The Health and Disability System Review was charged with taking a system-wide approach to what needs to change to ensure our future system achieves better and more equitable health and wellbeing outcomes for all New Zealanders.

The final report discusses a range of detailed proposals regarding all the elements that need to change for the New Zealand health and disability system to produce more equitable health outcomes and to become more financially sustainable.

The Review’s recommendations include:

• Shifting to a greater focus on population health 
• Creating a new Crown Entity, provisionally called Health NZ, focused on operational delivery of health and disability services and financial performance
• Reducing the number of DHBs from the current 20 down to 8-12 within five years, and moving to fully appointed Boards
• Creating a Māori Health Authority to advise on all aspects of Māori Health policy and to monitor and report on the performance of the system with respect to Māori
• Greater integration between primary and community care and hospital/specialist services