New Zealand

Owned by Federica Andreoni
Last updated: Nov 04, 2024
4 min read

New Zealand is far away but far ahead. It was the first to have universal women’s suffrage (1893); national minimum wage (1894); universal pension (1898). Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivered the world’s first wellbeing budget in 2019, some of the lowest excess death rates during Covid, and her legislation to prevent a new generation buying cigarettes was copied by the British government when she stepped down in New Zealand.

Country’s healthcare system in a nutshell

New Zealand’s healthcare system, overseen by Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand, is of high quality and largely funded through general taxation. This funding model ensures that healthcare services are either free or subsidised for those eligible for publicly funded healthcare. For instance, public hospitals provide free treatment to citizens and permanent residents, while primary care services and medications listed by PHARMAC (the government agency managing the pharmaceutical budget) are subsidised. However, patients are still required to make a co-payment.

Although the public system covers most healthcare needs, private health insurance is available to expedite access to certain treatments ​(Southern Health, n.d.). Emergency services are primarily provided by St John New Zealand, a charity funded through a mix of private donations and public subsidies, and operated by volunteers (Givealittle, n.d.; Lourens, 2024)

In 2022, the government enacted the ‘Health Futures Act’ to ensure that everyone could access quality healthcare. A key component of this reform was the centralisation of the previously fragmented healthcare system. This led to the dissolution of the 20 District Health Boards and the creation of Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, a unified organisation. Additionally, the government established the ‘Māori Health Authority’, with spending power, to ensure the Māori community is involved at every level of decision-making (Ministry of Health, 2023).

By mid-2024, these reforms were fully implemented, with both organisations fully operational.

Health New Zealand is the national health agency responsible for delivering healthcare services across the country. It oversees the daily operations of the country's healthcare system through four regional divisions. These work with district offices to develop and implement plans tailored to local community needs.

The Agency is responsible for the management of all healthcare services, encompassing hospital, primary and community care. National planning of hospitals and specialised services aims to ensure consistent delivery throughout the country, and the organisation also oversees national contracts. (Health New Zealand, 2021)

According to the most recent data from 2011, health insurance covered the entire population of New Zealand. This coverage encompasses both those who are members of health insurance schemes and those who have free access to state-provided healthcare services (Our World in Data, n.p.).

Public vs private

Health care spending by country in 2021 (7).svg
Source: The World Bank.
The pink column refers to the public expenditure as a % of the country’s total healthcare expenditure. The blue dot is the country’s expenditure on health per capita, expressed in international dollars at purchasing power parity.

The national infrastructure

My Health Account is a digital health identity service provided by Health New Zealand. It allows individuals aged 16 and over to securely access online health services from anywhere. This service helps users verify their identity digitally, ensuring that only they can view and manage their personal health data. By creating a My Health Account, users can confidently access and control their health information, deciding when and with whom to share it. Additionally, parents can manage important health information for their children by linking their accounts (Te Whatu Ora, n.d.).

Portals

There is currently no national government portal or personal health records platform in New Zealand. Instead, the market comprises three privately-owned GP portal systems. Through one of these platforms, Manage My Health, patients can also receive their hospital care documents.

To access their primary care information, patients can inquire at the reception of their GP or another community healthcare provider about registering for the patient portal they use. Once registered, patients can access certain health information, depending on the features offered by the portal. For example, they may be able to view:

  • Health conditions

  • Allergies

  • Prescriptions

  • Immunisations

  • Lab results

  • Clinician notes

  • Upcoming appointments

  • Hospital clinic letters, discharge summaries, and referral updates (via the Manage My Health portal)

Some portals also allow patients to interact with healthcare providers through features such as:

  • Appointment booking

  • Requesting repeat prescriptions

  • Messaging their GP

Patients should check with their healthcare provider to find out which functions are available. The portals currently in use are:

  • Manage My Health: the platform used by most GP practices in New Zealand, developed in 2008 and now partnered with Health New Zealand.

  • Health 365: a platform used by some GPs.

  • ConnectMed: owned by Cereus.

(Ministry of Health, New Zealand Government, n.d.)

Bibliography

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