23 January 2025
Sandra Anderson
[FYI request #28532 email]
Tēnā koe Sandra
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00066740
Thank you for your email on 26 September 2024, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for
the fol owing under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
Specifical y, I request the fol owing information:
1. The number of General Medicine Registrars in New Zealand per district for each of the
last five years.
2. The number of Junior Registrars in New Zealand per district for each of the last five
years.
3. The number of registrars who progressed to registrar positions as PGY3 (Postgraduate
Year 3) versus PGY4 and above for each of the last five years.
4. The number of Senior Registrars per district, broken down by specialty, for each of the
last five years.
5. Data on the distribution and equity of Senior Registrars across al districts over the past
five years.
6. For each of the last five years, please provide the average number of weeks of annual
leave actual y taken by Medical Registrars, categorized by Junior and Senior
Registrars, and broken down by district.
7. For each of the last five years, please provide the fol owing information regarding
annual leave for Medical Registrars, categorized by Junior and Senior Registrars, and
broken down by district:
a. The total number of annual leave requests submitted.
b. The total number of annual leave requests that were denied.
c. The total number of weeks of annual leave requested.
d. The total number of weeks of annual leave that were denied.
Additionally, if there is a shortage of registrars, I would like to understand how PGY1
positions are being managed to ensure that the pipeline al ows for an appropriate number
of General Medicine Registrars by district. Specifical y:
8. For each of the last five years, please provide the number of PGY1 (Postgraduate Year
1) positions available versus the number of applicants in each district, to determine if
PGY1 positions are oversubscribed in certain districts.
9. What specific measures have been taken or are planned to align the number of PGY1
positions with the future needs for General Medicine Registrars across al districts?
Please provide details of any workforce planning strategies or programs implemented in
the past five years.
10. How does the distribution of PGY1 positions across districts impact the availability and
recruitment of General Medicine Registrars in subsequent years? Please provide any
analyses or data that il ustrate this impact over the past five years.
On 21 October 2024, you clarified the request as below:
My request specifical y refers to General Medicine Registrars, who are training under the
Royal Australasian Col ege of Physicians (RACP). These registrars include those in general
internal medicine and its subspecialties, aligning with roles outlined in the NZRDA run
descriptions, such as those found on the Auckland Doctors website for Internal Medicine &
Medical Specialties.
For context, examples of relevant registrar roles include:
1. General Medicine Registrars (e.g., General Medicine, Cardiology, Respiratory,
Renal, Gastroenterology)
2. Internal Medicine Specialties (e.g., Haematology, Infectious Diseases,
Endocrinology, Neurology, Rheumatology)
3. Other roles within internal medicine, like Older People’s Health, Rehabilitation, and
Medical Relief Registrars.
These positions are clearly defined in the Te Toka Tumai Registrar Run Descriptions
provided by NZRDA. For further reference, here is a link to the relevant run descriptions:
Auckland Doctors Internal Medicine & Medical Specialties.
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aucklanddoctors
.co.nz%2Frmos%2Fcurrentemployees%2Fnzrdarundescriptions%2Finternalmedicinemedic
alspecialties%2F&data=05%7C02%7COCPO%40tewhatuora.govt.nz%7Cfcfcefcab75446d
0832e08dcf20c5dd1%7Cbed4da513cdb4d0dbaf8fb80d53268e3%7C0%7C0%7C63865138
2123413149%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIi
LCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=wTVjozV3oQ2PViXUQ
nrWG7IBAXbypTBwmHnGTyA0Zu0%3D&reserved=0
Regarding Junior and Senior Registrars:
1. Junior Registrars are those who have not yet passed both RACP exams.
2. Senior Registrars have passed both exams and are progressing through advanced
training, which corresponds with a step-up in pay as defined by NZRDA SECA.
Response
I apologise for the delay in providing our response. The time taken is not what we aspire to. This is
something we are working to get on top of as we deal with a high volume of requests and the
understandably high public interest in our work.
For clarity, I wil address each question in turn.
1. The number of General Medicine Registrars [as clarified above] in New Zealand per
district for each of the last five years.
The Health Workforce Information Programme (HWIP) holds data on the district employed
workforce providing a national, regional and local picture of the health and disability sector
workforce. Further information about HWIP is available at www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-
professionals/health-workforce-development/health-workforce-initiatives/health-workforce-
information-programme/
Unfortunately, HWIP cannot provide a number of Registrars to answer this question as Resident
Medical Officers (RMO) data is not col ected in a way to be able to discern Registrars from House
Officers and Senior House Officers.
Our RMO team also does not have this level of information available at this stage but is working on
improved data and intel igence for the RMO workforce. Given the specificity of your request, this
information is not held by any other team in a form that enables us to provide it without creating
new information, or without substantial col ation. This part of your request is therefore refused in
accordance with section 18(g) and 18(f) of the Act.
However, the Medical Council of New Zealand does provide some data for the entire doctor
workforce which may be of interest, and is publicly available at
www.mcnz.org.nz/assets/Publications/Workforce Survey/Workforce_Survey_Report_2024.pdf
2. The number of Junior Registrars in New Zealand per district for each of the last five
years. “Junior Registrars are those who have not yet passed both RACP exams”
3. The number of registrars who progressed to registrar positions as PGY3 (Postgraduate
Year 3) versus PGY4 and above for each of the last five years.
4. The number of Senior Registrars per district, broken down by specialty, for each of the
last five years. Senior Registrars have passed both exams and are progressing through
advanced training, which corresponds with a step-up in pay as defined by NZRDA
SECA.”
5. Data on the distribution and equity of Senior Registrars across al districts over the past
five years.
As outlined above, our HWIP data cannot determine Registrars and our RMO team does not
currently hold this level of information, we are therefore unable to provide information about ‘Junior’
or ‘Senior’ Registrars. As such, this part of your request would require a significant amount of
col ation and consultation across Health NZ’s various districts. In order to provide the information,
we would need to divert personnel from their core duties. Therefore, your request is refused under
section 18(f) of the Act.
We have considered whether fixing a charge for the supply of the information or extending the
timeframe for response would enable Health NZ to respond; however, we do not consider that
either option would remove the impact that supplying the information would have on our other
operations.
6. For each of the last five years, please provide the average number of weeks of annual
leave actual y taken by Medical Registrars, categorized by Junior and Senior
Registrars, and broken down by district.
7. For each of the last five years, please provide the fol owing information regarding
annual leave for Medical Registrars, categorized by Junior and Senior Registrars, and
broken down by district:
a. The total number of annual leave requests submitted.
b. The total number of annual leave requests that were denied.
c. The total number of weeks of annual leave requested.
d. The total number of weeks of annual leave that were denied.
When Health NZ was established, it inherited 20 separate payrol s. Each payrol was set up
differently, with different practices and local arrangements in place. Like many public and private
organisations across New Zealand, the size of our workforce, the hours our people work and the
variety of their employment arrangements, as wel as our payrol systems and processes, make it
difficult to produce a consistent, timely and stable picture of our workforce demographic data.
Health NZ continues to operate multiple payrol systems which are responsible for ensuring that
more than 90,000 health workers are paid each week or fortnight. Projects to standardise the way
we work, including how we pay our staff and report on workforce demographic data are a priority at
Health NZ, however, these wil take time.
As such, providing a response to this part of your request, even without the specificity of Junior or
Senior Registrars, would require a significant amount of col ation and consultation across Health
NZ’s various payrol teams. In order to provide the information, we would need to divert personnel
from their core duties. Therefore, your request is refused under section 18(f) of the Act.
We have considered whether fixing a charge for the supply of the information or extending the
timeframe for response would enable Health NZ to respond; however, we do not consider that
either option would remove the impact that supplying the information would have on our other
operations. We acknowledge this is frustrating; however, our response reflects the nature of the
payrol systems we are currently working with.
HWIP col ects data on the district-employed workforce providing a national, regional and local
picture of the health and disability sector workforce, including leave. HWIP publishes quarterly
reports which contain average sick leave and annual leave by occupation groups, including RMOs.
You can find these and more information about HWIP via www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-
professionals/health-workforce-development/health-workforce-initiatives/health-workforce-
information-programme/.
Additionally, if there is a shortage of registrars, I would like to understand how PGY1
positions are being managed to ensure that the pipeline al ows for an appropriate number
of General Medicine Registrars by district. Specifical y:
8. For each of the last five years, please provide the number of PGY1 (Postgraduate Year
1) positions available versus the number of applicants in each district, to determine if
PGY1 positions are oversubscribed in certain districts.
Please refer to the Appendix A enclosed with this response letter.
9. What specific measures have been taken or are planned to align the number of PGY1
positions with the future needs for General Medicine Registrars across al districts?
Please provide details of any workforce planning strategies or programs implemented in
the past five years.
The Health Workforce Plan 2024 has recently been published and confirms priority workforce
actions for this profession and others, going forward. Further information can be found at
www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/corporate-information/planning-and-performance/health-
workforce/health-workforce-plan-2024/workforce-context.
For measures that have previously been taken, please refer to the Health Workforce Plan 2023/24
and the Quarter 4 report on its achievements, at www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/publications/health-
workforce-plan-202324.
10. How does the distribution of PGY1 positions across districts impact the availability and
recruitment of General Medicine Registrars in subsequent years? Please provide any
analyses or data that il ustrate this impact over the past five years.
The purpose of the Act is to provide access to official information held by the Government, in order
to enable participation in law-making and promote the accountability of Ministers and officials.
There is no requirement under the Act for agencies to create new information, compile information
they do not hold, provide legal advice, respond to hypothetical questions, or provide or prove an
opinion.
The first part of this question is not a request for information under the Act, as it has not been
made with due particularity or specificity. The second part for analysis and data is refused under
section 18(g) of the Act, as the information you have requested is not held by Health NZ and we
have no grounds to believe that the information is held by another entity subject to the Act.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at [email address].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. Al requester data, including your name and
contact details, wil be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Fiona McCarthy
Interim Chief Human Resources Officer
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health NZ, PO Box 793,
Wel ington 6140, New Zealand
Appendix A – HNZ00066740
The below table outlines the number of RMO applicants to available positions, broken down by hospital, via the Advanced Choice of
Employment (ACE) process. The ACE scheme was developed to simplify the application process for new graduates wanting to apply for their
first positions within New Zealand. It simplifies the recruitment process for graduates by using a centralised match process which
simultaneously considers the applicant’s workplace (District) preference as wel as the District's preference of applicants. It is beneficial for
applicants as they only need to apply once to ACE for any position within the Districts and are placed only into positions with Districts that they
have expressed their interest in joining. It is beneficial for the Districts as they see applications only from those graduates who have expressed
interest in joining them.
Further information about ACE can be found at https://www.kiwihealthjobs.com/campaign/ace?in_organid=19737.
Please note that:
- as part of an RMO’s application, applicants must state a preference for a number of Districts. They can select up to 20 preferred employers
(Districts), but must select a minimum of six. Therefore the sum of the applicants at each District will not equal the total number of
applicants at the bottom of the table as some applicants will have noted multiple Districts on their application.
- applicant numbers include al three categories eligible to apply via the ACE match process;
o Category 1 - Have graduated from a New Zealand medical school and hold citizenship or permanent residency of New Zealand
or Australia
o Category 2 - Have graduated from an Australian medical school and hold citizenship or permanent residency of New Zealand
or Australia
o Category 3 - Have graduated from a New Zealand medical school and not hold permanent residency of New Zealand or Australia
- the number of positions noted are those that were included in the ACE match. Districts wil have had subsequent positions become
available fol owing the match process enabling them to employ additional applicants.
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Number of
Number of
Number of
Number of
Number of
District
applicants
Positions
applicants Positions applicants Positions applicants Positions applicants Positions
ranked/applie
ranked/appl
ranked/app
ranked/appl
ranked/appl
d to the
available
ied to the
available
lied to the available
ied to the
available
ied to the
available
districts
districts
districts
districts
districts
Auckland City
Hospital
407
64
400
63
378
62
390
62
397
62
Christchurch
Hospital
347
53
340
66
390
61
343
62
347
62
Dunedin
Hospital
256
26
208
26
227
26
206
26
196
26
Gisborne Hospital
229
10
243
10
208
10
140
10
130
10
Hastings Hospital
275
19
297
20
276
20
225
19
227
19
Southland Hospital
392
9
374
10
266
10
374
10
391
10
Middlemore
Hospital
242
63
269
62
240
61
203
61
208
61
Nelson Hospital
252
12
303
12
284
12
257
12
230
12
New Plymouth
Hospital
388
15
381
15
370
14
387
14
388
14
North Shore &
Waitākere
232
63
225
63
232
62
203
62
146
62
Hospitals
Palmerston North
Hospital
342
19
343
21
315
21
285
20
252
20
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Number of
Number of
Number of
Number of
Number of
District
applicants
Positions
applicants Positions applicants Positions applicants Positions applicants Positions
ranked/applie
ranked/appl
ranked/app
ranked/appl
ranked/appl
d to the
available
ied to the
available
lied to the available
ied to the
available
ied to the
available
districts
districts
districts
districts
districts
Rotorua Hospital
140
13
136
13
152
13
142
13
98
13
Tauranga Hospital
365
22
413
22
345
21
353
21
385
21
Timaru Hospital
158
7
124
7
146
7
126
7
124
7
Waikato Hospital
374
42
395
45
393
44
388
44
384
44
Wairau Hospital
146
5
132
5
138
5
89
4
92
4
Wellington,
Kenepuru, Hutt &
Masterton
393
57
347
58
328
55
321
58
307
58
Hospitals
Whakatāne
Hospital
219
6
212
6
192
6
161
6
167
6
Whanganui
Hospital
130
7
164
8
122
8
110
7
106
7
Whangārei
Hospital
300
17
317
20
280
20
261
20
270
20
Total
561
529
583
552
559
538
543
538
563
538
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