District Health Boards in
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
are organisations established by the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000, responsible for ensuring the provision of health and disability services to populations within a defined geographical area. They have existed since 1 January 2001 when the Act came into force. There are 20 DHBs (15 in the North Island and 5 in the South Island). From their creation until 1 May 2010, there were 21 DHBs. At that date, Otago DHB and Southland DHB amalgamated their boards to form the new Southern DHB. DHBs receive public funding from the
Ministry of HealthThe Ministry of Health , formerly the Department of Health from 1903 to 1993, is a department of the New Zealand government. This is the channel through which the government channels its funding for health services, VOTE: Health.The ministry is overseen by the Minister of Health in the New Zealand...
on behalf of the Crown, based on a formula which takes into account the total number, age, socioeconomic status and ethnic mix of their population.
History
District Health Boards were first introduced as an idea in the 1970s in the
Green and White Paper suggested by the then in-power
LabourThe New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
government. This was part of a plan to nationalise primary health care as the Social Security Act of 1938 had originally intended. Labour subsequently lost the election to
Rob MuldoonSir Robert David "Rob" Muldoon, GCMG, CH served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984, as leader of the governing National Party. Muldoon had been a prominent member of the National party and MP for the Tamaki electorate for some years prior to becoming leader of the party...
's
National PartyThe New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
in the
1975 electionThe 1975 New Zealand general election was held to elect MPs to the 38th session of the New Zealand Parliament. It was the first election in New Zealand where 18-20 year olds and all permanent residents of New Zealand were eligible to vote, although only citizens were able to be...
. Muldoon's government chose however to slowly implement these reforms in trial "Area Health Boards", which can be seen as early predecessors of the District Health Boards.
The more direct pre-decessors were the Crown Health Enterprises (CHEs) and subsequent Hospital and Health Services (HHS) management structures of the 1990s; these were responsible for managing the hospitals under business ethos, albeit, with the expectation that the former would return a profit to the shareholders (i.e. the government).
In the 1990s "Regional Health Authorities" (RHA) were formed. These RHAs were amalgamated in 1997 to form the
Health Funding AuthorityThe Health Funding Authority, now defunct, was a New Zealand government entity responsible for funding of public health care in New Zealand between 1997-2001...
("HFA"). The election of the Labour-Alliance government in the 1999 General Election saw the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 passed by parliament, this led to the merging of the HFA with the Ministry of Health. Part of the HFA's funding capacity combined with the hospital management elements of the Hospital and Health Services board to form the DHBs.
Organisation
The District Health Boards are given a set of objectives by the Ministry of Health, but have a degree of autonomy in how they choose to achieve these. In contrast to their predecessors, the Regional Health Authorities, the DHBs are non-profit providers. The performance of individual DHBs is monitored by the DHB Funding and Performance Directorate. DHBs provide funding to
Primary Health OrganisationPrimary Health Organisations , in New Zealand, are health care providers that are funded on a capitation basis by the New Zealand Government via District Health Boards...
s (PHOs).
The DHBs are governed by boards, which consist of up to 11 members: seven elected by the public every three years, and up to four appointed by the Government's Minister of Health. These appointments are largely to balance the board's expertise as deemed necessary. Voting for public-elected DHB board members occurs through the
single transferable voteThe single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system, and elections take place at the same time as local body elections. The last elections being held on 9 October 2010, and the next elections are due on 12 October 2013.
Taranaki and Wairarapa District Health Boards maintain their own ambulance services, with St John and the
Wellington Free AmbulanceThe Wellington Free Ambulance provides free to the patient ambulance services in the Wellington Region of New Zealand.-History:The ambulance service was created on 9 November 1927 by the mayor of Wellington, Sir Charles Norwood, and initially operated out of the Old Navals boatshed...
covering the rest of the country.
On May 1, 2010, the Otago and Southland DHBs were merged to form a new Southern DHB, with elected members
coming from two constituencies, Otago and Southland, and the remainder, appointed members of the
Minister of Health, with the change taking effect from the 2010 local body elections. From July 1, 2010, a unified Primary Health Organisation covers the entire new Southern DHB region with PHO Centres in Alexandra, Dunedin and Invercargill with the mandate of providing PHO resources and services, replacing the previous nine PHOs.
Locations
There are 20 DHBs, organized around geographical areas, of varying population sizes, though they are not coterminous with the
Regions of New ZealandThe region is the top tier of local government in New Zealand. There are 16 regions of New Zealand. Eleven are governed by an elected regional council, while five are governed by territorial authorities which also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are known as unitary authorities...
:
| Name |
Acronym/Short name |
Website |
Area covered |
Population |
| Auckland |
ADHB |
http://www.adhb.govt.nz/ |
Auckland CityAuckland City was the city and local authority covering the Auckland isthmus and most of the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, in the North Island of New Zealand. On 1 November 2010 it was amalgamated into the wider Auckland Region under the authority of the new Auckland Council...
|
441,100 |
| Bay of Plenty |
BOPDHB |
http://www.bopdhb.govt.nz/ |
Tauranga CityTauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
, Western Bay of Plenty District200px|rightThe Western Bay of Plenty District Council is a municipality in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. The seat of the district council is at Greerton in Tauranga City...
, Whakatane District, Kawerau District |
207,700 |
| Canterbury |
CDHB |
http://www.cdhb.govt.nz/ |
Christchurch City Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, Kaikoura District, Hurunui DistrictThe Hurunui District is a political district on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, north of Christchurch, New Zealand. It forms part of the Canterbury region and stretches from the east coast to the main divide. Its land area is ....
, Waimakariri DistrictThe Waimakariri District is a political district of New Zealand, located in the South Island, on the eastern coast of north Canterbury. It is north of Christchurch and the Waimakariri River and is a part of the greater Canterbury region. The name is Māori for cold river.The district was established...
, Selwyn DistrictThe Selwyn District is a predominantly rural area in central Canterbury, on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is named after the Selwyn River, which is in turn named after Bishop George Selwyn, the first Anglican bishop of New Zealand who, in 1843 and 1844, travelled the length of...
, Ashburton District |
502,000 |
| Capital and Coast |
CCDHB |
http://www.ccdhb.org.nz/ |
Wellington CityWellington City Council is a territorial authority in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Wellington city extends as far north as Linden, and includes the rural areas of Makara and Ohariu. It is New Zealand's third-largest city, behind Auckland and Christchurch.Wellington attained city status in...
, Porirua City, Kapiti Coast DistrictThe Kapiti Coast District is a local government district in the lower North Island of New Zealand 50 km north of Wellington.The district is named after Kapiti Island a prominent landmark 5 km offshore. The population of the district is concentrated in the chain of coastal settlements...
(excluding OtakiOtaki is a town in the Kapiti Coast District of the North Island of New Zealand, situated half way between the capital city Wellington, 70 kilometres to the southwest, and Palmerston North, 70 kilometres to the northeast. It marks the northernmost point of the Wellington Region. The town's...
) |
288,100 |
| Counties Manukau |
CMDHB |
http://www.cmdhb.org.nz/ |
Manukau City, Papakura District, Franklin District The territorial authority of Franklin District was abolished on 31 October 2010 and was divided between Auckland Council in the Auckland Region to the north and Waikato and Hauraki districts in the Waikato Region to the south and east. It was administered from the town of Pukekohe...
|
481,700 |
| Hawke's Bay |
HBDHB |
http://www.hawkesbaydhb.govt.nz/ |
Napier CityNapier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
, Hastings District, Wairoa District, Central Hawke's Bay DistrictCentral Hawke's Bay District is a district located in the North Island of New Zealand. It covers an area of 3,327.92 square kilometres with a population of It covers the area from Pukehou in the north to Takapau in the south, and from the western Ruahine Ranges to the Pacific coast in the...
, Chatham IslandsThe Chatham Islands are an archipelago and New Zealand territory in the Pacific Ocean consisting of about ten islands within a radius, the largest of which are Chatham Island and Pitt Island. Their name in the indigenous language, Moriori, means Misty Sun...
|
153,900 |
| Hutt Valley |
Hutt Valley DHB |
http://www.huttvalleydhb.org.nz/ |
Upper Hutt City Upper Hutt is a satellite city of Wellington. It is New Zealand's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is in Greater Wellington.-Geography:Upper Hutt is 30 km north-east of Wellington...
, Hutt CityLower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...
|
142,700 |
| Lakes |
|
http://www.lakesdhb.govt.nz/ |
Rotorua District, Taupo DistrictThe Taupo District covers 6,350 km² of land, as well as a further 610 km² of lake area, both in Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake, and also in the smaller Lake Rotoaira. The district stretches from the small town of Mangakino in the northwest to the Tongariro National Park in the...
|
101,800 |
| MidCentral |
MDHB |
http://www.midcentraldhb.govt.nz/ |
Palmerston North CityPalmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
, Manawatu DistrictThe Manawatu District is a district in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region in the North Island of New Zealand.-Location:"The Manawatu", as it is usually called, is located in the southwest of the island, close to the river which shares its name...
, Horowhenua DistrictHorowhenua is a district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It forms part of the Manawatu-Wanganui Region.Located north of Wellington and Kapiti, the district stretches from slightly north of the town of Otaki in the south to just south of Himatangi in the north, and from the...
, Otaki |
166,000 |
| Nelson Marlborough |
NMDHB |
http://www.nmdhb.govt.nz/ |
Nelson CityNelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
, Tasman District, Marlborough District |
136,800 |
| Northland |
NDHB |
http://www.nhl.co.nz/ |
Far North District The Far North District of New Zealand, as its name suggests, is the northernmost district within New Zealand, consisting of the northern tip of the North Island. The current mayor is Wayne Brown.-Geography:...
, Whangarei DistrictThe Whangarei District is located in Northland, New Zealand. Whangarei is the principal town and the district seat. Other towns include Hukerenui, Hikurangi, Titoki, Ruakaka and Waipu...
, Kaipara District-Geography:Kaipara District is located in the low hills around the northern shores of the Kaipara Harbour, a large natural harbour open to the Tasman Sea...
|
155,800 |
| South Canterbury |
SCDHB |
http://www.scdhb.health.nz/ |
Timaru District, Waimate District |
55,600 |
| Southern |
Southern DHB |
http://www.southerndhb.govt.nz/ |
Dunedin City Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, Waitaki DistrictThe Waitaki district, in the Canterbury and Otago regions of New Zealand, straddles the traditional border between the two regions, the Waitaki River. It has a land area of 7,151.94 km² , divided 59.28% to Canterbury Region and 40.72% to Otago Region. It is the only district on the South...
, Central Otago District, Queenstown Lakes District, Clutha DistrictThe Clutha District is an administrative district of southern New Zealand, with its headquarters in the Otago town of Balclutha. The Clutha District has a land area of 6,362.86 km² and a 2006 census population of 16,839 usual residents...
, Invercargill City, Gore DistrictGore is a town, surrounding borough, and district in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand.-Geography:The Gore District has a land area of 1,251.62 km² and a resident population of...
, Southland DistrictSouthland District is a territorial authority in the South Island of New Zealand. Southland District covers the majority of the land area of Southland Region, although the region also covers Gore District, Invercargill City and adjacent territorial waters...
|
300,400 |
| Tairawhiti |
|
http://www.tdh.org.nz/ |
Gisborne District-Economy:The harbour was host to many ships in the past and had developed as a river port to provide a more secure location for shipping compared with the open roadstead of Poverty Bay which can be exposed to southerly swells. A meat works was sited beside the harbour and meat and wool was shipped...
|
46,200 |
| Taranaki |
TDHB |
http://www.tdhb.org.nz/ |
New Plymouth District New Plymouth District is one of the districts of New Zealand. It includes the city of New Plymouth and smaller towns such as Inglewood and Waitara....
, Stratford District, South Taranaki DistrictSouth Taranaki is a territorial authority on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island that contains the towns of Hawera, Manaia, Opunake, Patea, Eltham, and Waverley...
|
108,300 |
| Waikato |
Waikato DHB |
http://www.waikatodhb.govt.nz/ |
Hamilton City Hamilton City may refer to:*Hamilton City, California, a community in the United States*Hamilton City, Wyoming, a ghost town in the United States, better known as Miner's Delight...
, Waikato DistrictWaikato District is a territorial authority of New Zealand, in the northern part of Waikato Region, North Island. Waikato District is administered by the Waikato District Council, with headquarters in Ngaruawahia....
, Matamata Piako District, Thames Coromandel District, Hauraki DistrictThe Hauraki District Council is a municipality in the Waikato Region of New Zealand. The seat of the council is at Paeroa.The area covered by the district extends from the southwest corner of the Firth of Thames southeast towards Te Aroha, although that town lies beyond its boundaries...
, Waipa DistrictWaipa District Council in the Waikato region of New Zealand is a municipality that covers Te Awamutu, Cambridge and several small towns. The seat of the council is at Te Awamutu. The district's population at the was , of whom approximately 35% lived in each of the main two towns. The district has...
, South Waikato DistrictThe South Waikato District is a municipality in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located between the cities of Hamilton to the north, Rotorua to the east, Taupo to the south and Ruapehu District to the west....
, Otorohanga District, Waitomo DistrictWaitomo District is a territorial authority in the north of the King Country region in the North Island of New Zealand. A small part of the district, the town of Tiroa, however, lies in the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
, Ruapehu DistrictRuapehu District is a territorial authority near the centre of New Zealand's North Island.It has an area of 6,730.185 square kilometers and a population of 13,569 at the 2006 census .-Features:...
north of the Makatote Viaduct |
360,000 |
| Wairarapa |
Wairarapa DHB |
http://www.wairarapa.dhb.org.nz/ |
Masterton District, Carterton District, South Wairarapa District South Wairarapa District is at the south-east tip of the North Island of New Zealand.-Introduction:South Wairarapa includes three towns and several localities that have a wide range of economic activity, natural features, and visitor attractions, only a few of which are noted here. Martinborough is...
|
39,900 |
| Waitemata |
Waitemata DHB |
http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/ |
North Shore City, Waitakere City, Rodney DistrictThe Rodney District of New Zealand was a local government area in the northernmost part in New Zealand's Auckland Region, created in 1989 from the amalgamation of Helensville Borough and Rodney County. The seat of the district council is at Orewa, and the district includes Kawau Island to the...
|
528,500 |
| West Coast |
WCDHB |
http://www.westcoastdhb.org.nz/ |
Buller District 200px|rightBuller District, administered by the Buller District Council is an administrative region in the West Coast Region of New Zealand. It covers Westport, Karamea, Reefton and Inangahua Junction. Its land area is 7,953.12 km²...
, Grey DistrictGrey District Council in the West Coast region of New Zealand is a municipality that covers Greymouth, Runanga, Blackball, Cobden and settlements along the Grey River. It has a land area of 3,516.48 km²...
, Westland DistrictWestland District is a territorial authority on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. Its population is - Government :The Westland District is governed by an elected Council, headed by an elected Mayor. The Mayor is elected at large. The current Mayor is Maureen Pugh. Councillors are...
|
32,600 |
| Whanganui |
WDHB |
http://www.wdhb.org.nz/ |
Wanganui District, Rangitikei DistrictThe Rangitikei District is a Territorial Authority located primarily in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamatea , of it lies in the Hawke's Bay Region...
, Ruapehu DistrictRuapehu District is a territorial authority near the centre of New Zealand's North Island.It has an area of 6,730.185 square kilometers and a population of 13,569 at the 2006 census .-Features:...
south of the Makatote Viaduct |
63,200 |
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