Public health organisations

The Ministry of Health provides direct advice to the Minister of Health and other sectors. It manages public health risks, plans and coordinates strategies, and funds public health services.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) provide public health services that ensure public health protection and prevention services work well in communities. They include:

• organisations that provide services for the general population
• organisations that provide for specific population groups
• Māori-governed and managed services that provide services specifically for Māori and for the general population
• Pacific-governed and managed services that provide services for Pacific peoples.

Public health NGOs may be funded through health or other government funding sources, or may receive funds from community grants, private industry or their memberships.

Some NGOs provide services that address a wide range of issues. For example, regional iwi providers deliver Well Child, stop smoking, nutrition and physical activity, alcohol and drug, and mental health prevention programmes and services. Some special interest NGO services focus on one issue, for example, the National Heart Foundation and the Mental Health Foundation.

In addition to providing treatment services to individuals (eg, GP services, physiotherapy, midwifery), primary health organisations may also provide public health services that meet the needs of the population groups in their community (eg, immunisations, screening services and stop smoking services).

There are a range of other organisations that participate in and contribute to public health action, but are not funded with government health money.

For example, local government, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, the Department of Labour, the Ministry for the Environment, universities, territorial authorities, etc.