ACT unveils plan for national cancer centre
The ACT Party has turned a musing from new candidate Paul Henry into a formal campaign promise: building New Zealand's first dedicated national cancer centre. The proposal, branded a "Starship for Cancer" in reference to Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital, would see two major campuses in Auckland and Christchurch, as reported by both 1News and RNZ.
Henry, a former broadcaster and ACT list candidate, first floated the idea when announcing his candidacy in July. At the time, he said a world-class cancer hospital would cost "multiple billions" of dollars and suggested that wealthy New Zealanders could provide about $10 billion, with the rest borrowed.
"I think you could easily get a group of wealthy New Zealanders to stump up with about 10 billion, easily. The rest of it we would borrow, but that would be an investment in New Zealand's future," he said then.
Henry admitted he had announced the policy "on the fly" last month and expected to be discouraged. Instead, he told an audience in Christchurch, he was told: "We think you might be onto something."
Funding structure and tax incentive
ACT's plan involves establishing a not-for-profit, independent National Cancer Centre Foundation with charitable status, and removing the cap on donation tax credits to attract philanthropy. The cap was criticised on Thursday by National MP Greg Fleming, according to both outlets. However, Revenue Minister Simon Watts has insisted there are no plans to change the cap.
The party expects around $2 billion in capital investment would be required, but Henry joked that ACT's involvement had "already saved the country $8 billion" because his initial figure was $10 billion.
Funding would come from public-private partnership financing, charitable donations, existing Crown health investment, and other private capital. Health New Zealand would be a "major customer" of the centre, with the Crown's ongoing financial liability coming through Health New Zealand purchasing clinical services. The policy document also mentioned that medical tourism from overseas could help subsidise operations.
The Department of Cancer Sciences at the University of Auckland and the Christchurch Cancer Foundation would work on business cases for the two campuses.
Henry defends proposal as 'aspirational' but 'practical'
Henry called the policy "aspirational" but insisted it was realistic and practical. He argued that comprehensive cancer centres help attract and retain the best oncologists.
"Starship showed what New Zealand can achieve when we concentrate talent, technology, generosity and national ambition around a single mission. ACT wants to do the same for cancer," he said.
Launch disrupted by protesters
ACT's South Island campaign launch in Christchurch on Friday night was interrupted by protesters. According to RNZ, three women calling for sanctions on Israel disrupted leader David Seymour's speech, but their protest was drowned out by jeers from the crowd. The event had tight security, with bag searches and several people removed before the speeches began.
The disruption came days after a National Party public meeting in the city was disrupted around half a dozen times by people protesting Israel's wars in the Middle East, mining on the West Coast, and southern data centres.
The cancer centre proposal received a positive response at the launch, and ACT said it would build the centre if re-elected in November.