Health services are not functioning yet parliament is spending its time, great expense and even more red tape to the system? Who are they protecting? Big Pharma, again.

Horrendous bill. We do not have the resources to manage our current health system. Now you want to take away the ability to use natural health to prevent diseases. We know a large percentage of disease comes from deficiencies that we have as we can not get it from our food because of mass production. All pharmaceutical products have side effects. Known to be the number one cause of death. Our natural products have the ability to prevent disease, help with several diseases and keep people out of the drowning health system. As a general practitioner I have amazing results because I combine natural medication with the needed pharmaceuticals . This bill will leave our natural health workers and producers out of work and our patients sicker and in dire need. This will increase prices and cause more distress as patients will be unable to invest in their own health. I strongly oppose this power grab by the government who will only cause international pharmaceutical companies to profit.

As an ex-nurse of 5 years and a fitness/health/wellness fanatic - this bill is horrendous. It is already obvious that our current health system is controlled very tightly by big pharma - which means that even if you walk into your GP with a good case and ask for something you're less likely to be able to get it. I am very very concerned about how this bill will impact on the health outcomes of all Kiwis - very sadly under this bill those outcomes do not have a good prospect. I also strongly disagree with the general over-reach of our current government into our personal lives, that is - taking away the freedom of speech and freedom of choice from New Zealand. It's absolutely wrong on so many levels. This health bill is just another example of this over-reach and restriction of personal freedoms in our country.

Vitamins, minerals and herbs should be freely available and easily accessible to all. They should be able to be recommended and dispensed firstly by practitioners who specialize solely in this area, not just by pharmacists or GPs. The only motivation I can see for this bill is to increase taxes and pharmaceutical company profits. The real harm from ingested products in our country is coming from alcohol which is behind a huge amount of physical and mental illness, abuse, violence and 'accidents'. Our government needs to urgently focus on controlling alcohol marketing and supply if they really want to improve the health of our people.

I am totally opposed to the Bill in its present form. There is no justification for including supplements in the Bill, and the Government has not made out a case for the inclusion. I read on Epoch Health (I think it was Epoch Health) about a natural supplement which is an alternative to statins. Statins are estimated to be worth billions annually to Big Pharma; so there is the reason why supplements are included. The same applies to covid-19. The extract from the wormwood plant, sweet Annie, is a strong anti viral, so the extract is not allowed to be imported.i

When I first read this Bill, I was horrified to see that it includes a 5-year prison term and a $200,000 fine for individuals who make an unapproved claim, such as turmeric is beneficial for preventing cancer, which it is, according to many studies. But, if the Regulator has not approved this claim, a health professional who makes this claim may end up broke and in jail. I'll add that the health professional's business may also be subject to the seizure of assets and their destruction and a fine of up to $2,000,000. This Bill is a kill shot for those practising holistic health and medicine. We'd have to be crazy to support this!