Author: Peter Boyes
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Why healthcare policy needs a whole-system view
As New Zealand moves towards another general election, the promise of better healthcare policy is once more high on the list of issues most likely to influence voters. Yet again, our political parties are offering a smorgasbord of prescriptions for improving performance, reducing waiting times, strengthening services and improving access to medicines. Different parties will…
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Why Pharmac needs structural reform
Pharmac reform in New Zealand is becoming an increasingly important policy question. When I arrived in New Zealand more than twenty years ago, it was widely accepted that, in an ideal world, every well-governed country would have a version of Pharmac. Without a doubt, Pharmac plays a critical role in New Zealand’s health system. For…
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When Professional Associations Drift: Reputation, Governance and the Slow Erosion of Credibility
By Peter Boyes Recent experience has reinforced how easily professional associations can drift from evidence-led positioning into reputational vulnerability. Over the past decade, many professional associations have worked hard to reposition themselves as evidence-led, research-informed contributors to public policy and healthcare delivery. For some, that transition has been successful. For others, it has proven…
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Medicines are not a cost, they are an investment
New Zealand’s long-standing approach to medicines funding has been shaped by a simple imperative: contain cost. That focus has delivered a system that is regarded as less than efficient, but increasingly, it is also being questioned as insufficient. At the heart of the issue is a framing problem. Medicines are too often treated purely as…
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Is New Zealand entering a more collaborative era in medicines policy?
Some New Zealand patients can wait years longer for access to publicly funded new medicines than patients in comparable OECD countries. For people living with serious conditions such as cancer, rare diseases and autoimmune disorders, those delays can mean treatments available overseas are simply not yet options here. That gap has long been accepted as…
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Why Your Business Needs A Brand Champion
Creating a robust and enduring brand requires more than a logo or well-designed collateral. It demands a clear and consistently delivered brand strategy, underpinned by a compelling brand promise that resonates with both internal stakeholders and external audiences. At the heart of this is the role of the brand champion — a dedicated individual…
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Don’t Blunder Your Way to a PR Disaster
Being forced to sit on the sidelines and watch some public relations disasters unfold recently, prompted me to review what it is that makes an organisation ignore sound and perfectly obvious advice on how to manage its image. A number of high profile companies and associations that I have advised in the past have…
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New variant Covid-19 hits New Zealand
Time to check your Covid-19 cover as New Zealand encounters a new variant wave https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/504606/new-wave-of-covid-19-could-last-to-christmas