But what is hidden by these hard numbers are the human lives and the human stories. This workforce shortage is highlighted in the media continuously. It is impacting our most vulnerable, our elderly. We are seeing people waiting in corridors, and long waiting times, nurse burn-out, GP fatigue, including in my home electorate of the North Shore. My personal experience of these human stories comes from working within two of the largest district health boards in this country, and in a clinical capacity, front line, as an ambulance officer with St John. My observations of this problem tell me this problem is important but it is also real. The workforce shortage is also a cause of our vaccination programme that is progressing at the pace of a turtle. This is leaving our country vulnerable and is constraining our growth.