Health and Disability System Overview

Health and disability system overview

Health and disability services in New Zealand are delivered by a complex network of organisations and people.

The Minister and Ministry of Health provide leadership and work with District Health Boards, primary health organisations, non-government organisations, Crown entities, health professionals and others across the system to achieve better health for New Zealanders.

District Health Boards

Most of the day-to-day business of New Zealand’s health system, and around three quarters of the funding, is administered by District Health Boards (DHBs). DHBs plan, manage, provide and purchase services for the population of their district. This includes funding for primary care, public health services, aged care, and services provided by other non-government health providers including Māori and Pacific providers.

Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health aims to ensure that the health and disability support system works for all New Zealanders. The Ministry performs a number of roles, in addition to being the key advisor and support to the Minister of Health. It retains centralised funding for a range of national services, including disability support and public health services.

Other key organisations and people

The health and disability system stretches beyond the Ministry of Health, District Health Boards, primary health organisations, public health units, private non-governmental providers, Māori and Pacific providers and independent general practitioners (GPs). It includes professional and regulatory bodies for all health professionals, including medical and surgical specialist areas, nurses and allied health groups.

There is a range of educational and research institutions that impact on demand and prioritisation of services, as well as training of the health workforce.

Consumer bodies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) provide services and advocate the interests of various groups. There are also more formal advocacy and inquiry boards, committees and entities.

All of these groups and individuals can have a significant influence over the priorities and demands on the health system.

Structure of the New Zealand health and disability system

Diagram of the New Zealand health and disability system.

Diagram of the New Zealand health and disability system.

Funding

Funding and accountability arrangements provide mechanisms to drive performance and service delivery across the system.

New Zealand’s health and disability system has a mix of public and private ownership, and funding that has developed in complexity over time.

The system is funded mainly from Vote Health - government health funding. There are other significant funding sources, including other government agencies (most notably ACC), local government, and private sources such as insurance.

Legal framework

The New Zealand health and disability system’s statutory framework is made up of over 20 pieces of legislation. The most significant are:

New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000
Health Act 1956
Crown Entities Act 2004

Fast facts

In 2007:

3.38 million people visited a general practitioner (GP) at least once
1.7 million people visited a primary health nurse at least once
493 outbreaks of communicable diseases were investigated
47.6 million prescription items were dispensed
23 million laboratory tests were performed
699,955 hospital discharges for medical and surgical services occurred1
92,244 people accessed mental health services
437,584 cervical smears were taken
464,600 free influenza vaccinations were given
87,177 free annual checks for people with diabetes were undertaken
26,160 ‘green’ prescriptions (advice on exercise or nutrition) were dispensed.

More information

For a more detailed overview of how the health system and sector works, refer to the publication New Zealand Health and Disability System: Organisations and Responsibilities.
Learn more about the strategic direction for the sector, which is set by health and disability strategies.

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