Category: Ministry of Health

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

The 2022/23 Manatū Hauora | Ministry of Health Annual Report sets out who we are and what we do, how we manage our business, our progress towards our 2022-26 strategic intentions. The annual report also includes our financial statements and statement of service performance as specified in Vote Health – Main Estimates of Appropriation 2022/23 and (where updated) in Vote Health – Supplementary Estimates of Appropriation 2022/23 as required under the Public Finance Act 1989. 

The Ministry has achieved a lot in the past 12 months since the reform of our health system began with the new health entities stood up including the creation of the Public Health Agency within Manatū Hauora – on 1 July 2022. The reforms support a more equitable, accessible, cohesive and people centred system that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders. 

Over the last 12 months, we have sharpened our focus on our key role as kaitiaki | chief steward of our reformed health system and taken a closer look at how we operate, so we are well set up to deliver on our purpose and role. 

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

The National Poliomyelitis Response Framework provides a toolkit for how Aotearoa would respond to various scenarios in which there was detection of polio, including a polio outbreak, in New Zealand. 

The framework was a response to the increase in polio activity in areas of the world that have previously seen polio eradicated, partly because of global decline in immunisation rates. Te Pou Hauora Tūmatanui – the Public Health Agency, within Manatū Hauora, Te Whatu Ora – the National Public Health Service, Te Aka Whai Ora, ESR and Whaikaha were all involved in its development. 

Aotearoa New Zealand continues to be polio-free and remains committed to preventing polio circulating in Aotearoa. 

The framework considers four scenarios: 

• detection of poliovirus through wastewater surveillance 
• detection of poliovirus in an acute flaccid paralysis case, which is essentially rapid weakening of a person’s muscles 
• identification of a contact of known polio case overseas 
• exposure to poliovirus in a lab facility. 

Options for responding to an outbreak or heightened risk include ramping up national and locally targeted immunisation campaigns, particularly in areas of low coverage or high exposure and increasing testing and subsequent case and contact management.  

There are also options for enhancing surveillance in response to an outbreak or heightened risk, including further targeted wastewater testing, stool sampling for all people hospitalised with neurological illnesses, and stool sampling healthy children in communities where there is concern about potential transmission. 

The framework is one of several measures developed to prepare for a polio outbreak. Others include poliovirus wastewater testing and surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis cases. Te Whatu Ora also provides detailed advice on management of polio to clinicians and health providers via the Communicable Disease Control Manual. 

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

This publication outlines progress on research commissioned by the Ministry of Health to describe how changes in tobacco control policies may affect the importing and selling of illicit tobacco products, and how consumers are interacting with the illicit market in response.

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

New Zealand has been declared polio free, with the last case occurring in 1977. This plan sets out the response in New Zealand to a potential first case of imported wild-virus polio. While it is unlikely poliovirus would spread significantly if it came to New Zealand, the public health system needs to be ready with a response that is prompt, effective, and based on available evidence should this unlikely event occur.

The plan complements the chapter on poliomyelitis in the Ministry of Health’s Communicable Diseases Control Manual by providing more detail.

 

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

Summary

In July 2023, six Pae Ora | Healthy Futures Strategies were released, setting the direction for a New Zealand health system that is equitable, accessible, cohesive and people-centred.

Ngā Wānanga Pae Ora 2023 – Summary Report uplifts the voices of Māori communities, whānau, hapū, iwi, health sector groups, and community organisations who helped to shape those strategies – in particular Pae Tū: Hauora Māori Strategy.

The challenges to the health system, peoples’ experiences of it and their hopes for the future played a critical role in determining the Māori priorities for Pae Tū.

This report summarises the key themes, priorities, and reflections that emerged from wānanga with Māori communities, iwi, and Māori health sector partners around the country, led by Manatū Hauora and Te Aka Whai Ora.

These wānanga, called ‘Ngā Wānanga Pae Ora’, were the main avenue through which whānau and the Māori health sector could share their aspirations for the Pae Ora strategies. Another pathway was through the whānau voice hui led by Te Aka Whai Ora.

Ngā Wānanga Pae Ora 2023: Summary Report reflects our commitment to working with partners and audiences, to deliver strategies that honour their aspirations.

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

The Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services Regulatory Report 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 provides information and statistics relating to the use of compulsory assessment and treatment legislation in Aotearoa New Zealand.

For more mental health and addiction data, please see Mental health and addiction data.

The legislation covered includes the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992, Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act 2003, and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. It includes subjects such as the use of seclusion, compulsory treatment orders, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

Currently there are around 6,000 retail stores selling smoked tobacco products in Aotearoa. New legislation under the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 will restrict the sale of these products to no more than 599 outlets under the Smoked Tobacco Retail Scheme. Retailers who want to become an Approved Smoked Tobacco Retailer (ASTR) so they can legally sell smoked tobacco products from 1 July 2024, must submit an application to the Tobacco Regulatory Authority.  The scheme will open for applications on 21 September 2023, further information will be available shortly.

In setting the maximum numbers per area, the Director-General of Health was required to take into account the size of the population in an area, the estimated number of people who smoke, the geographic nature of the area and estimated average travel times. As required by the Act, consultation was undertaken with the Māori Health Authority (Te Aka Whai Ora), iwi-Māori partnership boards, any iwi whose rohe includes all or part of a proposed area, and any other Māori who the Director-General considered appropriate. This targeted consultation was undertaken in early 2023, alongside consultation on other regulatory proposals, running in parallel with the wider public consultation. 

The maximum numbers of approved smoked tobacoo retail premises permitted in areas of New Zealand are set out in the following tables.

Urban areas

Area	Number	Area	Number
Auckland	25	New Plymouth	5
Airside – Auckland International Airport	1	Ngāruawāhia	2
Airside – Christchurch International Airport	1	Ngongotahā	2
Airside – Queenstown International Airport	1	Oamaru	3
Airside – Wellington International Airport	1	Ōhope	1
Alexandra	2	Omokoroa	1
Amberley	1	One Tree Point	1
Arrowtown	1	Ōpōtiki	2
Ashburton	3	Ōtaki	1
Ashhurst	1	Ōtaki Beach	1
Balclutha	2	Otorohanga	1
Beachlands-Pine Harbour	2	Oxford	1
Blenheim	4	Paekākāriki	1
Bluff	1	Paeroa	2
Brightwater	1	Pahiatua	1
Bulls	1	Paihia/Kawakawa/Moerewa	2
Cambridge	3	Palmerston North	6
Carterton	1	Paraparaumu	3
Christchurch	13	Pegasus	1
Clive	1	Picton	1
Coromandel	1	Pōkeno	1
Cromwell	2	Porirua	6
Dannevirke	2	Prebbleton	1
Darfield	1	Pukekohe	3
Dargaville	2	Putāruru	2
Dunedin	6	Queenstown	2
Edgecumbe	1	Raglan	1
Eltham	1	Rangiora	3
Featherston	1	Renwick	1
Feilding	3	Richmond	2
Foxton	1	Riverhead	1
Foxton Beach	1	Rolleston	2
Geraldine	1	Rotorua	6
Gisborne	5	Ruakākā	1
Gore	2	Snells Beach	1
Greymouth	2	Stratford	2
Greytown	1	Taihape	1
Hamilton	9	Taumarunui	2
Hastings	5	Taupō	4
Havelock North	3	Tauranga	8
Hāwera	2	Te Anau	1
Helensville	1	Te Aroha	1
Hibiscus Coast	4	Te Awamutu	2
Hokitika	1	Te Kauwhata	1
Huntly	2	Te Kuiti	2
Inglewood	1	Te Puke	2
Invercargill	5	Temuka	1
Kaiapoi	2	Thames	2
Kaikohe	2	Timaru	4
Kaikōura	1	Tokoroa	3
Kaitaia	2	Tuakau	2
Katikati	1	Turangi	1
Kawerau	2	Upper Hutt	4
Kerikeri	2	Waiheke West	2
Kihikihi	1	Waihi	2
Kumeū-Huapai	1	Waihi Beach-Bowentown	1
Lake Hāwea	1	Waikanae	2
Lake Hayes	1	Waimate	1
Leeston	1	Waipawa	1
Levin	3	Waipukurau	1
Lincoln	1	Wairoa	2
Lower Hutt	7	Waitara	2
Lyttelton	1	Waiuku	2
Mangawhai Heads	1	Wakefield	1
Maraetai	1	Wānaka	2
Martinborough	1	Warkworth	1
Marton	2	Wellington	8
Masterton	3	Wellsford	1
Matamata	2	West Melton	1
Methven	1	Westport	2
Milton	1	Whakatāne	3
Morrinsville	2	Whangamatā	1
Mosgiel	2	Whanganui	5
Motueka	2	Whangārei	5
Murupara	1	Whitianga	2
Napier	6	Winton	1
Nelson	4	Woodend	1
Total Urban			354

Rural areas

Area	Number
Northland (Te Tai Tokerau)	18
Auckland (Tāmaki Makaurau)	4
Waikato	43
Bay of Plenty (Te Moana a Toi-te-Huatahi)	23
Tairāwhiti/Hawkes Bay (Te Matau-a-Māui)	20
Taranaki	9
Manawatū/Whanganui	21
Wairarapa/Wellington (Te Whanganui-a-Tara)	2
Nelson (Whakatū)/ Marlborough (Te Tauihu-o-te-waka)	7
Tasman (Te Tai o Aorere)/West Coast (Te Tai Poutini)	26
Canterbury (Waitaha)	22
Otago (Ōtākou)/ Southland (Murihiku)	47
Chatham Islands (Wharekauri / Rēkohu)	1
Great Barrier Island (Aotea)	1
Stewart Island (Rakiura)	1
Total Rural	245
Total Urban + Rural	599

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Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

Privacy

We may publish submissions on the Ministry’s website, unless you have asked us not to. If you are submitting as an individual, we will automatically remove your personal details and any identifiable information. You can chose to have your personal details withheld if your submission is requested under the Official Information Act.

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

Work is now complete on a new state of the art digital database to record details of all adverse reactions to medicines reported to the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM). The new database will be jointly run by CARM and Medsafe.

“This new digital technology presents the opportunity to transform our existing processes and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of medicine safety monitoring”, says Group Manager of Medsafe, Chris James.

The safety monitoring of the effects of medicines will continue to be conducted jointly by CARM and Medsafe.

“The CARM database has been foundational to the work of CARM and Medsafe, and in recognising the opportunity presented by technology advances and the aging nature of the CARM system, we have worked together with CARM to develop a new state of the art digital solution”, says Chris James.

With work now complete on the full database, Medsafe and CARM are preparing to transition the collection and storage of CARM reports to the new Medsafe database and retire the CARM system.

“These changes will improve the turnaround time for processing adverse reaction reports (ADRs) so that staff at Medsafe and CARM will be able to focus more time on analysing reports, which will contribute to improved signal detection and overall safety monitoring. It also frees CARM of administrative overhead activities, allowing their physicians to focus on the valuable role of medically assessing non-routine reports”, says Michael Tatley, Director of the New Zealand Pharmacovigilance Centre, University of Otago.

An early version of the new system came online in December 2022 to support the processing of ADRs for COVID-19 and Mpox vaccines. The system worked well for staff and since then, work has been ongoing to build and improve upon it.

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most significant global events in a generation. It has had far-reaching social, health and economic impacts, well beyond the acute impact on human health. Lives and livelihoods have been disrupted, millions have died worldwide, and for many, the way we work, learn, travel and socialise has changed.

All indications are that COVID-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future. We need to ensure we are well positioned to manage COVID-19 over the long term. We need to build on the gains we have made and have confidence that our systems and communities will be better prepared to respond to future waves of COVID-19, as well as other infectious agents with pandemic potential.  

The Aotearoa New Zealand Strategic Framework for Managing COVID-19 sets out the direction for the long-term management of COVID-19 for our country.  

The COVID-19 virus continues to evolve, as will its impact and our response. This strategic framework builds on and replaces the National Action Plan 3 and the Summary of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Strategic Framework for COVID-19 Variants of Concern – Summary for Cabinet. It is a single framework that outlines the outcomes we seek, and the priorities which will get us there, as we work together on the long-term management of COVID-19. 

Now that the last remaining mandatory COVID-19 measures have been removed, we are shifting our management of COVID-19 from an emergency response, and focusing on improving our resilience to future pandemics and our management of other infectious diseases.   

This strategic framework supports this shift and will harness our efforts toward the high-level goal of pae ora – healthy futures, by protecting Aotearoa New Zealand and the individual and collective wellbeing of our people from the impacts of COVID-19.