24 March 2025
Two members of the Paediatric Society of New Zealand (PSNZ), Dr Amanda Evans and Dr Owen Sinclair, have spoken out about the urgent need to strengthen paediatric palliative care services across Aotearoa.
In a powerful RNZ feature published today, Dr Evans and Dr Sinclair highlighted the dire state of services, particularly the fact that New Zealand currently has no dedicated specialist available while the country’s only paediatric palliative care physician is on leave.
Dr Evans, a paediatrician in Waikato, and Dr Sinclair, a long-serving West Auckland clinician and advocate, stressed that this level of care is about more than just medical treatment – it’s about dignity, compassion, and support for tamariki and their whānau during some of the hardest moments they will ever face.
“If we invest in making these experiences less traumatic – ensuring expert care from those who truly understand the needs of these children and their whānau – we can allow tamariki to die with dignity, free from pain, and in environments that honour their wishes,” said Dr Sinclair. “That has a profound and lasting impact, not just on the whānau, but on our society as a whole.”
Paediatric palliative care supports children with life-limiting conditions and provides vital support to their families – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Without specialist input, many children and whānau are left without the care and guidance they need.
PSNZ stands alongside our members in calling for a national commitment to resourcing paediatric palliative care properly – ensuring every child in Aotearoa has access to the care they need, when and where they need it most.