The ACT Party wants Health NZ to stop encouraging staff to incorporate a Karakia - or prayer - into their daily routine.

A leaked email revealed the organisation wants staff to include more prayers into their work - and included instructional videos. 

ACT health spokesperson Todd Stephenson has labelled this a 'distraction'.

"We want a culturally and religiously neutral public service... and we believe that these prayers or rituals are actually a distraction from what the public service should be doing."

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