- Hon Dr Shane Reti
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says findings from the annual Health Survey highlight the need to continue driving better health outcomes for New Zealanders.
The New Zealand Health Survey is an annual snapshot of key metrics measured from July 2023 – July 2024. Findings released this morning include:
- In 2023/24, 85.4 per cent of adults and 96.5 per cent of children were reported as having good health.
- Over the last five years, rates of daily smoking and hazardous drinking decreased.
- Child exposure to second-hand smoke while travelling in the car, and inside the home, both decreased since last measured eight years ago.
Challenges identified include:
- Wait times to see a GP for adults and children again increased in 2023/24.
- Visits to the emergency department and rates of high-level psychological distress increased over the last five years.
- In 2023/24, the rate of children living in households where food ran out often or sometimes increased from the previous year.
- Fewer than half of adults met physical activity guidelines.
“I value these findings because they’re part of a continuous survey, meaning we can monitor trends over time,” Dr Reti says.
“For example, it’s been clear from previous surveys that Kiwis were already finding access to primary care challenging because of cost and accessibility.
“In terms of wait times to see a GP, in the 2022/23 survey this was a barrier for 21.2 per cent for adults, while the year before that it was 11.6 per cent.
“While this year’s figure of 25.7 per cent is still too high, I am pleased to see the rate of growth slow after such significant mismanagement under the previous government.
“I am fully committed to strengthening the health workforce, particularly by training more doctors and primary care specialists, so we can shorten these wait times for appointments.
“We want people to be able to access primary care, so they’re not having to visit Emergency Departments in the first place, and we can reduce pressure on our hospital system.
“Equally as important, especially when it comes to affording a visit to the doctor or improving food insecurity for kids, is our Government’s commitment to grow the broader economy. We want to make it easier for New Zealanders to cope with cost of living challenges. Our efforts to drive down inflation will also have an impact here.
“Today’s survey findings again reinforce strongly the priorities in our Government Policy Statement on Health: Access, Timeliness, Quality, Workforce, Infrastructure. Access and timeliness are paramount in healthcare.
“Health New Zealand has faced a particularly challenging time during this survey period. I am encouraged to see that overall, 85.4 per cent of New Zealanders report being in good health, and I acknowledge Health NZ’s role in helping support that.
“I will continue working with Associate Ministers and agencies to address the challenges this survey identifies, and capitalise on the successes we see such as continued low smoking rates,” Dr Reti says.
The full Health Survey results are available at New Zealand Health Survey
