The New Zealand Health and Disability System
www.moh.govt.nz/healthsystem


The organisation of health and disability support services in New Zealand has undergone a number of changes in the last decade. These have ranged from a ‘purchaser/provider’ market-oriented model introduced in 1993, to the more community-oriented model that is currently in place.

The current system was implemented through the  New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000  which allowed for the creation of District Health Boards - a key step in moving to a population based health system. 

District Health Boards

District Health Boards (DHBs) are responsible for providing, or funding the provision of, health and disability services in their district.

There are 21 DHBs in New Zealand and they have existed since 1 January 2001.

The activities of District Health Boards are guided by two overarching strategies for the health and disability sector, the New Zealand Health Strategy and the New Zealand Disability Strategy.

The District Health Boards are supported by the Ministry of Health, which provides national policy advice, regulation, funding, and monitoring the performance of agency.

More information about District Health Boards

Primary Health Care

Primary health care covers a broad range of out-of-hospital services, although not all of them are Government funded. It aims to improve the health of the people in communities by working with them through health improvement and preventative services, such as health education and counselling, disease prevention and screening.

Primary health care includes first level services such as general practice services, mobile nursing services and community health services targeted especially for certain conditions, for example maternity, family planning and sexual health services, mental health services and dentistry, or those using particular therapies such as physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathy services.

Chronic diseases, such as diabetes are best managed by primary health care services so that complications can be prevented or mitigated.

The way primary health care is delivered to New Zealanders is covered in the Primary Health Care Strategy, a key part of the strategy is the creation of Primary Health Organisations (PHOs).

PHOs (Primary Health Organisations)

A PHO is a new way of arranging health care in the community to make sure people get the first level health care they need. It's a group of health providers whose job it is to look after all the people enrolled with them.

A PHO is a team of doctors, nurses and other health professionals (such as Māori health workers and health promotion workers) who are working with your community to give you and your family a better health service.

More information about PHOs

An Overview of the New Zealand Health and Disability Sector

The New Zealand Health and Disability Sector Overview  provides brief information about:

• New Zealand and the demographics of the population

• the structure of the health and disability sector

• the financing of health and disability services and expenditure within the sector

• some health and disability workforce statistics and issues facing the workforce

• the infrastructure for gathering and managing information in the health and disability sector

• the health and disability status of New Zealanders

• important health outcome measures.

Eligibility for health care services

There are good health and disability services in New Zealand, including doctors, pharmacies and hospitals. As someone living in New Zealand you will always be able to use those services when you need to, and you should certainly do so.

Government funding of health services means that eligible people may receive free inpatient and outpatient public hospital services, subsidies on prescription items and a range of support services for people with disabilities in the community.

Get further information about who is eligible for health care services and who is eligible for publicly-funded maternity services.


Special High Cost Treatment Pool
The Special High Cost Treatment Pool is money set aside by the Ministry of Health for one-off treatments not otherwise funded by the public health system.



Structure of the New Zealand health and disability sector

You can view a diagram showing the structure of the New Zealand health and disability sector.



Working in the New Zealand health sector

Find out more about working in the New Zealand health sector.

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