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In Opposition, Dr Shane Reti said the-then government had ignored a crisis in health.
Now he is the new minister in charge of that system. The problems have been well documented : over-run emergency departments, shortages in most medical disciplines, thousands of nurses registering to work in Australia, meanwhile two thirds of GPs are intending to retire within the next decade.
And thousands of people are waiting for more than a year for planned medical treatment they've been approved for.
Against this backdrop, the new government has confirmed plans to scrap the newly-formed Maori Health Authority, and the previous government's smokefree legislation.
Dr Reti practised family medicine and dermatology in Whangarei for 16 years, and also served three terms on the board of the Northland DHB, before becoming an MP in 2014.