Video: Extra money for maternity

That's not exactly what will happen at all. There is nothing in this announcement that even tries to keep new mums at home longer. And although I'm all for more Plunket visits, perhaps Tony would be better to ensure all women actually get the minimum 7 postnatal visits they are already entitled to, because his own reports show that at least a quarter don't (even though they are funded regardless). The $2m for a "national maternity database" is also incorrect. It will only cover around 50% of births, as they will only be collecting the data from DHB sources - no homebirths, no birthing unit births and no independent midwives utilising hospital facilities without handover of care. Without data from ALL births, no conclusions of ANY description can be made, rendering all current research null and void. A full and robust Perinatal Database that would give us important, internationally comparible information on ALL births was estimated to cost just $4m back in 2006 (when Tony Ryall was opposition and very vocal about it's need). Why pay $2m for some data that gets you nowhere when $4m would buy you the lot? Perhaps these are all moot points though... The $103.4m from 2009 promising longer postnatal stays etc etc has never materialised so in all likelyhood this won't either. Do us a favour Tony. being the hero that hands out the big bucks (now $157.9m!!!) to look good on the telly. Instead, spend just the $4m to take your blindfold off so that you know where the funding streams will really benefit our Kiwi mums and bubs. www.aim.org.nz

Weren't most of these things done by Plunket? Didn't they just finish getting rid of that? The government keeps saying its paying for all these 'new' programs by cutting funding to existing ones, but the existing services have already been cut so much that they can barely administer themselves, let-alone provide any services.

Christ is Ryalls wife going to have a Baby???,ummm wonder who the dad will be???????