How sick is New Zealand?

Thanks to the great work of Dr Guy Hatchard, we’ve been given a clear and deeply troubling view into the health of our nation — and it’s not good. His latest report, How sick is New Zealand? What should be done? - Hatchard Report pulls together data that exposes a silent health crisis that’s been building since 2021, yet remains largely ignored by the media, government, and public health authorities. I’m adding my voice here to support his findings and to offer a practical way forward based on what I’ve learned over the last 50-plus years working in health and sport.

Just last week, Prime Minister Luxon was asked by RNZ whether the Government plans to cut sick leave from 10 to 5 days a year. He didn’t rule it out. Instead, he deferred to ACT’s Brooke van Velden who’s “looking into” workplace relations. A denial came later, but the slip-up reveals a trend: if more Kiwis are sick, blame them — don’t ask why.

But we should ask why?

At the Ministry of Social Development, the average number of sick days taken per staff member rose from 4.7 days in 2019 to 15 days in 2023–24. That’s more than triple. Are people really just getting lazy?

Of course not! My impression is people are working harder and longer than ever, just to pay the bills. While "lazy" might apply to a few, this label does not apply to the majority of Kiwis.

I note with alarm and concern, that since the COVID lockdowns, the norm for Kiwis is to be adrenally-stressed - to be physically and mentally exhausted. What Dr Hatchard reports is confirmation that I am not deluded. It seems as if the whole of New Zealand is now stressed, exhausted and not very happy. I don't know about you but I'm not happy about this and it is time we did something about it.

Let’s look at more of the hard data, kndly collated for us by Dr Hatchard.

Southern Cross — which covers about 20% of the population — says that in 2019, 33% of members made a health claim. By 2024, that jumped to 50%. That’s an extra 158,000 sick clients. Scaled nationally, it suggests around 788,000 more New Zealanders fell ill in 2024 compared to 2019.

Surgical procedures are up. Specialist consults are up. Insurance losses are up — even though premiums rose by 9%. The health system is buckling.

Here’s a quick summary of the rise in sickness across the country:

• Sick leave in some government departments has more than tripled since 2019.

• Southern Cross health claims rose from 33% to 50% of members — a 50% increase.

• That equates to nearly 800,000 extra sick people nationwide, compared to 2019.

• Surgical procedures increased 8% in 2024, specialist appointments rose 7.2%.

• Despite premium hikes, Southern Cross posted an $88 million loss due to more complex and costly illnesses.

• NZ’s all-cause death rate remains 4.2% above the pre-pandemic average — about 1,400 extra deaths annually.

• UK heart disease deaths among working-age adults are rising for the first time in 50 years. Additionally, cancer specialists in the UK and US are reporting similar reversals of health progress. NZ Health professionals at the coal face of the system report similar trends, even while our officials and politicians remain mum about what's going on.

This isn’t normal. And it’s not seasonal. It’s systemic

Here in New Zealand, StatsNZ data shows 1,400 excess deaths a year since 2021 — 4.2% above the pre-pandemic trend. That’s over four times our annual road toll, but barely rates a mention.

The turning point was 2021. Since then, a silent wave of chronic illness has gripped the country.

Yet instead of investigating, our institutions blame the public or simply change the diagnosis. ACC, for example, is routinely re-labelling life-altering neurological injuries following mRNA vaccination as “Functional Neurological Disorder” — a vague, catch-all label used to deny claims and shut down further inquiry.

https://www.garymoller.com/post/how-functional-neurological-disorder-is-now-being-used-to-deny-vaccine-injury-claims

While this is happening, the Government is pouring investment into AI infrastructure — massive data centres that devour electricity and water — while proposing to cut sick leave. You can’t make this stuff up.

Will COVID Inquiry 2.0 really be Erebus 2.0?

And as for the Royal Commission into the COVID Response? I fear it will be far too late to be of any help to those who are falling unwell right now. Worse, I suspect it will end up as a carefully-worded, Erebus Inquiry-style report — not to uncover the truth, but to minimise liability and costs for those who were, and are, at fault.

The Erebus disaster Royal Commission led by Justice Peter Mahon exposed a glaring truth—that the crash was caused not by pilot error, as initially claimed, but by a last-minute, uncommunicated change to the flight path programmed by Air New Zealand. However, Mahon’s scathing findings, particularly his accusation of an "orchestrated litany of lies" by Air New Zealand executives, were ultimately set aside by higher courts on legal technicalities. In doing so, the establishment effectively neutralised his damning conclusions, shielding both the government and the airline from full accountability and significant legal liability. What followed was a carefully managed containment of blame, leaving the grieving families without justice and preserving institutional reputations.

Are we going to be served a similar plate of cold porridge? We can’t afford to sit around waiting for these less than credible institutions to act. We must take the initiative — now — to protect and restore our people’s health, beginning with our own and that of our families.

We are long past the point of trusting others to look after our health. If we want a future, we have to take matters into our own hands.

That’s what the Freerangers approach is all about.

https://www.garymoller.com/blog/search/freeranger

We don’t outsource our health to pharmaceuticals, biotech, or overworked doctors

We build it the way nature intended:

• We eat nutrient-dense, ancestral food.(Think grass-fed meat, raw dairy, eggs, organ meats, and seasonal veg — not supermarket “health food.”)

• We move daily in the real world.(Pick up a shovel, walk hills, climb a tree, play with your grandkids.)

• We get sun, fresh air, cold and heat.(Resilience is built through exposure — not by staying “safe.”)

• We fast, rest, and breathe properly.(No more sugar addiction and non-stop snacking.)

• We support our mitochondria and immune system with food-first supplements.(And I’m not talking about synthetic multis — I mean proper foundational support.)

• We avoid unnecessary meds, act early on symptoms, and trust the body to heal.(It knows what to do — if we stop getting in its way.)

• We reconnect with community, nature, and meaning.(Because loneliness and fear are toxic.)

I’ve been doing this kind of thing for over 50 years. I’m now in my 70s and still competing in the open A grade sport, and winning age group world titles in mountain biking. This is not theory — it’s healthy practice in action.

New Zealand doesn’t need more AI-run hospitals or a $10 billion digital health overhaul. We need real food, strong bodies, clear minds, and healthy kids raised in fresh air and sunlight.

So here’s my challenge to you

• Take your health back.

• Live like a Freeranger.

• Eat like your great-grandparents.

• Move every day. Get outside. Challenge yourself.

• And stop waiting for permission to be well.

Because no one is coming to save us — but we can still save ourselves.

My thanks to Dr Guy Hatchard for compiling and reporting the data that underpins this important conversation. His full article is well worth reading at HatchardReport.com.