27 March 2025
Jake Parsons
[FYI request #29977 email]
Tēnā koe Jake
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00078491
Thank you for your email on 4 February 2025, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for the
following under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act):
I am making a request under the Official Information Act 1982 regarding governance,
accountability, and transparency in Health New Zealand’s decision-making. Given that the
central government has stated it is not responsible for the day-to-day operations of Health
New Zealand, I seek clarification on how the organisation ensures effective oversight,
public accountability, and evidence-based decision-making.
1. Governance and Decision-Making
1.1 Health New Zealand’s Responsibilities
Please provide a detailed breakdown of Health New Zealand’s key statutory and
operational responsibilities in relation to:
- Public hospital administration and service planning
- Workforce planning, allocation, and management
- Digital health systems, IT infrastructure, and data management
- Clinical service standards, patient safety, and risk management
- Primary care oversight, funding decisions, and contract management
- Public accountability, transparency, and complaint resolution processes
- Any other responsibilities under Health NZ is given under the law
1.2 Decision-Making & Oversight
- Please provide an organisational chart showing key executive positions, their reporting
lines, and where ultimate responsibility for hospital operations lies.
- How does Health New Zealand ensure that intelligence provided to its leadership
accurately reflects conditions on the ground?
- What mechanisms exist to prevent decision-making from being based on incomplete,
misleading, or filtered information?
- Are there independent auditing or verification processes in place to assess whether
decisions align with frontline healthcare realities?
2. Executive Responsibility & Public Contact Information
For each area of responsibility listed in Section 1.1, please provide:
- The name and official title of the executive responsible.
- A description of their role and specific duties in that area.
- Their reporting structure, including who they are accountable to.
- Publicly available contact details (email and/or phone) for public queries or concerns.
Additionally, what formal escalation pathways exist for the public or frontline healthcare
workers to raise concerns if they believe key issues are being misrepresented to Health
New Zealand leadership?
3. Public Complaints Handling & Transparency Measures
- What public-facing mechanisms exist for patients, staff, and the general public to raise
concerns about governance or service delivery?
- What formal procedures are in place to ensure complaints and concerns are addressed in
a transparent and timely manner?
- What quality assurance measures exist to track whether complaints lead to meaningful
policy or operational changes?
- Please provide any published reports or summaries regarding public complaints received
in the past 12 months and any resulting policy or service changes.
4. Information Integrity & Verification
The central government has stated that it is not responsible for the day-to-day operations of
Health New Zealand.
- How does Health New Zealand ensure that the information used in decision-making
accurately represents conditions on the ground?
- What systems exist to verify the authenticity and completeness of information provided to
executives and board members?
- Are there any internal audits, reviews, or third-party assessments conducted to ensure
information provided to leadership is accurate and reflective of real-world healthcare
challenges?
5. Ministerial Oversight and Government Accountability
- Under what circumstances can the Minister of Health or other government officials
intervene in Health New Zealand’s operations?
- Have there been any ministerial directives, reviews, or interventions in the past 12 months
regarding hospital service delivery or governance? If so, please provide details.
- What legal or procedural safeguards are in place to ensure Health New Zealand remains
transparent and publicly accountable while operating independently of direct government
control?
// Scope of Request
I am requesting this information at a national level.
However, if retrieving national-level information exceeds the scope of this request under
Section 18(f) of the Official Information Act (on the grounds that the information cannot be
made available without substantial collation or research), please limit the request to the
following hospitals:
- Auckland City Hospital
- North Shore Hospital
- Middlemore Hospital
- Whangārei Hospital
If this scope is stil considered too broad under Section 18(f), please further limit the request
to:
- Auckland City Hospital
- North Shore Hospital
- Middlemore Hospital
If necessary, further limit the request to the following two hospitals:
- Auckland City Hospital
- North Shore Hospital
Finally, if this remains too broad, please limit the request to only Auckland City Hospital.
If any part of this request is refused, I request suggestions on how the request may be
refined to fall within an acceptable scope.
Response
For the sake of clarity, I wil respond to each question in turn.
There are a variety of resources publicly available that may be of interest and can be located at the
below links:
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Annual Report | Pūrongo-ā-tau 2023-2024 – Health New
Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
Health NZ Financial Reporting from FY 2023/24 – Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
1. Governance and Decision-Making
1.1 Health New Zealand’s Responsibilities
Please provide a detailed breakdown of Health New Zealand’s key statutory and operational
responsibilities in relation to:
- Public hospital administration and service planning
- Workforce planning, allocation, and management
- Digital health systems, IT infrastructure, and data management
- Clinical service standards, patient safety, and risk management
- Primary care oversight, funding decisions, and contract management
- Public accountability, transparency, and complaint resolution processes
- Any other responsibilities under Health NZ is given under the law
Health NZ’s key statutory responsibilities are set out in the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022
and the Crown Entities Act 2004, which are both publicly available at
https:/ www.legislation.govt.nz/
There are a large number of other statutes which impose statutory obligations on Health NZ in
relation to the provision of public health services including, but not limited to, the Health and Disability
Commissioner Act 1994, the Public Records Act 2005, the Official Information Act 1982, the Privacy
Act 2020, the Health Act 1956, the Employment Relations Act 2000, the Health and Safety at Work
Act 2015 and the Public Finance Act 1989.
For information about Health NZ’s operational activities, please see our website:
https:/ www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/
1.2 Decision-Making & Oversight
- Please provide an organisational chart showing key executive positions, their reporting lines,
and where ultimate responsibility for hospital operations lies.
You can find further information regarding governance and leadership at the following link.
Our
leadership and structure – Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. Below is the organisational
structure for the executive leadership team for Health NZ. While responsibility for coordinating
hospital operations in each of the four Health NZ regions sits with the Deputy Chief Executive for
the relevant region, ultimate responsibility for hospital operations in Health NZ sits with the Interim
Chief Executive, Dr Dale Bramley.
- How does Health New Zealand ensure that intelligence provided to its leadership
accurately reflects conditions on the ground?
- What mechanisms exist to prevent decision-making from being based on incomplete,
misleading, or filtered information?
- Are there independent auditing or verification processes in place to assess whether
decisions align with frontline healthcare realities?
Information on operations and conditions in Health NZ services and locations is made available to
the Commissioner and senior leadership of the organisation from Health NZ managers and staff.
Responsibility for aspects of the operations of the organisation is spread across delivery and
clinical leadership roles and regional leadership. Organisation structures and reporting lines mean
that relevant, accurate and complete information is shared with the Commissioner and senior
leadership of the organisation. Senior leadership is also required to ensuring that the
Commissioner and they have all of the necessary information to enable the Commissioner and
them to make relevant governance, strategic and other decisions. There are no “independent
auditing or verification processes” in place for assessing whether the decisions of the
Commissioner and senior leadership align with frontline healthcare realities. However, the Board of
Health NZ (and the current Commissioner appointed in place of the Board) are required to oversee
the performance of the organisation and senior management. The performance of the organisation
is also monitored by the Ministry of Health and the financial statements of the organisation are
subject to audit by the Of ice of the Auditor-General.
2. Executive Responsibility & Public Contact Information
For each area of responsibility listed in Section 1.1, please provide:
- The name and official title of the executive responsible.
- A description of their role and specific duties in that area.
- Their reporting structure, including who they are accountable to.
- Publicly available contact details (email and/or phone) for public queries or concerns.
Al of the below executive roles are accountable to the Interim Chief Executive Dr Dale Bramley.
Public hospital administration and service planning
This is the responsibility of the Deputy Chief Executives (DCE) as listed below, their roles are
responsible for holding budgets and accountability for their regional hospital service and the health
services we fund others to provide in their regions. Their role also includes leading their regions to
meet key performance indicators for their regions such as achieving National Health Targets,
Mental Health Targets and getting expenditure back to budget.
Region
Regional Deputy
Contact
Chief Executive
Northern Region | Te Tai
Mark Shepherd
[email address]
Tokerau
Midland | Te Manawa Taki
Cath Cronin
[email address]
Central | Ikaroa
Robyn Shearer
[email address]
Te Waipounamu
Martin Keogh
[email address]
Workforce planning, allocation, and management
The executive responsible for workforce planning, allocation and management is Fiona McCarthy,
interim Chief Human Resources Officer -
[email address]
The role leads the development of strategic workforce plans, health, safety and wellbeing
initiatives, and people strategies to align with Te Pae Tata and the NZ Health Plan. It drives cultural
transformation across Te Whatu Ora, consolidating HR teams into a cohesive unit with effective
business partnering. The position ensures that change initiatives are well-supported and
embedded, working closely with unions and stakeholders. It also oversees leadership
development, HR systems such as recruitment and payroll, industrial relations, and governance
policies. Additionally, it collaborates on workforce growth, employer branding, equity, inclusion, and
technology advancements and innovation to support a unified, high-performing health sector.
Digital health systems, IT infrastructure, and data management
The executive responsible for Digital Health, IT infrastructure and Data Management is Darren
Douglass, interim Chief Information Technology Of icer -
[email address]
His role and business unit is responsible for delivering quality, resilient and secure digital services
that meet clinical and business needs, support timely access to high quality healthcare services
and enable better outcomes for New Zealanders. His team leads the implementation and support
of digital technologies that enhance our people’s experience of work and empowers the
organisation to meet Health Targets that wil deliver more care, faster, to everyone in New
Zealand.
Clinical service standards, patient safety, and risk management
The executive responsible for clinical service standards, patient safety and risk management is
Dr Richard Sullivan, Chief Clinical Of icer -
[email address]
Richard is responsible for effective and high-performing clinical governance across the whole
system, ensuring excellent quality and safe care delivery and experience for all patients and
whanau. His role is to provide professional leadership, including credentialing, scopes of practice,
performance conduct and professional development of clinical staff. Richard partners with service
leadership and provides leadership to national, regional and local clinical networks. This team
supports all system shifts by ensuring clinical advice and expertise underpins all decision making.
Primary care oversight, funding decisions, and contract management
The executive responsible for primary care oversight, funding decisions and contract management
is Jason Power, interim National Director Planning, Funding and Outcomes -
[email address]
Jason leads the planning, funding and outcomes which seeks to improve health outcomes for all
New Zealanders by using evidence, data insights and clinical advice to plan, fund, monitor and
improve nationwide health services. Bringing together people with significant clinical and technical
skil s across planning, strategy performance, commissioning and data and analytics. Jason has a
strong leadership role in national planning and performance and key outcome measures including
health targets, and wil provide analytical support to the four regions.
Public accountability, transparency, and complaint resolution processes
The executive responsible for public accountability, transparency and complaint resolution is
Andrew Cordner, Chief Legal Of icer, in his role as Integrity Champion for the organisation -
[email address]
Andrew’s role is responsible for leading the Health NZ legal team which provides legal advice and
support to the Health NZ Commissioner, executive leadership team and operations. He is also
responsible for the governance, privacy and information management functions across Health NZ.
Additionally, what formal escalation pathways exist for the public or frontline healthcare workers to
raise concerns if they believe key issues are being misrepresented to Health New Zealand
leadership?
Information regarding raising complaints/concerns can be found below in question 3, there is no
specific escalation pathway for raising concerns regarding key issues being misrepresented to
Health New Zealand leadership.
3. Public Complaints Handling & Transparency Measures
- What public-facing mechanisms exist for patients, staff, and the general public to raise
concerns about governance or service delivery?
There are options to be able to raise concerns regarding Health NZ and these are listed below. At
present there is no national complaints service as these are all managed at a district level and are
escalated as appropriate. Each district stil maintains their own complaints policies and procedures.
Complaint options
• Integrity Line
: https:/ www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/corporate-information/contact-and-
engagement/how-to-contact-us#health-integrity-line
• District level complaint process, internal and external
• Health and Disability Commissioner
: ht ps://www.hdc.org.nz/making-a-complaint/
• Of ice of the Ombudsman
: https:/ www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/what-ombudsman-can-
help/complaints-about-government-agencies/how-make-complaint
- What formal procedures are in place to ensure complaints and concerns are addressed in a
transparent and timely manner?
As mentioned above there are various means to provide a complaint regarding Health NZ, each
service has their own policy and procedure and can be located on their websites. Staff working for
Health NZ also have the ability to be able to contact People & Culture for assistance regarding
complaints about Health NZ. Protected disclosures can be made by employees under the
applicable Health NZ Protected Disclosure Policy for that employee. I have included in
Appendix
One the complaints policy and procedures for the followings districts:
• Te Toka Tumai Auckland
• Counties Manukau (Middlemore)
• Waitematā (North Shore Hospital)
- What quality assurance measures exist to track whether complaints lead to meaningful policy
or operational changes?
As mentioned, this is not yet managed at a National level, however the Districts use quality
assurances such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) ensuring that responses are tracked and
responded to in a timely manner. Complaints are categorised and tracked to detect any reoccurring
themes or systemic issues. This data is reviewed alongside clinical incidents (adverse events),
patient experience surveys, and audit findings to provide a comprehensive understanding of quality
governance. Lessons learned from complaints are shared, using debriefs, case studies and
learning forums. When appropriate, complainants are informed about the improvements made as a
result of their feedback, fostering transparency and trust.
- Please provide any published reports or summaries regarding public complaints received in
the past 12 months and any resulting policy or service changes.
There are currently no published reports or summaries regarding public complaints that have
resulted in policy or service changes. Therefore, we are refusing this request under section 18(e)
of the Act, that this information does not exist. Reports are however published by the Health and
Disability Commissioner (HDC) regarding complaints received by the HDC.
Complaints to HDC
involving Health NZ districts January - June 2024 — Health & Disability Commissioner
4. Information Integrity & Verification
The central government has stated that it is not responsible for the day-to-day operations of
Health New Zealand.
- How does Health New Zealand ensure that the information used in decision-making
accurately represents conditions on the ground?
- What systems exist to verify the authenticity and completeness of information provided to
executives and board members?
- Are there any internal audits, reviews, or third-party assessments conducted to ensure
information provided to leadership is accurate and reflective of real-world healthcare
challenges?
See answer to Question 1.2 above.
5. Ministerial Oversight and Government Accountability
- Under what circumstances can the Minister of Health or other government officials intervene
in Health New Zealand’s operations?
- Have there been any ministerial directives, reviews, or interventions in the past 12 months
regarding hospital service delivery or governance? If so, please provide details.
- What legal or procedural safeguards are in place to ensure Health New Zealand remains
transparent and publicly accountable while operating independently of direct government
control?
On 18 February 2025 we notified you of transfer of this request to Manatū Hauora | Ministry of
Health, you wil receive a response in due course.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. Al requester data, including your name and
contact details, wil be removed prior to release.
N
āku iti noa, nā
Andrew Cordner
Chief Legal Officer
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health NZ, PO Box 793,
Wel ington 6140, New Zealand
Document Outline
