Photo: Gerard O'BrienA 27-year-old Dunedin woman has effectively been put into menopause while she waits for surgery in New Zealand’s poorly performing health system. "I’m still waiting to get my surgery date, and see the pain specialist. "My life has been put on hold, and I can’t move forward with wanting to have children or anything like that until I’ve had surgery and I’m off this menopause drug. The region does not fare much better when it comes to the wait times for a specialist appointment, with only 56% waiting less than four months — making it the third-worst region. Have you been affected by excessive surgery wait times?

Source: Otago Daily Times December 26, 2025 15:35 UTC