Minister Coleman sings from Big Food song sheet

Geoff SimmonsHealth

Over the weekend, 70 medical specialists called on the Government to introduce a sugar tax. The Minister’s response was straight from the Big Food lobby song sheet – claiming there is no evidence to support such a tax. The academics … Read More

A letter to Annette

Gareth MorganHealth

On Tuesday we spoke out against Andrew Little’s politicking over Pharmac’s decision to not fund (at the moment) one of the new generation of cancer drugs called Keytruda. To his credit the Greens health spokesperson Kevin Hague was the voice … Read More

tax payers union sugar tax

New Evidence: Soft drink taxes work

Geoff SimmonsHealth

Last year the Taxpayers Union launched a research report claiming that a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages wouldn’t have any impact. Apparently they had some numbers to back up that claim, although they didn’t make the data behind them public. That … Read More

Lecretia Seales

Do you want to have choice over how your life ends?

Jess Berentson-ShawHealth

The very public life and death of Lecretia Seales last year and the continuing work done in her name by her husband Matt Vickers has thrown the issue of assisted dying into the public forum again. Many New Zealanders have … Read More