Daughter of man who died after 9 hour wait at Waikato ED speaks out
The daughter of a man who died after a nine-hour wait in Waikato Hospital's emergency department spoke out about her family's tragic experience at a political debate. She highlighted the hospital's overcrowding, understaffing, and the false hope given by a nurse before her father's death.
Why it matters
This personal testimony brings to light critical issues within New Zealand's healthcare system, particularly emergency department wait times and staffing shortages, which can have fatal consequences and spark public and political debate on health reforms.
<p>The daughter of a man who died after waiting nine hours at Waikato Hospital's emergency department has spoken out about how her family's "whole world was flipped upside down". </p> <p>Tayla Horsburgh spoke about <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/07/01/wait-times-scrutinised-at-waikato-hospital-following-mans-ed-death/" target="_blank">her father Brent's tragic death</a> at a political debate in Auckland on World Patient Safety Day, attended by representatives from most of the major parties. She was among several others who gave testimony about their experiences with New Zealand's health system. </p> <p>Brent died in a toilet <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/07/01/ed-death-mum-and-daughter-describe-scenes-of-absolute-chaos/" target="_blank">in the hospital's emergency department</a> in late June, having spent nine hours waiting. </p> <p>When he first arrived at the ED, Tayla said the hospital was "over 100% capacity", with 40 patients waiting in the ED at the same time as her father.
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