Gareth Lowndes calls for HDC overhaul after delayed report into mother’s death at Middlemore Hospital

Open Justice multimedia journalist, Nelson-Marlborough·NZ Herald·5 Sep, 2026 12:00 AM8 mins to read‌A report on the death of a woman at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital has prompted her son's call for an overhaul of the health watchdog which investigated. Gareth Lowndes believed the office of the Health & Disability Commissioner was no longer fit for purpose. Photo / NZME composite A woman who arrived at hospital for a routine outpatient procedure became ill soon after and died. Her son, Gareth Lowndes, who waited four-and-a-half years for a report on what happened said it resolved little. Lowndes is calling for an overhaul of the health watchdog that investigated, believing the office