7 April 2025
Maddison Winsor
[FYI request #29985 email]
Tēnā koe Maddison
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00083295
Thank you for your email on 24 March 2025, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for the
following under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act):
“Thanks for your response. I understand my earlier request may have been declined due to
substantial collation. In that case, let’s just focus on North Shore Hospital, since I
understand they have electronic prescribing in place.
Could you please provide data on the number of salbutamol inhalers dispensed by hospital
staff during May 2024? If that’s not available, the number of salbutamol inhalers purchased
for that period would be helpful too.
I’d also be interested to know more about Health New Zealand’s approach to sustainability.
Given the environmental impact of propellant-based medications, I’m curious if there’s a
particular reason this data isn’t tracked - or if there are any plans to include it in future
reporting.
I completely understand that patient care comes first, but given the scale of healthcare’s
hidden environmental footprint, it would be great to know how this fits into your broader
sustainability efforts.
Climate change is the biggest threat to global public health in the 21st century, and I’d be
interested to know how this is recognised within Health New Zealand’s policies or
sustainability plans. Could you please clarify where this is addressed.”
This request has been received as a follow up to HNZ00078514 and HNZ00080901 which Health
NZ provided responses to on 27 February and 24 March 2025, respectively.
Response
For the sake of clarity, I wil address each section of your request in turn.
In that case, let’s just focus on North Shore Hospital, since I understand they have
electronic prescribing in place.
Could you please provide data on the number of salbutamol inhalers dispensed by hospital
staff during May 2024? If that’s not available, the number of salbutamol inhalers purchased
for that period would be helpful too.
I can advise that 297 salbutamol 100mcg inhalers were received at North Shore Hospital Inpatient
Pharmacy during May 2024. Further to this, 272 salbutamol 100mcg inhalers were dispensed by
North Shore Hospital staff during the same period.
I’d also be interested to know more about Health New Zealand’s approach to sustainability.
Given the environmental impact of propellant-based medications, I’m curious if there’s a
particular reason this data isn’t tracked - or if there are any plans to include it in future
reporting.
I completely understand that patient care comes first, but given the scale of healthcare’s
hidden environmental footprint, it would be great to know how this fits into your broader
sustainability efforts.
Climate change is the biggest threat to global public health in the 21st century, and I’d be
interested to know how this is recognised within Health New Zealand’s policies or
sustainability plans. Could you please clarify where this is addressed.
As was previously communicated, Health NZ’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory (the
‘Inventory’) does not include emissions from propellant-based medications such as inhalers. While
there are a small number of inhalers prescribed in hospitals, the majority of prescriptions for
inhalers are issued by General Practice.
Health NZ’s Inventory does not include emissions from General Practice because these
organisations are not under the direct control of Health NZ. Health NZ prepares its Inventory in
accordance with an international standard (ISO14064-1:2018) that sets principles and
requirements at the organisation level for the quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions and removals. This requires setting of an ‘organisational boundary’. As separate
entities, outside the direct control of Health NZ, emissions arising from general practices are
excluded.
Under ISO14064-1, Health NZ uses the following criteria to determine what to include and exclude
from the Inventory:
• materiality
• operational control/influence
• stakeholder interest
• and regulatory requirements.
As information on propellant-based medications dispensed or administered in hospitals is not held
centrally, and the scale of these emissions is considered to be low compared to other more
significant emissions generated by Health NZ, this emissions source is currently excluded from the
Inventory. This approach has been accepted by third party auditors as part of the annual external
verification of the Health NZ Inventory.
Health NZ is nevertheless commit ed to continuously improving the scope and quality of emissions
reported as part of its Inventory. Capturing and reporting emissions from pharmaceuticals is an
area that wil be considered as part of this work in the future.
Emissions reporting is a component of Health NZ’s four key sustainability workstreams:
• Integration of sustainability into strategies and culture
• Health System Decarbonisation
• Environment in Al Practices
• Health System Resilience
These workstreams are stated in Health NZ’s
‘Statement of Intent 2024-2028’ (page 36).
Emissions reporting primarily relates to the second workstream, Health Sector Decarbonisation.
Health NZ works collaboratively with the wider health sector in implementing these workstreams
and has engaged with primary care bodies to raise awareness of emissions associated with
propellant-based medications and promote approaches that minimise such prescriptions and/or
adopt lower emission alternatives.
Climate change is the biggest threat to global public health in the 21st century, and I’d be
interested to know how this is recognised within Health New Zealand’s policies or
sustainability plans. Could you please clarify where this is addressed.
Health NZ has highlighted the threat climate change poses to human health and wellbeing, most
recently in its
‘Statement of Intent 2024-2028’. In addition to emissions reporting and emissions
reduction, Health NZ is actively considering its climate risks and subsequent options for improving
its resilience to climate-related events.
In 2024, Health NZ supported the cross-sector development of climate change scenarios, outlining
three plausible futures for the health sector in the face of climate change. A climate resilience plan
wil be developed by the end of 2026 to understand what climate change means for Health NZ’s
service delivery.
Health NZ also worked closely with the Ministry of Health in the release of the Health National
Adaptation Plan in October 2024.
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.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Danielle Coe
Manager (OIA) Government Services
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health NZ, PO Box 793,
Wel ington 6140, New Zealand
