The Hospital System
Public hospitals
New Zealand has both public and private hospitals - but the great majority of care is provided by the public sector.
All New Zealand residents, and temporary residents with approved work visas of over 2 years duration, are entitled to care through the New Zealand public hospital system. For more information about the public hospital system, visit the Ministry of Health website.
Each region has a District Health Board (DHB) that manages the services provided in that area.
To find out what services a DHB provides, visit their local website. A full list of the DHBs with their web addresses can be found on the Ministry of Health's website
A full list of public hospitals and their contact details is available on the Ministry of Health website
Private Hospitals
Specialist and general care private hospitals are available in some areas. The largest single private provider is the Southern Cross Health Society, a not-for-profit group that began with offering medical insurance in 1961. By 2010 the group had just over 840,000 members - around 20% of the population.
In total there are almost 140 private hospitals operating throughout the country.
A recent list with contact details is available on the healthpages website.
