The Health Minister says he's confident people aren't being booted from hospital waitlists so Health New Zealand can meets targets. 

A letter obtained by RNZ reveals some referrals from a Palmerston North orthopaedic clinic are being knocked back, due to a lack of resources.

Shane Reti says checks are in place to ensure targets aren't gamed.

He says Health New Zealand is investigating the letter.

"As the 20 DHBs came together, there were a lot of different protocols - bringing them all into one place is what they're looking to do, but certainly, that is not the policy."

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