Threats won’t fix Health NZ’s AI problem. Investment will.

SECTOR UPDATE - PSA

Health NZ is threatening health workers with disciplinary action for using AI tools like ChatGPT to write notes. But the PSA says the real question is why staff are turning to free tools in the first place.

A Health NZ senior manager has sent a memo to all Mental Health and Addiction Services staff in the Rotorua Lakes district, telling them they will face disciplinary action if they use free tools like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini to write clinical notes on patients.

"Health workers are turning to AI tools because they are under enormous pressure and looking for ways to manage their workloads," said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

"A memo that opens by threatening formal disciplinary action is not a training programme. It’s a warning shot that will make staff afraid to ask questions or seek help."

The PSA does not dispute that the use of AI in health settings must be carefully regulated. Patient privacy and data security are serious obligations. But proper regulation requires training, approved tools, and a culture where concerns can be raised without livelihoods being threatened.

"Health NZ needs to invest in proper training and approved tools, not threaten workers with Code of Conduct breaches," said Fitzsimons.

"Let’s not forget that the Government has forced Health NZ to cut the very teams responsible for digital systems and IT support, cuts that have impacted every hospital in New Zealand. If staff are improvising with free tools, Health NZ needs to examine why that is the case."

Threatening disciplinary action will not lead to honest conversations about AI use. It will simply drive the practice underground.

"The stakes are high for patients, for staff, and for the health system. The answer is clear guidance, proper resourcing, and supported professional development. Not threats."

Source: PSA media release

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