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Agency overview | |
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Formed | 1997 |
Preceding agency |
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Dissolved | 1 January 2001 |
Superseding agency |
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Jurisdiction | New Zealand |
Minister responsible | |
Agency executive |
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Website | http://www.hfa.govt.nz |
The Health Funding Authority, now defunct, was a New Zealand government entity responsible for funding of public health care in New Zealand between 1997 and 2001.
It was formed through the merger of the four Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) as part of the coalition agreement between the New Zealand National Party and New Zealand First following the 1996 general election. [1] The premise was that having a separate purchaser could provide greater efficiency within the health system. [2]
Following the 1999 General Election the new government, left wing New Zealand Labour Party-led coalition set about changing the health system once more; in part due to low public confidence in the health system since the quasi-market reforms attempted earlier in the decade by the previous National Party government. [3]
The HFA was forcibly dissolved by an Act of Parliament, with its purchasing roles picked up by the Ministry of Health and the District Health Boards (DHB) as part of the new Primary Care Strategy outlined in Labour's 1999 election campaign. [4] In January the DHBs came into existence and the HFA functions were absorbed by them and Minister of Health. [5] [6]
The Ministry of Health is the public service department of New Zealand responsible for healthcare in New Zealand. It came into existence in its current form in 1993. The organisation was founded in 1901 as the Department of Public Health in 1901, and was renamed to Department of Health in 1922.
District health boards (DHBs) in New Zealand were organisations established by the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 under the Fifth Labour Government, responsible for ensuring the provision of health and disability services to populations within a defined geographical area. They existed from 1 January 2001, when the act came into force, to 30 June 2022. Initially there were 21 DHBs, and this was reduced to 20 organisations in 2010: fifteen in the North Island and five in the South Island. DHBs received public funding from the Ministry of Health on behalf of the Crown, based on a formula that took into account the total number, gender, age, socio-economic status and ethnic mix of their population. DHBs were governed by boards, which were partially elected and partially appointed by the minister of Health.
The Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 10 December 1999 to 19 November 2008. Labour Party leader Helen Clark negotiated a coalition with Jim Anderton, leader of the Alliance Party. While undertaking a number of substantial reforms, it was not particularly radical compared to previous Labour governments.
The Minister of Health, formerly styled Minister of Public Health, is a minister in the New Zealand Government with responsibility for the New Zealand Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora—Health New Zealand.
The healthcare system of New Zealand has undergone significant changes throughout the past several decades. From an essentially fully public system based on the Social Security Act 1938, reforms have introduced market and health insurance elements primarily since the 1980s, creating a mixed public-private system for delivering healthcare.
New Zealand has a unitary system of government in which the authority of the central government defines sub-national entities. Local government in New Zealand has only the powers conferred upon it by the New Zealand Parliament. Under the Local Government Act 2002, local authorities are responsible for enabling democratic local decision-making and promoting the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of their communities, as well as more specific functions for which they have delegated authority.
Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) was a district health board that provided healthcare in the Auckland Region in New Zealand, mainly on the Auckland isthmus. This district health board existed between 2001 and 2022 and was governed by a part-elected, part-appointed board. In 2022, its functions and responsibilities were subsumed by Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora.
The South Canterbury District Health Board was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Timaru, Mackenzie, Waimate districts in New Zealand. In July 2022, it was merged into the national health service Te Whatu Ora.
The Canterbury District Health Board was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Canterbury region of New Zealand, north of the Rangitata River. It was responsible for roughly 579,000 residents, or 12% of New Zealand's population. The Canterbury District Health Board covered a territory of 26,881 square kilometers and was divided between six territorial local authorities. In July 2022, the Canterbury DHB was merged into the national health service Te Whatu Ora.
The Bay of Plenty District Health Board was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Bay of Plenty area of New Zealand. In 2022, the Bay of Plenty DHB was dissolved as part of a national overhaul of the district health board system. Its former functions and responsibilities were assumed by Te Whatu Ora.
The Hawke's Bay District Health Board was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. In July 2022, it was merged into the national health service Te Whatu Ora.
The Hutt Valley District Health Board was a district health board that provided healthcare to the cities of Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt in New Zealand. In July 2022, the Hutt Valley DHB was merged into the national health service Te Whatu Ora.
The Northland District Health Board is a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Northland Region of New Zealand. In July 2022, the Northland DHB was merged into the national health service Te Whatu Ora.
The Tairāwhiti District Health Board, branded as Hauora Tairāwhiti since 2015, was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Gisborne District of New Zealand. In July 2022, the Tairāwhiti DHB was merged into the national health service Te Whatu Ora.
The Taranaki District Health Board was a district health board which provided healthcare to the Taranaki region of New Zealand. In July 2022, the Taranaki DHB was merged into the national health service Te Whatu Ora.
The Wairarapa District Health Board was a district health board that provided healthcare to the Masterton, Carterton, and South Wairarapa districts of New Zealand. In July 2022, the Wairarapa DHB was merged into the national health service Te Whatu Ora.
The West Coast District Health Board was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the West Coast region of New Zealand. In July 2022, the West Coast DHB's functions and responsibilities were taken over by the national health service Te Whatu Ora.
The 2001 New Zealand local elections were triennial elections to select local government officials. The elections are notable for being the inaugural elections for district health board members. The elections were held on Saturday, 13 October, as prescribed in the Local Electoral Act 2001.
Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora is the primary publicly funded healthcare system of New Zealand. It was established by the New Zealand Government to replace the country's 20 district health boards (DHBs) on 1 July 2022. Health New Zealand is charged with working alongside the Public Health Agency to manage the provision of healthcare services in New Zealand.
Te Aka Whai Ora was an independent New Zealand government statutory entity tasked with managing Māori health policies, services, and outcomes. The agency was one of four national bodies that oversaw New Zealand's health system since 2022, along with the Ministry of Health, the Public Health Agency, and Te Whatu Ora. They replaced a system in which a single Ministry funded services through 20 district health boards (DHBs).