Cabinet material and associated documents: Putting Patients First: Modernising Health Workforce Regulation

Title of Cabinet paper:    

• Putting Patients First: Modernising Health Workforce Regulation

Title of minutes:

• Putting Patients First: Modernising Health Workforce Regulation (SOU-25-MIN-0014)
• Report of the Social Outcomes Committee: Period Ended 7 March 2025 (CAB-25-MIN-0063)
• Putting Patients First: Modernising Health Workforce Regulation (CAB-25-MIN-0063.01)

Briefing material:

• Future of health workforce regulation - Updated discussion document and process (H2025061169)
• Talking points for Cabinet Social Outcomes Committee: Putting Patients First: Modernising Health Workforce Regulation (H2025061977)
• Draft Cabinet paper: Consultation on options for changes to health workforce regulation (H2024057658)
• Improving accountability and decision-making of health workforce regulators (H2024048465)
• Expedited path for future of health workforce regulatory settings (H2024051486)
• Future of workforce regulation: Overview and next steps (H2024059044)
• Health workforce regulation options for discussion document (H2024056015)
• High-level settings for future health workforce regulation (H2024054398)
• Communications pack - Putting patients first: Modernising health workforce regulation

Weekly report excerpts

• Weekly Report excerpts to Minister Reti - 6 June 2024 to 24 January 2025
• Weekly Report excerpts to Minister Brown - 30 January to 17 April 2025

Internal correspondence

• Due to the wider public interest in the matter, this release includes internal Ministry of Health correspondence relating to the discussion document.
• The drafting of the discussion document took place over several weeks in 2025, and some of the materials relate to earlier drafts. This reflects the type of discussion and feedback process that is typical for a document of this kind.
• Weekly Ministry of Health Internal workforce legislation updates

Some parts of this information release would not be appropriate to release and, if requested, would be withheld under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). Where this is the case, the relevant sections of the Act that would apply have been identified. Where information has been withheld, no public interest has been identified that would outweigh the reasons for withholding it.

Key to redaction codes:

• Out of scope
• S 6(a) where its release would likely prejudice the international relations of the Government of New Zealand.
• S 9(2)(ba)(i) where its release would be likely to prejudice the supply of similar information, or information from the same source, and it is in the public interest that such information should continue to be supplied;
• S 9(2)(a) to protect the privacy of natural persons.
• S 9(2)(b)(i) where its release would disclose a trade secret.
• S 9(2)(b)(ii) where its release would likely unreasonably prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied the information.
• S 9(2)(f)(iv) to maintain the constitutional conventions that protect the confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers and officials.
• S 9(2)(g)(i) to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank expression of opinions by or between or to Ministers and officers and employees of any public service agency.
• S 9(2)(h) to maintain legal professional privilege.
• S 9(2)(j) to enable a Minister or any public service agency to carry on negotiations without prejudice or disadvantage (including commercial and industrial negotiations).