‘Inappropriate’ and political ‘overreach’: Medical leaders condemn Simeon Brown’s ‘interference’ with Medical Council

Wednesday, 17 June 2026

Leading Christchurch doctors Phil and Dame Sue Bagshaw have criticised the minister of health’s actions as “inappropriate” and intolerable after he decided to remove the leadership of New Zealand’s Medical Council.

Their view was echoed by Sarah Dalton, leader of the union for senior salaried doctors, who said his actions amounted to political “overreach”.

Simeon Brown accused the regulator of pursuing an “ideological agenda” after its recent consultation on two draft statements set out updated expectations for doctors on cultural competence and safety and Māori health and wellbeing.

These would require clinicians to understand how culture affects health outcomes and how bias and systemic factors can contribute to inequities.

Health campaigner and Canterbury Charity Hospital founder Phil Bagshaw said cultural considerations were “absolutely an essential part of what doctors should be doing every day”.

“For too long we have not taken enough interest and cognisance of cultural appropriateness and the Treaty of Waitangi,” he said.

“We are well aware that Māori have a life expectancy seven to eight years less than the rest of us and that’s clearly inappropriate. Anything the medical profession can do to correct that has our full support.”

Health stalwart Sue Bagshaw said it was the minister of health’s job to ensure there were improvements in the health of the whole nation.

“It is not his job to interfere with the Medical Council, who are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all doctors work to the highest standard of care. Political interference in this process is inappropriate and cannot be tolerated in any way,” she said.

Phil Bagshaw said a similar attempt to politically interfere with the membership of the Medical Council, on the grounds of ideology, had happened before in about 2006.

“The then-government tried to influence how the medical community were allowed to choose some Medical Council members. Interference at that time was prevented by strong resistance from various representative groups of doctors. It now appears to be happening again.”

He said a repeat of that same resistance was needed to stop political interference in professional matters, based on the ideology of the government of the day.

“The decision to remove the current leadership of the Medical Council must be reversed. Doctors should elect their own leaders who understand the conduct and practice of doctors the public needs today.”

Brown has declined to reappoint chairperson Dr Rachelle Love and deputy chairperson Simon Watt, despite both remaining eligible for reappointment under the statutory nine-year term limit.

“The Medical Council has become increasingly distracted by politics instead of focusing on its core responsibilities of improving patient outcomes and ensuring New Zealanders can get the care they need, when they need it,” he said in a statement to The Post.

“You only need to look at the council’s recent consultation documents, which ask doctors to examine their own ‘privilege’, to challenge the ‘dominant culture’ of the health system, to study the difference between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation, and to help ‘dismantle’ systems,“ Brown said.

“Kiwis expect the Medical Council to be focused on strengthening the medical workforce, not on an ideological agenda.”

Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, said the council’s work on cultural safety started about a decade ago and was an integral part of competency standards that medical practitioners are required to meet.

“Every patient isn’t the same, and if you're talking about outcomes and life expectancy, we don't all have the same outcomes and life expectancy, depending on gender, on ethnicity, on socioeconomic status.

“If a doctor chooses to be blind to those things in access to care and treatment pathways, then they are not treating patients safely.”

She said health and education should be left to the experts, and not used for “political posturing”.

“I think it’s an overreach of politicians. It’s a classic example of this government having its own ideological drivers, and they’re kind of mirroring them onto the regulatory bodies that they are now trying to shape. We know it’s election year. It’s a massive concern.”

Green Party’s Hūhana Lyndon agreed it was ministerial meddling.

“Cultural safety and cultural competence is something that benefits all New Zealanders,” she said.

She said Love was the first wahine Māori leader within the New Zealand Medical Council, and a celebrated Māori health professional.

Labour’s health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said for medical professionals to be effective they needed to communicate appropriately and pay attention to people’s backgrounds and culture.

“The Medical Council is full of our top medical professionals, they know those things,” she said.

“Simeon Brown has no idea, and yet he’s decided that he’s going to substitute his judgment for that of the Medical Council. It is an overreach.”