Health NZ has acknowledged the pile of work needed on heart health.

Research by advocacy group Kia Manawanui Trust shows half of all heart attack patients aren't seen within internationally accepted timeframes.

It also finds New Zealand has a third of the cardiologists it needs. 

Health NZ chief clinical officer, Dr Richard Sullivan, says it's much broader than cardiologists - and the whole sector needs help.

"We need more echo technicians, we 're working hard to do that. We need more cardiac physiologists, we need more nurse practitioners and advanced nurse specialists - we need the workforce."

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