The number of people overdue for elective surgery has grown by thousands.

The latest available figures from Te Whatu Ora/Health NZ show there were 30,000 people waiting longer than the four month target for their planned surgery at the end of October.

In May, when the Planned Care Taskforce was formed to cut national surgical waiting lists, there were roughly 27,500.

Most are considered non-urgent patients but many are living with conditions that have a huge impact on their lives and families.

Association of General Surgeons president Vanessa Blair says even something like a hernia can be very painful, meaning people can't work or enjoy the things they normally did.

She says it's very disconcerting to see the consistent trend upwards.

"The measures that have been taken, or have been indicated to have been taken, are not turning the ship around quickly."

The data also shows the postcode lottery is alive and well.

In some places, like Taranaki, Northland and Mid Central, more than 60 per cent of planned care patients are overdue for their surgery.

In Counties Manukau that's only 20 per cent.

But Dr Blair says that doesn't show the full picture, because different districts have different criteria for who qualified for surgery.

The wait list problem is complex and more detailed data is needed to try to understand it, she says.

For example, identifying if certain specialities are struggling more than others.

New Zealand committee of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists chair Sue Fleming says the surgical delays are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the wait for planned care.

Many women with conditions like heavy menstrual bleeding wait to seek care in the first place and then have often seen GPs and specialists and tried other treatments before getting a surgical referral, she says.

"Better, more equitable access to care in the community for women and gender diverse people would ultimately help decrease waiting lists.

"Some of those issues could be dealt with before there is a need for hospital-based treatment."

The number of people overdue for a first appointment with a specialist has also grown.

In October, there were 38,051 waiting longer than four months, up from 35,803 in May.

However, the numbers have been fluctuating much more, unlike the consistent upward trend for surgery.

There has been progress on the number of patients who have been waiting the longest - more than a year - for surgery.

They were an early priority for the taskforce, and the number waiting had fallen from 5412 in May to 3529 in October.

-Rowan Quinn/RNZ.