1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: National Public Health Services have been firing shots at the government. 2 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Bit a tip for tach going on here. They're being 3 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: accused of overreach and trying to suppress the expertise of officials. 4 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: The health ministers Having none of this, he says that 5 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: they should. This is the health officials focus on the basics. 6 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: No more anti car, anti stallholder, anti Wanica, mcdonald'submission, nonsense. 7 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: Simeon Brown is with me now, Minister, good morning, good morning. 8 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: What sort of carry on do you want to see? 9 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 2: Gon? 10 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: Do you want to see them stop talking about the 11 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 1: environment to stallholders in Nelson. 12 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:37,279 Speaker 2: I'd love them to start focusing on our immunization targets 13 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 2: which are woefully behind, and stop trying to be the 14 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 2: health police and telling stallholders in Nelson they've got to 15 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 2: put up sign saying bring your own cups or stop 16 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 2: it trying to campaign against McDonald's stores in Wanaka. That's 17 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 2: not what the National Public Health Service should be focused on. 18 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 2: The should be focused on the expertise getting our immunization 19 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 2: rates up for our children and doing that job rather 20 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 2: than being being campaigners on issues where actually that's not 21 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:05,320 Speaker 2: their job. 22 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: Go and join Greenpeace. 23 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 2: Absolutely. I mean the reality here is their job is 24 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 2: to focus on immunization targets. Are they to have a 25 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:17,320 Speaker 2: promotional and educational role around a range of other issues. 26 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 2: But their job is not to be making submissions on 27 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 2: public policy matters and making and campaigning against shops which 28 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 2: people have to go and eat. I mean, I want 29 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 2: them being the health service, not the health police. 30 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: The thing is, though they would argue that this is 31 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,199 Speaker 1: part of their job, that health. I mean they use 32 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: the World Health Organization's definition of health, which is a 33 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: state of complete physical, mental, and social well being and 34 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Are you 35 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: saying to them ignore the WHO definition, This is outside 36 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: of your remit. 37 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 2: No, what I'm saying is focus on your missing which 38 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:56,919 Speaker 2: is make sure that our immunization wrapped up for our children, 39 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 2: which are significantly under the last government. One of the 40 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 2: key roles of the National public Health Service it should 41 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 2: be immunization of our children. They should focus on that 42 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 2: and stop sharing. There is another thing I read from 43 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,119 Speaker 2: a submission they made to Nowson City Council was that 44 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 2: Nowson and City Council should should ban bann community groups 45 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 2: from selling raffle tickets because that might encourage gambling. I mean, 46 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 2: this is just absolutely ridiculous. 47 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: Right, fair enough, it's mad. But you're the Health Minister now, 48 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: I mean, how many people are on this team writing 49 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: this stuff? Why don't they why don't you just get 50 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: them all fired? 51 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 2: Well, I'm asking them if i'm asking how to focus 52 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 2: for the basics, do you expect well, I'm not. The 53 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 2: Health Museum is going through a process to find efficiencies 54 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 2: in their back office. They're doing that in this team, 55 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 2: and this is one of the teams that is been 56 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 2: being looked at. But what I would say, I mean 57 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 2: those are ultimately operational matters for Health Museum. I'm being 58 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 2: very clear at my expectations as to what this team 59 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:57,920 Speaker 2: should be focused on, and that is, let's get our 60 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 2: immunization rates back up. Let's not go out there and 61 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 2: wage war against council policies and people's choices around what 62 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 2: they eat. 63 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 1: All right, minister, thanks for your time, Simming Brown the 64 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:09,959 Speaker 1: Health of Minister. 65 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 66 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 2: news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 67 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.