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Thousands of patients nationally are waiting longer for operations because of an acute shortage of anaesthetic technicians.
According to Te Whatu Ora, there are currently 98 vacancies nationwide for anaesthetic technicians, which equates to 16 percent of the workforce.
The of New Zealand Anaesthetic Technicians' Society president Matthew Lawrence says he and his colleagues are increasingly under stress as they fill holes in the roster.
He spoke to Corin Dann.