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How health reforms will impact New Zealand Health Group

About the health reforms
Mō ngā whakahounga hauora

As of the 1st of July 2022 the 20 existing DHBs will no longer exist as they do now. The reforms will disestablish the 20 existing DHBs and merge their functions into Health NZ, which will lead the day-to-day running of the system for the whole country.

Health NZ will also take over the operational functions of the Ministry of Health, such as managing national contracts. Health NZ will manage all health services, including hospital and specialist services, and primary and community care. 

Health NZ will be responsible for improving services and outcomes across the health system. Working in partnership with the Māori Health Authority, Health NZ will develop a New Zealand Health Plan – a blueprint for what the health system will deliver over years to come. 

The new system will be based on Localities to ensure a system that delivers quality of care at a national level while still being able to tailor our approach to specific needs of specfic regions and communities. Currently 9 prototype localities have been announced.

Click on the button below for more information on Localities 

Transforming the health system will create a more equitable, accessible, cohesive and people-centred system that will improve the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders.

  • People-centred: a system that brings together the voice of all communities 
  • Equitable: a system that focuses on working in partnership with Māori and honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi 
  • Accessible: a system that offers more equitable, convenient and integrated access to services for all New Zealanders 
  • Cohesive: a national health system that delivers locally, supported by co-ordinated planning and oversight 

Why are health reforms happening?
He aha ai?

Who you are or where you live should not determine the range and quality of services you receive. The reforms will give people access to consistent quality care when they need it, to help people live longer in good health and have the best quality of life. 

Primary and community care will be better tailored to the needs of communities, and people will have more opportunities for their voice to be heard on services and how they’re delivered.  

Being a health provider in Aotearoa – New Zealand Health Group is required to align itself with this reform to ensure we are in the best possible position to provide the best possible care and services for community we serve. 

What this will mean for New Zealand Health Group staff

Rest assure that there is nothing to worry about regarding your role here with New Zealand Health Group, it will be business as usual for us. We want to make sure that there is no disruption to the delivery of services or care for our clients.

We will be working closely across the board to ensure that New Zealand Health Group is in the best possible position to provide the best possible care and services for community we serve.  

We want to ensure a greater focus on: People-centred, Equitable, Accessible, Cohesive is reflected and continues to be reflected in the work we do and services we provide for our communities and whānau that we serve.  

We will also be working more collaboratively and in active partnerships with other organisations to increase the opportunities available for our clients and be able to offer a more Population Health Approach to improve the wellbeing of whānau.  

This is also an exciting shift in the health system meaning there may be new opportunities available in the future and we want to make sure you are part of this journey. 

With them implementation of the Pae Ora Bill there will be a transfer of provision, i.e. with reference to current community service contract holders these contracts will automatically transfer over to Health New Zealand. Furthermore, ACC is not part of the health reforms, meaning business as usual for us with our current contracts.

We want to hear from you!

It is important to uphold the mana of our valuable kaimahi so we would love to get your input on the reform, what you would like to see going forward for us as an organisation, any opportunities you can see, any concerns you may have and any questions. Please click on the link below to fill in the survey. 

What's New


The new names for Health New Zealand, the Māori Health Authority, and the new Ministry of Disabled People have been launched!

Click on the links below to find out more:

Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand

www.tewhatuora.govt.nz

Te aka Whai Ora | Māori Health Authority

www.futureofhealth.govt.nz/maori-health-authority

Whaikaha | Ministry of Disabled People

www.whaikaha.govt.nz

Health Reform FAQs

How are you going to attract and maintain the required number of staff and specialists?

We are in the process of reviewing the recruitment and onboarding process to make it a more culturally safe and inclusive process. We are also looking at opportunities to develop workforce/learning pathways to increase recruitment and upskill kaimahi.

Why should we trust that this Reform will actually work?

At this stage we have to trust the process – this change has come about from the Government’s Pae Ora Healthy Futures Act and their commitment to achieving equity. From NZHG, we too have a commitment to achieving health equity and wellbeing for all, so we share this goal/vision. In terms of it being actioned/led by Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora, we can see from their interim strategy (Te Pae Tata) great intentions, priorities and direction, so we are hoping this will translate to actionable outcomes and be reflected in service delivery, e.g. contracts, whānau-centred.

Please can you advise if there will be meetings set up with our local NASC team?

As part of our Health Reform Project Team, we have established locality teams aligned with the current localities that are working closely with Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora to implement their strategies for that specific locality. One of the focus points for our internal locality teams is to connect with funders, community organisations, and other providers, for example, within the locality to share information and identify collaboration opportunities where appropriate.  This is in addition to the work the regional staff for all the NZHG business’s across the country undertake as part of their ‘business as usual’ which is also connecting regularly with funders, community organisations and other providers of which NASC would be included where we hold those contracts.

What does it mean for us as staff?

Rest assured that there is nothing to worry about regarding your role here with New Zealand Health Group; it will be business as usual for us. We want to make sure that there is no disruption to the delivery of services or care for our clients. With the implementation of the Pae Ora Bill there will be a transfer of provision, i.e. with reference to current community service contract holders, these contracts will automatically transfer over to Health New Zealand. Furthermore, ACC is not part of the health reforms, meaning business as usual for us with our current contracts.

What is New Zealand Health Group doing to ensure they (we) are best positioned to be a leading partner?

From a New Zealand Health Group perspective, we have been trying to keep an ear to the ground about anything happening in this space and localities, which is why we have established locality teams and are monitoring stakeholder engagement. We have a dedicated team who are actively seeking engagement with key stakeholders in the localities so we can strengthen networks in our communities. We are also looking at working more collaboratively with other organisations to increase the opportunities available for our clients and the wider community. We also acknowledge the establishment of Whaikaha (Ministry of Disabled People Home | Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People) so are making sure to stay connected and up to date in this space also. There is also a commitment/invested interest in these health reforms from our Board and Exec, connecting in with key stakeholders and supporting the implementation of our own health equity framework, Pae Ora mō Tātau Katoa, to align ourselves/position ourselves in the best possible way.

References - Useful links

Click on the links below for more information about the Health Reform in New Zealand.

If you are interested in receiving regular updates directly from Health NZ we would recommend going to Home | Health New Zealand (hnz.govt.nz) and signing up to their Health Workforce Newsletter to be kept up to date.

Want to hear more? Book a Health Reform Update for your team by clicking on the button below.