New Zealand Health and Disability System Review. Hauora Manaaki ki Aotearoa Whānui.

The much-anticipated recommendations of the New Zealand Health & Disability System Review look set to transform the shape and focus of the New Zealand health sector and how Kiwis access hauora services. While a reduction in the number of district health boards was widely anticipated, the report sets out a sweeping and comprehensive programme of change that goes well beyond structures to put people, populations, and places at the heart of the system.

What do you need to know?

The Review recommends a suite of changes aimed at bringing about a strong, more sustainable, resilient health and disability system that delivers equitable outcomes. We have identified the key changes from this substantial report. These include:

• create clear leadership for the system
• commitment to Hauora Māori
• stronger focus on operations, planning and performance 
• district health boards refresh
• create a new model of community and primary health care (Tier 1) services, based on needs of local populations
• a strategic approach to health workforce planning and employment relations.

COVID-19 put a spotlight on, and increased, the impact of many issues that the health and disability sector were already grappling with. These included financial sustainability, the need for modern models of care, and equity of access and outcomes. PwC’s recently-released Rebuild New Zealand report called for a reimagining of healthcare for all New Zealanders by learning from COVID-19, highlighting the potential need to consolidate our district health boards and seeking to secure efficient health infrastructure, which we believe is an important enabler for a more equitable and robust system of care.

Find out more in our report.

If you would like to discuss how the proposed changes could affect your organisation, or you would like assistance in preparing for the future health and disability system, please get in touch with our health sector leaders.