Qualifying for Surgery
The criteria for weight loss surgery have recently been widened to reflect the high level of safety & effectiveness. Current eligibility criteria are:
bmi
more than35
bmi
The criteria for weight loss surgery have recently been widened to reflect the high level of safety & effectiveness. Current eligibility criteria are:
At Auckland Bariatric Surgery we use a flat, fixed price model. These surgeries represent a significant financial investment. We endeavour to have transparent costings and to minimise these where possible. All prices are GST inclusive.
Preoperative Costs
Initial Surgeon Consultation: $284, Preoperative Assessment: $950
Pre-surgery Very Low-Calorie Diet (VLCD): $200 - $500 dependent on time frame required.
Operative/Postoperative Costs
Mini (One Anastomosis) Gastric Bypass: $22,300 Sleeve Gastrectomy: $22,800 Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: $23,850
Revisional Bariatric Surgery
Price estimates are for uncomplicated surgery. Special circumstances and additional procedures may result in additional charges. These prices may be subject to change.
There are other costs associated with having bariatric surgery to be considered.
The core criteria are:
Please note that these criteria have been been extended, as reflection of the high level of both safety and efficacy that are achieved with modern keyhole techniques.
At Auckland Bariatric Surgery we use a flat, fixed price model. These surgeries represent a significant financial investment. We endeavour to have transparent costings and to minimise these where possible. All prices are GST inclusive. Please download our Information pack for more information or contact us directly on reception@bariatricsurgery.co.nz.
For patients who have had revisional surgery the process is slightly different and as such there may be additional procedural fees above the fixed price laid out in the patient information pack. Please contact us directly on reception@bariatricsurgery.co.nz for more detailed information.
It usually takes a minimum of 4-8 weeks to get surgery, from the time of the first appointment with me. Bariatric surgery is very safe but it is important to get prepared properly.
The actual kilogram amount will vary depending on what weight you started at. Generally at 1 year out from the surgery, you will have lost 70-80% of the weight above your "ideal" weight, which is set at a BMI of 25.
For example, a 170cm (5' 7") tall woman who weighs 130 kg has a BMI of 45. I would expect her to lose around 40-46 kg by 12 months.
There is no one, "best" operation. That is why I offer three options! The operations have different risk and benefit profiles; the choice of operation needs to be tailored with each patient individually. Generally speaking, I prefer the gastric bypasses (one anastomosis, or "mini" and the Roux-en-Y) but some patients can't have a bypass and so for them the sleeve gastrectomy is the best option.
The most important decision is actually realising that surgery is needed in the first place.
Some insurers may contribute to the cost of surgery and consultations. Please check this with your insurance company. We are happy to write to your insurer on your behalf.
Dr Benjamin Wheeler, Bariatric Surgeon
BHB MBChB FRACS
Anna McPhail, Registered Nurse
BNursing PGCertTM
Juliet Herlihy, Practice Manager
B.Com (Marketing & Management), B. Ph.Ed, Grad.Dip Teaching (Secondary)
Deirdre Nielson, Dietitian
NZRD, MHSC (Nutrition & Dietetics)
Sarah Mavor, Dietitian
Shona Collins, Dietitian
Kalpana Govind, Clinical Psychologist
Waheeda Goga, Clinical Psychologist
MA Soc Sci Clinical Psychology
If you have previously had weight loss surgery, or have further questions, please use the webform at the bottom of the page.
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Published on Monday, 14th April 2025
Kia ora koutou
I'm a big fan of gastric bypasses (there will be a series of posts coming where I dive into the decision-making about sleeve versus gastric bypass) but one of the downsides of both bariatric surgery in general and gastric bypasses in particular, is the issue of gallstones.
About 30-40% of people, after having a weight loss operation, will make gallstones. Your liver produces bile to help digest food. When you aren't eating, it gets stored in your gallbladder. After you have surgery, the amount of eating that you are doing goes way down, but your liver doesn't realise this immediately and keeps making the same amount of bile.
The bile then stagnates in your gallbladder, and can crystallise into gallstones. There is then a possibility that those gallstones will then cause problems. This can sometimes be pain, but sometimes the gallstones can block the gallbladder outlet and cause the gallbladder to be infected (cholecystitis), migrate out of the gallbladder blocking the bile ducts causing them to be infected (cholangitis) or even blocking the duct from the pancreas and inflaming it (pancreatitis).
There is a straightfoward solution to this: take a medication that gets rid of the extra bile. This is routinely done in my practice, and overseas, and has the highest level of scientific evidence available for it. The treatment consists of taking one tablet, twice a day, for 6 months. Over that time period, your volume of eating is increasing, and your liver is slowly realising what is going on. By 6 months, you are back to the baseline risk of gallstone formation that you had before the surgery.
The medication is well tolerated; about 1-2% of patients will stop taking it because of itchy skin, getting diarrhoea, or getting abdominal pain from the medication. It costs about $200 in total to complete the course of 250mg tablets twice per day, because the medication isn't fully funded by the Government (they pay about 90% of the cost though).
The benefit is fairly massive though. If you make gallstones, and then get problems with them, the only treatment at that stage is to have your gallbladder removed. Preventing the disease before it happens just makes sense. The treatment is highly effective too - it reduces the risk by about 85% which is one of the highest treatment effects I've ever seen. In one study, the number of patients needing their gallbladders removed dropped by a factor of 10.
What really puzzles me is why I am the only bariatric surgeon in New Zealand who is offering this treatment. It does take a bit more of my time - explaining the treatment, providing the prescriptions, but the benefits are signficant. I have given it to over 500 patients now and see far fewer gallstone related issues amongst my patients than I would expect, given the numbers involved.
If you are having surgery with me, you will be offered this. If you aren't, make sure you ask your surgeon (or at least your General Practitioner) to provide this. It's worth it.
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