Why extending prescriptions to 12 months is a good thing - Cecilia Robinson
As we say goodbye to 2025 and welcome in 2026, it’s a good time to catch up on the very best of some of the Herald columnists we enjoyed reading over the last 12 months. From politics to business, these are some of the voices and views our audience loved the most. Today it’s five of the top columns from Cecilia Robinson.
The Government’s proposal to extend repeat prescriptions up to 12 months could transform primary healthcare, reducing unnecessary barriers and making access to essential medications easier.
While some critics worry about the financial impact on primary care services, the reality is this change prioritises patients’ needs over system inefficiencies.
Under the current system, many patients must visit their prescriber every three months just to renew prescriptions, an unnecessary hurdle that adds pressure to both patients and an already overstretched healthcare system, says Dr Rawiri McKree Jansen, a renowned Māori health advocate and GP.
“Every day, I see patients who have been taking their medications for years. They know, and I know, that they should stay on them.
“Extending prescribing periods would free up appointments for those who truly need them.”
The benefits of this shift go beyond convenience.
It’s time to stop pretending. Social media isn’t safe for our kids and the people who built these platforms know it.
Sarah Wynn-Williams, a Kiwi and former Facebook executive – and a mum of three – told US senators plainly this week: “These executives ... know the harm that this product does. They don’t allow their own teenagers to use the products that Meta develops. The hypocrisy is at every level.”
She’s right. And we need to listen.
Wynn-Williams has spoken about how Facebook actively targeted adolescents aged 13-17, tracking their emotional vulnerabilities and selling that data to advertisers. A deleted selfie? That’s a prompt to push beauty products. A sign of depression? That vulnerability becomes a commercial asset.
This isn’t a side effect, it’s the business model. Addiction equals engagement. Engagement equals revenue.
Wayne Brown has had his time at the helm of Auckland’s leadership. At 78, he has dedicated decades of service to the city, bringing a results-focused, no-nonsense approach to governance.
He was elected to clean up inefficiencies, hold council-controlled organisations accountable, and bring fiscal discipline to the city’s finances. He has made tough calls – some necessary, some controversial – but his impact is undeniable.
He has done what he set out to do: cut waste, push back on bureaucracy, and demand better performance from Auckland’s council agencies. Now, with his term nearing its end, he has a unique opportunity to step aside on a high, securing his legacy as a leader who tackled Auckland’s financial challenges head-on and paved the way for a more sustainable future.
The best leaders know success isn’t just about what they achieve in office but also about how they set up the next generation for success.
Leadership is about timing, and great leaders recognise when to step back so that fresh energy and new perspectives can take the reins.
That moment has arrived for Wayne Brown.
The response to one of my recent columns genuinely surprised me.
Readers reached out to say they felt relieved, even grateful, to see someone talk about what is working in education rather than what is broken.
It confirmed what many of us have sensed for some time: New Zealanders are hungry for good news, yet positive stories are too often drowned out by negative narratives.
And we could all do with a little more optimism. We are heading into summer, that hopeful time of year when everything feels possible.
When we talk about education in New Zealand, the conversation so often comes back to fairness.
Every parent wants their child to thrive, not because of where they live or what they can afford, but because they’ve been given the right tools and opportunities to succeed. Yet too often, inequities in the system widen rather than narrow.
The proposed reforms to NCEA have generated much debate. They are not perfect, nothing ever is, but they represent an important step forward.
They seek to strengthen the qualification so that it is consistent, credible, and able to give young people the foundations they need to thrive in further study, employment, and life.
More than that, the reforms are about lifting aspirations.
If NZ is to compete globally and give every child a fair chance, our qualification system must push students higher, not settle for minimums that leave them struggling later on.