I asked Health NZ to prove private surgery outsourcing delivered value. It couldn’t – Ottilie Stolte

Opinion byDr Ottilie StolteNZ Herald·12 Nov, 2026 04:00 PM6 mins to readDr Ottilie Stolte is a University of Waikato research associate with expertise in community psychology and health inequalities. Dr Ottilie Stolte works at Waikato Hospital in Hamilton. Photo / Mike Scott Debate continues over the growing role of private hospitals in publicly funded healthcare.New Zealand Private Surgical Hospitals Association chief executive Chris Roberts has argued that concerns about this trend are overstated. Yet information released by Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora paints a less straightforward