The financial situation of Health New Zealand is the government's responsibility, Labour says.

The coalition government announced Monday it would be replacing the board of Health New Zealand with a commissioner, who will be tasked with finding savings and strengthening the agency's governance.

Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says without urgent action, Health New Zealand will run an estimated deficit of $1.4 billion by the end of 2024-25.

He blames the previous Labour government.

But Labour says that's not true and the blowout happened under their watch.

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