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Palmerston North Hospital Staff Off Work After 71 Assaults

6/15/2026

23 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Fourteen staff at Palmerston North Hospital’s Nga Wai Ngaro health ward were off work after assaults.
Ricky Gray used the Official Information Act to reveal 24 assaults in February and 47 in March, leading coroner Matthew Bates to say understaffing increased pressure.
Health NZ said the numbers cover only new ward, where 14 staff were injured, and director Katherine Fraser-Chapple said aggression rose slightly but stays within the 12-month range.

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Story summary

Fourteen staff at Palmerston North Hospital’s Nga Wai Ngaro health ward were off work after assaults.
Ricky Gray used the Official Information Act to reveal 24 assaults in February and 47 in March, leading coroner Matthew Bates to say understaffing increased pressure.
Health NZ said the numbers cover only new ward, where 14 staff were injured, and director Katherine Fraser-Chapple said aggression rose slightly but stays within the 12-month range.