Oncology professor calls ACT's $2b cancer centre plan 'magical thinking'

University of Otago cancer medicine professor Chris Jackson has labelled ACT's proposed $2 billion national cancer centre "magical thinking." Jackson told RNZ the philanthropy-based funding model doesn't match how overseas cancer centres operate — those rely on private patients, not donations — and can't sustain hundreds of millions in annual operating costs. ACT proposes campuses in Auckland and Christchurch, funded via partnerships and philanthropy. Jackson is married to Labour MP Rachel Brooking.