Each week The Front Page takes you behind the scenes of the biggest story from the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB. Today it's how a lack of money is causing serious health problems. Hosted by Frances Cook.

Major problems are bubbling up in our health system, and the root cause always seems to come back to a lack of resources and money.

We've seen it within the last week, where a series of Herald investigations uncovered serious issues with maternal healthcare, and vaccination rates of our children.

A watchdog found women with a life-threatening condition weren't treated properly because of a lack of hospital staff.

The investigations point to capacity problems extending beyond maternity services at Counties Manukau DHB, where problems like a lack of staff contributed to the recent death or stillbirth of three babies.

Apex Union has also warned life-saving diagnoses of conditions like cancer could be delayed for South Aucklanders because of a workforce crisis.

Meanwhile vaccination rates are dropping across the country as fewer families immunise their babies.

But while the debate has been centred around the impact of the anti-vaxx movement, the numbers paint a different picture.

Data shows the plummeting vaccination rates are being driven largely by the failure to immunise babies born into poor or Māori families - not by parents deliberately opting out.

Herald investigative journalists Nick Jones and Kirsty Johnston came on the Front Page podcast to talk about what's happening, and if there's any political appetite to fix it.

If you have questions about Herald investigations, or want to stay up to date on social media, you can find host Frances Cook on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/ Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook

You can read more about their investigations here:
Sepsis warning for pregnant women: Hospital staffing 'inadequate', watchdog finds https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12251014

Counties Manukau DHB rejects 'alarmist' claims about possible X-ray and CT scan delays https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12252300

PM Jacinda Ardern on strained Middlemore maternity services: 'consistent underfunding' https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12251667

Anti-vaxx debate: Vaccination rates plummet for NZ babies https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12250703

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