What we do

Manatū Hauora is the chief steward of the health system.

New Zealand’s new health and disability system is founded on collaboration, partnership and shared leadership, with a simple but ambitious goal - to deliver pae ora, healthy futures for all New Zealanders.  

Our vision across the health system and disability system is a New Zealand where people live longer in good health and improved quality of life, and where there is equity across all population groups.  

In our role as kaitiaki of New Zealand’s health system, Manatū Hauora advises the Government on policy, sets direction, and regulates and monitors the health system to ensure it performs well and delivers better health outcomes for everyone.  

Our role in our health system 

The Ministry has an important role in monitoring the performance and outcomes achieved by our health system, to make sure it’s delivering the best possible health services to New Zealanders. 

The Ministry’s role is to:   

  • provide coherent system-level leadership that aligns priorities and focus across the health system and across government
  • drive system strategy and performance   
  • be the Government’s primary advisor on health, priority setting, policy and system performance  
  • help future proof our health system and take a government-level leadership role, including leading on advice on the determinants of health and wellbeing, and taking a medium and long-term investment focus on health and wellbeing  
  • be the regulator of our health system. 

In this section

  • Vote Health is the main source of funding for New Zealand’s health and disability system, while ACC is the other major source of public funding Read more
  • Achieving equity is a priority of the Ministry's work programme. Read more
  • Eliminating all forms of racism in the health system is critical to achieving health equity and the vision of pae ora – healthy futures for all New Zealanders.   Read more
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