To be attributed to Health NZ Chief Executive Margie Apa

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has today proactively released a range of documents related to its financial situation.

They confirm the financial situation Health NZ is in and show much of the overspend is related to increased staffing.

Other factors have also contributed to the current situation. Some are ‘one-off’ (e.g. Holidays Act liability increase $172m and Covid stock write-off $121m) and some are’ ongoing’ (e.g. growth in nursing FTE and hours paid beyond budget).

Our ability to deliver the frontline health services New Zealanders expect requires us to be in a stable and sustainable financial position.

Despite the financial challenges, Health NZ managed to care for more people than ever before in 2023/24 and made some inroads into wait times.

We are working to return to a break-even position by the end of the 2025/26 financial year. The work being done at the moment will allow us to live within our means while ensuring continuity of service and delivering on the Government’s health targets.

This includes the recent appointment of four Regional Deputy Chief Executives to focus on delivering for their communities. We are streamlining and reorganising some parts of Health NZ to strengthen the frontline and ensure there is no impact on frontline clinical delivery.

View the Health NZ Financial Reporting from FY 2023/24 Proactive Release - October 2024