Labour's Andrew Little

The impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle have continued to be a major priority for the New Zealand Government, as they are likely to continue to be for the foreseeable future. 

Recent photographs and examinations have revealed just how bad the extent of the damage has been, with areas in the west coast of Auckland and east coast of the North Island drastically affected. 

The government's plan is slowly being solidified and outlined, as discussed by defence minister Andrew Little in his chat with Tuva’a Clifton this morning. 

New Zealanders living with Cystic Fibrosis have recently revied a sense of relief thanks to the approval of funding Trikafta. 

The drug treats the underlying causes of the disease, but has been largely unattainable due to its high cost until now. 

This and more was covered in Tuva'as last chat with Health Minister Andrew Little for this year.

New reports have recently revealed that, despite the government's investments into mental health, there are the same number of acute mental health beds available in Aotearoa as there were five years ago. 

This report has also come as new ministry of health figures have shown some improvements to the general health sector since 2017, as well as new possibilities for pharmacists to treat minor ailments. 

All that and more was covered in Tuva's chat with Health Minister Andrew Little for this week. 

Tuva'a has his weekly catch-up with Andrew Little from the Labour party, this week talking about the capacity of our mental health system.