Between 350 and 400 patients have undergone surgery to mark the National Day of the Queen’s death.
Te Whatu Ora/Health NZ said the impact varied by district, with some hospitals being able to perform only a quarter of the surgeries scheduled for Sept. 26, and others managing to get 75 percent done.
Nationally, about 55 percent of procedures had to be rescheduled.
A spokesman for Te Whatu Ora said the regional teams had tried to minimize the impact of the holiday and also give staff a chance to take a break.
Most patients were able to get a new date the moment they were contacted about postponing their surgery, the spokesperson said.
All acute or emergency surgeries would still continue, he said.
Some surgical staff were concerned about the impact of the holiday as they were already trying to make up for long delays to scheduled care, exacerbated by the impact of winter illness on the system.
Many health personnel were still at work, which reduced the nuisance.
A task force set up by the government in May to look at ways to cut long waiting lists has presented its recommendations to Te Whatu Ora.
It will be reviewed by senior staff of the organization before being given to Health Secretary Andrew Little for consideration and disclosure.
Some work has already started on the recommendations, many patients who have been waiting for surgery for more than a year have now signed up at the request of the task force.