Ryan Bridge: What is wrong with our state run services?

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Health New Zealand is the country's largest organisation by far, it employs more than 80,000 people.

Roughly the same number of teachers are employed by state schools in our education system, and these numbers dwarf any private enterprise that's currently operating here.

Fletcher buildings has about 18,000 staff, Woolworths about 18,000, Fonterra about 16,000, the Warehouse in New Zealand, Kmart, they're up there too.

Here's a question for you: which of these organisations provides a quality or even adequate service to us?

When a private airline says they'll fly you somewhere on a certain date at a certain time, it generally happens. When you go to the supermarket, you generally know you can reliably leave with some milk and some bread in your hand.

And when you go to Kmart, are you ever told you must wait 18 months for that $12 lamp that you've been eyeing up in the latest catalogue? No.

So why does this happen with our healthcare system?

Why are we constantly told you must wait, you must line up. It's never good enough.

Is there a reason we have students failing exams, teacher shortages, low pay, hospital wait times, and a lack of access to quality care?

Is the reason for this because they're all run by the state?

I know, big question for a Tuesday.

The workforces are never happy, but they heavily unionised too. Is that part of the problem or is that an attempt at a solution?

Don't get me wrong, big Corporates have their own issues. We hate to see them profit and I don't imagine that we would stomach big profits off our kids' education or grandma's hip replacement. We consider these things to be basics, right?

International examples of privatised healthcare don't exactly scream success, good day America, but if we're paying taxes, and an adequate service for basic needs is not being provided, is it not fair to ask whether the fact that they're public entities might just be part of the problem?

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