Hospital confirms assaults

Officials at New Zealand's biggest acute mental health unit have admitted failing to keep track of patient assaults on staff.

The head of Auckland's Te Whetu Tawera service, Dr Clive Bensemann, said last month staff faced "occasional" assaults.

This week it emerged patients had carried out 213 assaults in the past year - more than 130 on staff.

The issue arose after nurse Lauren Meraw quit and wrote to politicians saying it was too dangerous to work there.

Last month, Bensemann and mental health nursing director Anna Schofield said they did not have the figures at hand.

The Auckland District Health Board's communications specialist Matthew Rogers said this week Bensemann would not be interviewed about the mistakes.

A statement acknowledged "discrepancies" but he said they were not "an attempt to mislead".