The Wire with Caeden

A recent review of Pharmac, also known as Te Pātaka Whaioranga,  has found their current approach not fit for purpose, calling for an overhaul of their strategy and internal culture. 

The pharmaceutical management agency faced criticism last year as a result of a lack of credibility and inconsistency of services. 

With the proposal this week to scrap Pharmac’s Māori directorate, concerns were especially emphasised about the equitable outcomes for Maaori and Pasifika populations.

While the aim of the independent review was to look into ways to improve the services of Pharmac, it found that staff were sceptical that any meaningful changes could occur.

Producer Sara spoke with University of Auckland’s Professor of Health Economics Paula Lorgelly about the review and what changes are necessary. She started by asking about the key findings

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March, Oto spoke to him about the government’s pre-budget announcement and cuts to the operating allowance, as well as the government rejection suggestions to review carbon subsidies and the Greens’ call to ban engineered stone products.

He spoke to PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimmons (Fit-Simons) for a follow up conversation about the pre-budget announcement.

And, for this week’s Get Action! He speak to Volunteer president of the Associated New Zealand ME Society Fiona Charlton about a petition to roll back the government’s benefit cuts for people experiencing long term hospitalisation.

Max spoke to Tania Sawicki Mead, Head of Communications at UNICEF Aotearoa, about the announcement that UNICEF would be launching a groundbreaking project to 3D print prosthetic limbs for war-injured children in Gaza.

And he spoke to Larah van de Meer, Research and Advocacy Manager at Autism New Zealand, about the recent study by the University of Otago, that showed that autistic pupils attend school at a noticeably lower rate than non-autistic students.

The change to subsidising teachers registration fees has been well received by teachers across the country. A long anticipated change, it should eliminate a barrier to new teachers and a hurdle for existing teachers to cover.

Education minister Erica Stanford also recently announced new classroom upgrades across the country to areas facing more overcrowding. Many schools across the country face overcrowding as an imminent issue, forcing students into hallways, libraries, or other extra rooms. 

To discuss the change to teachers registration fees, overcrowding in schools, and what can be done to address these issues, Tuesday Wire Host Castor spoke to president of the Post Primary Teachers Association, Chris Abercrombie.

This week, a University of Otago led study found that autistic pupils are significantly less likely to attend school regularly, particularly at a young age.

The researchers of the study had information on 654,438 pupils, of which 8427 were autistic. They found that autistic pupils' regular attendance was 55.3%, compared to 62.5% for non-autistic pupils. They also found that autistic students would experience about 78 fewer school days on average per year compared to their non-autistic peers.

Lead author, Dr Nick Bowden, of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, has said that "it's important to remember that behind the data are real children, whānau, and educators, trying to make it work, often without the tools or support they need".

Producer Max spoke with Larah van de Meer, Research and Advocacy Manager at Autism New Zealand, about the recent study by the University of Otago.