Copyright thestandard
Yesterday, I came across an article by former ASMS Executive Director, Ian Powell, and this caught my attention: “The response to my … Newsroom opinion piece [on corporate health apps displacing traditional GP visits’] was immediate… Within a few hours there was a legal threat claiming defamation and demanding that my piece be immediately withdrawn. Eventually, after further discussion between and Tend Health, the opinion piece was slightly tweaked and a response from the Chair of the corporate’s board of directors, Dr Lee Mathias, published five days later… It’s disappointing, but not surprising. I’ve personally heard of similar situations, but had no way of knowing if it was true, or the extent, if any. But Powell’s statement reminded me of the environment in which health professionals and industry experts might operate today. And National’s laws continue to impinge on our freedoms of speech and health professionals’ freedoms. Powell continued: Overall I found [Tend’s Newsroom] response to be cleverly written by downplaying the profit motive and asserting that the corporate’s activities are for the public good. Private health business are often adept at this. I also found it to be self-promotional for Tend Health and erroneous in part, including over some things I had said in my opinion piece. Two matters relevant to this post deserve specific mention. First, [Tend’s] Mathias argued that another corporate, Tāmaki Health Ltd, already operated a PHO (Total Healthcare) so there was precedent for what Tend Health is doing. This is misleading. Tamaki Health didn’t become a corporate until 2017. For many years it was GP and family owned. Total Healthcare was set up as a PHO around 2009…..” Source – Ian Powell: Corporate Ownership Of General Practices Extends Power Into Primary Care Organisations Mountain Tūī has covered Tend Health’s compelling rise in government support under National’s government over the last months, including: My Food Bag’s Cecilia Robinson Courts Money For Health and My Food Bag Founders’ Tend Health Win and What the hell is happening with Health NZ & Tend Health? In the last article, I reflected on how Tend was “reluctant” to become a taxpayer subsidised PHO (primary health organisation – which are the primary contractors when Kiwis have health needs) & by my back of the envelope calculations, gives Tend access to a starting point of millions of taxpayer funds. And even as Robinson admitted Health NZ was actively helping Tend to become a PHO as far back as December 2024, it blows my mind that Health NZ was not even accepting PHO applications over that period. But meetings in February 2025 with Health Minister Simeon Brown reveal Tend lobbied Brown about directly contracting to Health NZ over this period and pushed for PHO reform, while Simeon’s talking points focused on how he could “better support” Tend’s business model. (How generous of Simeon!) And yet, when asked by 1News’s Benedict Collins on why and how Tend was granted a PHO a few days after Health NZ lifted its moratorium in May 2025, Simeon Brown claimed he had no knowledge. On a personality level, I’ve also admired the friendship Robinson has exhibited to the Prime Minister Chris Luxon. But personal matters are ultimately inconsequential when it comes to healthcare, in my view. Tend Health’s PHO entity is now Arataki PHO – a fully registered charity. One of the Directors on Arataki is Cecilia Robinson’s Tend Health co-founder, partner and COO, Josh Robb. And Cecilia and James Robinson have taken themselves off of the Board but the connections are clear – Associates have voiced concerns to me about mega entities’ impact on early child education (ECE) and the ongoing acquisition of smaller providers.It’s similar to anecdotes I’ve heard around the Tend Health acquiring smaller community based GP practices, effectively curtailing doctors’ private ownership and contributions, and replacing it with corporate/private equity models (these can include foreign investors of course). Based on Powell’s opinions above, it seems Tend as a sole corporate becoming a PHO was also fairly unprecedented – thanks to the National Government. As far as I understand, Tend Health is nearly 25% owned by Pencarrow Private Equity and is on the prowl to acquire more Kiwi GP practices (Robinson also brought in private equity partnership – Waterman Capital – prior to its My Food Bag IPO, I believe) In addition, when doctors’ practices are owned by community doctors, profits are kept local, there is more incentive for local doctors to train as primary GPs, and the service and care of patients over the long term – including preventative care – is more likely to be retained It’s important to address these points. NZME’s Ryan Bridge interview (HERE) is an example of how I believe this influence is corrosive and dangerous. Instead of asking why we as Kiwis would want to pay ~$70 – $99 – $120 to a telehealth provider who is more likely to be unable to diagnose complex cases, and/or send me to a secondary provider on in house for a physical consult, and not necessarily be incentivised on prevention , why shouldn’t we be taking better care of our community GPs? Instead, corporate media’s Bridges fawns over Robinson, claiming that being sick is a good reason to stay away from doctors’ offices. Labour has started signalling its clear intent to work on primary care (a topic Shane Reti last year told Jack Tame was too complex and likely too expensive for his government), but when and if Labour or Green or TPM or whoever forms government again, everyone should remember: Don’t kill the golden goose of any government with the right intent. The topic is not easy, but nor should we ruin what we are, and what we have in New Zealand right now, for Luxon’s short term KPIs and National Party’s aspirations to be that party for the wealthy and connected. That’s my take anyway.
