PremiumEditorialEditorialNZ Herald21 Aug, 2026 05:00 PM3 mins to readAuckland Hospital recorded its worst week for flu hospitalisations in a decade. Photo / RNZ, Marika KhabaziAuckland Hospital recorded its worst week for flu hospitalisations in a decade. Photo / RNZ, Marika KhabaziAnother winter flu season has hit the country hard and exposed how vulnerable our health system is.Our hospital emergency departments, as Auckland Hospital emergency physician Dr Mike Nicholls explained, are the canaries in the coalmine.

We are now seeing daily examples of overcrowding and patients