Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Health Minister Shane Reti focus on Whangārei radiation facility, hospital during visit

Health Minister Shane Reti and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meet Ria Kaire, Carol Roland and Dawn Pugh from Breast Cancer Support Northland Trust, who tell him how important the new radiation facility will be for Northlanders. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The long journey Northland patients have to take to get some treatments has been acknowledged by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon as he turned the first sod for a new radiation cancer facility in Whangārei.

Luxon and Health Minister Dr Shane Reti travelled to Whangārei on Friday to mark the start of construction on the $60.9 million facility, which will provide for the region’s first linear accelerator (Linac) machine used for radiation treatment.

Due to be completed in 2026, the facility will also include a CT scanner, extra chemotherapy spaces and room for a second Linac machine to be added in the future.

Luxon said the facility will remove the need for Northland radiology patients to travel down to Auckland.

“I know there are so many people here spread over a large area and the huge amount of travel time they take to get down to Auckland to get their cancer treatment will be remedied through this investment,” he said.

For some Te Tai Tokerau women, the difficulty of having to spend three weeks in Auckland for radiation treatment has left them with stark choices, according to the Breast Cancer Support Northland Trust.

Some women choose to have a mastectomy instead of a less invasive surgery and radiation because they cannot get away to Auckland for the radiation, said trust treasurer Ria Kaire.

“Having it here will change what some people will otherwise have chosen,” she said.

The trust acknowledged that some Northland patients, such as those in Kaitāia or even further north, will need support to stay in Whangārei as it is still a long distance to travel.

Reti, who is also Whangārei’s MP, said about 520 Northlanders a year currently travel to Auckland for radiation treatment.

Better cancer treatment is one of the key focuses for the coalition Government, as outlined with one of its five new health targets being 90 per cent of patients receiving cancer management within 31 days of the decision to treat.

Reti acknowledged there will be regional variations in achieving the health targets – with Northland being one of the outliers – but he said the targets will help focus attention and resources on these key areas.

Dr Shane Reti and Christopher Luxon turn the first sod on the radiation facility in Whangārei watched by Mary Carney, wife of the late Jim Carney who the cancer facility is named after. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The Whangārei hospital redevelopment was also acknowledged, with Reti saying he has been a supporter of the project “since day one”.

“We remain committed to a new hospital in Whangārei,” he said.

Reti explained the hospital upgrade is happening in two parts, with the first part receiving $750m funding in 2022 for the acute services block.

The second part is a ward tower, with the business case being developed by Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand. He expected the detailed business case will be finished by the end of the year.

But Reti said Northland is not alone in its need for more funding and focus on general practices, saying the issues are nationwide.

“I accept across the whole country that there’s a need to be focusing on recruitment, retention and remuneration. Yes, Northland has had issues and we still have issues finding GPs, but actually other parts of the country do as well.”

Reti explained the Government’s unwinding of Labour’s smokefree policies, which had not come into force yet, was about sticking with policy that was already working.

“The end goal is to drive down smoking rates and we celebrate the success that decreased them from 8.6 per cent to 6.8 ... We’re on a winning track and we remain committed to driving down smoking rates.”

Northland has great potential, Luxon says

Carina de Graff, general manager of Northland Events Centre Trust at Semenoff Stadium, explains to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon how Saturday's Fritter Festival is set to unfold. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Unlocking Northland’s infrastructure will be key to helping the region grow to prosperity, Luxon said.

“I love Northland and it’s an area of so much potential, and so a lot of it for us is how do we unlock the potential.”

A four-lane highway from Whangārei to Auckland has been listed by the Government as a road of national significance, with a priority focus on Whangārei to Port Marsden, a Brynderwyns alternative and Wellsford to Warkworth in north Auckland.

But Luxon said the road, and all other major infrastructure projects, need new ways to be funded which could include tolls or public-private partnerships.

As well as turning the first sod for Whangārei’s radiation facility, the Prime Minister visited the headquarters of local businesses McKay and its subsidiary Naut, which employ more than 600 people across New Zealand.

He then watched the set-up at Semenoff Stadium for Saturday’s Fritter festival, saying everything seemed to be running smoothly and calmly.

Christopher Luxon poses for a photo with Ajay, Priyal and Simran Sharma from Whangārei food business Authentic Flavours. Luxon said he wanted to get a photo with 17-year-old Priyal before she becomes famous. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Luxon was particularly impressed with family food vendors Authentic Flavours, led by 17-year-old Whangārei Girls’ High School head girl Priyal Sharma and her parents Ajay and Simran.

Priyal told Luxon she wants to work in the field of cybersecurity.

With the coalition Government’s first 100 days coming to an end on Friday, Luxon said Northlanders will notice its focus on building the economy, lowering the cost of living and getting the economy growing again.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.