Labour setting up Starship visit after Hipkins said it would be inappropriate amid campaign

Labour is scheduling a visit to Starship children’s hospital to discuss staffing shortages, despite leader Chris Hipkins saying such a visit would be inappropriate during an election campaign.

However, the party has since clarified Hipkins’ comments, saying the Labour leader supported visiting Starship and claimed his remarks were intended to convey how Labour wouldn’t be “offering to fix the situation from Opposition”.

On Thursday, Hipkins told media in Taradale a Labour-led government would move “heaven and earth” to ensure Starship had the necessary funding and support following reports of staffing shortages impacting scheduled cancer treatment in the hospital’s oncology ward.

Hipkins wasn’t able to specify what level of support a future government he led would give Starship, saying he would meet with hospital leaders within the first 100 days after the election but not before.

“It would be inappropriate for them to meet with us while we’re out on the campaign trail and I’m not going to put them in that position.

“They have to be above the political process. As soon as a government is formed though, I’d be sitting down talking to them.”

Starship Children’s Hospital is in Auckland. Photo / File

The Herald has seen correspondence between Hipkins’ office and Health New Zealand showing Hipkins’ team had asked on Monday if Hipkins and health spokeswoman Dr Ayesha Verrall could visit Starship on Tuesday, two days before Hipkins made his comments to media.

The request from Labour referenced “concerns about staffing pressures at the hospital”.

“We are looking to better understand these issues and what can be done to address them,” the email read.

A member of Health NZ’s executive team wrote back, informing Hipkins’ office a Tuesday visit was not possible but was happy to discuss other dates.

A reply from Hipkins’ office, which was sent less than an hour prior to Hipkins making his comments on Thursday, requested a visit on Tuesday next week. Health NZ also said that date was not possible but later suggested times later in the week.

Asked yesterday if Labour had expressed interest in visiting Starship, a party spokesperson said Verrall’s office had approached Starship requesting a visit but it was declined so Verrall and Hipkins “met oncology nurses offsite”. They acknowledged Starship had offered other times to visit.

Following further questions about the meaning of Hipkins’ comments, the spokesperson acknowledged they could have been clearer.

“While it could have been clearer, Chris Hipkins was responding to questions regarding what fix a Labour government would put in place with Starship.

“While it is common and appropriate for politicians to visit hospitals in a campaign to hear of the day-to-day workings and pressure points, it would not be appropriate to engage with Starship staff offering to fix the situation from Opposition.”

The spokesperson said Labour had contacted Health Minister Simeon Brown’s office about visiting Starship to hear about reported issues. Brown’s office referred the request to Health NZ, the spokesperson said, and it’s understood Labour still intends to visit during the campaign.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins wants to sufficiently support Starship to ensure the hospital has no staffing issues. Photo / Stephen Barker

Also in Thursday’s stand-up, Hipkins said he was motivated to sufficiently resource Starship after hearing impactful stories from staff who worked there.

“I’m just not going to accept that kids who are receiving cancer treatment should be being treated in hallways, in waiting rooms, because there aren’t enough staff, it’s just not OK,” Hipkins said on Thursday.

Labour clarified Hipkins had been told of “children being administered chemotherapy in a waiting room” in his offsite discussions with oncology nurses.

The Herald asked Labour whether Hipkins was also told of treatment in “hallways” as he claimed on Thursday but did not get a response.

In response to Hipkins’ claims, Health NZ said in a statement: “We can confirm no children are being treated in corridors at Starship Hospital.”

The Herald asked whether such treatment had occurred previously but was told by Health NZ a response wasn’t likely to come until Tuesday.

It comes after Timaru dad Shaun Todd accused Brown and other politicians of politicising child cancer this week following revelations that treatments had been delayed by up to a week on the oncology ward at Starship due to severe nursing shortages.

Brown agreed to meet parents whose children were receiving cancer treatment on Friday after one mother posted on Facebook about her family’s experience.

Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.