Government Policy Statement on Health

This is New Zealand’s full GPS on health. It replaces an interim GPS published in 2022. 

It is the public statement of what the Government expects the health system to deliver and achieve, and how success will be measured, monitored and reported.  

The GPS sets the direction for the system as a whole, and the expectations for health entities, to make sure they are working towards common goals that matter for New Zealanders.    

The New Zealand Health Plan, prepared by Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora, will then set out how the funded health system will achieve the GPS, including how money will be spent to achieve the Government’s priorities.  

Priorities for the health system 

The GPS 2024-2027 sets out 5 priority areas for the health system: 

1. Access – ensuring all New Zealanders have equitable access to the health care services they need, no matter where they live. 
2. Timeliness – making sure all New Zealanders can access these services in a prompt and efficient way. 
3. Quality – ensuring New Zealand’s health care and services are safe, easy to navigate, understandable and welcoming to users, and are continuously improving. 
4. Workforce – having a skilled and culturally capable workforce who are accessible, responsive, and supported to deliver safe and effective health care.  
5. Infrastructure – ensuring that the health system is resilient and has the digital and physical infrastructure it needs to meet people’s needs now and the future.   

The GPS also highlights the need to prevent and reduce the impact of 5 non-communicable diseases: cancer, diabetes, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease and mental health. Together, these account for about 80% of deaths from non-communicable diseases in New Zealand.  

To better prevent these non-communicable diseases, we need to address 5 modifiable risk factors: alcohol, tobacco, nutrition, physical activity and adverse social and environmental factors. 

Health targets

The commitments and focus on improving access and timeliness are also reinforced through 5 health targets:

1. Faster cancer treatment.
2. Improved immunisation for children.
3. Shorter stays in emergency departments.
4. Shorter waits for first specialist appointments.  
5. Shorter waits for treatment.

The mental health and addiction targets are:  

1. Faster access to specialist mental health and addiction services.
2. Faster access to primary mental health and addiction services.
3. Shorter mental health and addiction-related stays in emergency departments.
4. Increased mental health and addiction workforce development. 
5. Strengthened focus on prevention and early intervention.

The GPS also includes a monitoring framework and measures, which the Ministry of Health will report on every year.  

Delivering on the priorities  

The following specialist health entities must give effect to the GPS under the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022:

• Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora
• Health Quality and Safety Commission
• Pharmac
• the New Zealand Blood and Organ Service.

The following health entities also have an interest:

• Health Research Council
• Health and Disability Commissioner
• Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission
• Cancer Control Agency.

The Ministry of Health will publicly report on the measures in the GPS every year.