Thank you Bernard, that's kind of you. I'm humbled.

The email told me I could bring a support person, but not a support army.

In the meeting I'll have the leader of the union, who is very smart and experienced. I will go there with the moral support of heaps of nurse and doctor colleagues, and now, of NZ's best economics journalist and podcaster 😁.

We may someday need to start a 'Hikoi to Save Our Public Services from Privatisation', but first let's see what these mid-level managers (several of whom I actually like and respect greatly) are being pushed to say.

What can they say other than 'be quiet'?

What have I said that's not already in the public domain, widely talked about in the newspapers and in the community?

What's the worst they can accuse me of?

Criticising the understaffing of public healthcare by politicians who keep telling us that cutting another $1.4 billion will not affect frontline services? ...when healthcare workers can already see with their eyes that that's patently untrue?

This is likely a first meeting to establish a paper trail that might someday end in disciplinary action. Though hopefully not, because I love my work more than almost anything.

We shall see. I will keep you posted. I thank everyone for their support, especially patients who see me in the street. They've made it clear that your average person (of any party) does not want to see their essential public services defunded and degraded.

Onwards.