, but also host a range of national and international events that provide a boost to the local economy.”