RODNEY HIDE: Death by Government

Last year in New Zealand 486 people had their lives ended under the End of Life Choice Act. Of those, 459 received a lethal injection administered directly by an approved medical professional -- not self-administration or an oral drug. A doctor or nurse practitioner delivered the fatal dose.

To be an approved provider requires specific training and registration. There are currently only 121 practitioners on the SCENZ Group (Support and Consultation for End of Life in New Zealand) lists -- roughly one in every thousand qualified doctors and nurses. The full list is not public. Your own GP or nurse may or may not be approved. If you want the service, you can call the national line (0800 223 852 toll free) and be connected to someone who is.

The procedure itself is free. The government pays practitioners up to $3,000 or more per death (including assessments, administration, and travel), depending on the components involved. It is cheaper than palliative or residential care.

Courts in various jurisdictions have ruled lethal injection “cruel and unusual punishment” when used for executions. Some experts consider firing squads more reliable and humane. Yet the public would rightly recoil at the image of a nana being taken from a retirement village and shot. A clinical injection feels cleaner, more clinical.

But is it?

New Zealand’s exact protocol remains secret, but no doubt it closely follows the well-documented Canadian clinician-administered MAiD sequence:

1. Midazolam (benzodiazepine sedative): Induces relaxation, drowsiness, and amnesia to reduce anxiety and awareness.

2. Lidocaine (local anaesthetic): Numbs the injection site for comfort.

3. Propofol (potent anaesthetic): Rapidly produces deep unconsciousness and suppresses breathing.

4. Neuromuscular blocker (e.g., rocuronium): Paralyzes all skeletal muscles, including those used for breathing. No ventilation is provided.

Death follows from respiratory arrest and oxygen deprivation -- technically, suffocation -- usually within minutes. The earlier drugs ensure the patient is unconscious and does not experience or exhibit distress. The final paralysis creates the appearance of a peaceful, serene death.

It is the pharmaceutical equivalent of pushing a pillow over Nana's face and holding her down while she breathes her last. The purpose of the drugs is to prevent her fighting back and jumping about the bed. The process serves to give her every appearance of putting her into a gentle sleep but we need to be clear: she is rendered unconscious, paralysed and then suffocated.

But it is all good. Our Parliament has legislated it. Our Government funds and administers it. Health professionals do the killing. And -- most importantly -- Nana okayed it. It’s not like she can complain.

Rodney Hide is a former Minister and ACT party leader

Our response:

Assisted dying is enabled by one of the few laws resulting from a public referendum. It had majority support. The parliament legislated at the wishes of the people.

Rodney describes the process in barbaric terms. We believe it is barbaric to make people suffer over a protracted period facing a certain death. 306 applicants for euthanasia died while waiting for consent.

Don Brash and Lindsay Mitchell