The Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Act 2026 came into effect on 9 July 2026 – making changes to the previous Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022. The Act’s purpose is to provide for the public funding and provision of services to:
- protect, promote, and improve the health of all New Zealanders
- achieve equity by reducing health disparities among Aotearoa New Zealand’s population groups, in particular for Māori
- build towards healthy futures (pae ora) for all New Zealanders.
- ensure that patients get timely access to quality services.
The new Act introduces stronger strategic direction setting and accountability arrangements for Te Whatu Ora. A new Government Policy Statement on Health (GPS) including six health targets must be in place within 18 months. All health entities, including Te Whatu Ora, are required to give effect to health targets. New health strategies and the New Zealand Health Plan must be issued within 24 months.
RACS and the Council of Medical Colleges submitted against the original bill. Changes were made to clarify that under the Public Sector Code of Conduct doctors, including those working for Te Whatu Ora, do have a right to comment publicly on policies and proposals in areas of their professional expertise. However, the Health Committee went ahead with amendments removing the Crown’s obligations to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, diminishing the role of Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards, changing the function of the Hauora Māori Advisory Committee, and repealing the health sector principles and the Health Charter.
Press release from Minister of Health Hon Simeon Brown
Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Act 2026
The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act (HPCAA) Amendment Bill is still waiting for a first reading after being introduced to Parliament in May 2026. The Minister has indicated the Bill will be referred to the Health Committee for consideration. The Bill makes significant changes to regulation of health professionals, such as:
- making regulators such as the Medical Council subject to direction from the Minister of Health on policies, administrative processes, or procedures, although directives cannot be about a particular person or qualification
- creating a new ministerial committee which can review a decision by MCNZ to refuse a doctor’s registration and certain decisions about scope of practice
A Ministerial directive could include for example a requirement for MCNZ to accelerate registration of international medical graduates to meet workforce shortages, but not about whether to register an individual doctor or require recognition of a particular qualification. We submitted against these changes as foreshadowed in early 2025. The Minister of Health said in September 2026 "The planned amendments to legislation will allow overseas trained health professionals to be registered more quickly and make regulators more accountable.” RACS will make a submission.
Ministry of Health - HPCAA Amendment Bill