How my mother's terminal diagnosis gave me insight into the ED crisis

PremiumOpinionOpinion byMichael MorrahSenior investigative reporter·NZ Herald·11 Jul, 2026 05:00 PM7 mins to readMichael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter. ‌When Michael Morrah spent time supporting his mother in hospital, he got another perspective on the health system pressures he'd been reporting on for years.Last week’s death in an overcrowded emergency department waiting room points to problems that run far deeper than a single tragedy at one of our major hospitals, writes senior investigative reporter Michael Morrah.

Just over a year ago, my mother died of cancer at home in Wellington. Before her