Wait times to see a specialist in New Zealand are ballooning. Te Whatu Ora data shows almost 60,000 people are waiting more than four months to get a first appointment at the specialist.
That's up from nearly 36,000 a year ago.
Cardiology, plastics, haematology and renal medicine are seeing the most growth in the number of referrals each month.
New Zealand chair of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Dr Selwyn Wong spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
