About us Mō mātou

About the Ministry of Health and the New Zealand health system. 

Regulation & legislation Ngā here me ngā ture

Health providers and products we regulate, and laws we administer.

Strategies & initiatives He rautaki, he tūmahi hou

How we’re working to improve health outcomes for all New Zealanders.

Māori health Hauora Māori

Increasing access to health services, achieving equity and improving outcomes for Māori.

Statistics & research He tatauranga, he rangahau

Data and insights from our health surveys, research and monitoring.

Medical Products Bill webinar

7 November 2024

On 7 November 2024, the Ministry of Health presented a public webinar on the planned Medical Products Bill. The Medical Products Bill is intended to replace the Medicines Act 1981, and to provide modern, risk-proportionate regulation of medicines and medical devices.

The webinar includes a question and answer segment. Not all questions could be answered during the available time, but these can be downloaded in the Q&A document below. 

Documents relating to the Medical Products Bill

Released 11 October 2024

Documents relating to the Therapeutic Products Act (2023)

Released 13 January 2024

Released 29 October 2024

This set of documents about the Therapeutic Products Act Repeal Bill was published on the New Zealand Parliament website.

Released 5 August 2024

Released 21 June 2024

In 2023, the Ministry of Health commissioned a report on international approaches to the regulation of natural health products to assist in developing secondary legislation under the Therapeutic Products Act 2023 (the TPA). Following the Government’s announcement that it would repeal the TPA, all work on developing secondary legislation ceased.

On 8 May 2024, Hon Casey Costello announced her intention to develop a separate modernised regime for natural health products. The report on international approaches is being released as it may assist stakeholders in understanding how other countries regulate natural health products and support future engagement by the Ministry.

Released 23 May 2024

Released 24 August 2023

The Government has released key documents that led to its decision to amend the Therapeutic Products Bill to create an exemption regime for small-scale natural health product (NHP) producers and remove most obligations for rongoā. 

We have released:

The Ministry’s Māori Health Directorate (Te Pou Hauora) has also released documents relating to advice given from the rongoā workstream to Ministers during development of the Act. 

Released 13 June 2023

This set of documents was published on the New Zealand Parliament website.

Released 17 January 2023

Released 30 November 2022

Released 17 March 2022

Released 14 December 2018

Minutes from November 2015 and March 2016 Cabinet papers

Released 28 April 2016

© Ministry of Health – Manatū Hauora