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Associate Health Ministers

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·       Hon Matt Doocey, Minister for Mental Health and Associate Minister
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emailing [2][email address].

·       Hon Casey Costello, Associate Minister of Health. If your matter
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emailing [3][email address].

·       Hon David Seymour, Associate Minister of Health. If your matter
relates to Pharmac, Medsafe, or medicines funding and supply, you can
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Further delegations details of Associate Ministers of Health can be
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References

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6. https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/
7. https://bookmyvaccine.health.nz/
8. https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/corporate...
9. https://www.hdc.org.nz/making-a-complain...

Dear Andrew,

Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request, received on 14th July 2025, in which you requested the following information:

"Thanks for the 24 June reply to my request for further information on health spending claims (your reference SBOIA25-729).

Unfortunately the two figures given "Vote Health Operating Nominal ($Millions)" of 26,354 for 2024/24 and 28,305 for 2025/26 are not explicitly given in the Estimates of Appropriations 2025/26 - Health Sector. Indeed the estimates do not report 'operating' at all - rather the estimates are basically a mix of 'outputs' and 'capital'.

Thus the two figures given must be constructs from several entries in the Estimates of Appropriations. Please provide a breakdown showing how the figures '26,354' for 2024/25 and '28,305' for 2025/26 are arrived at, by reference to the categories in the Estimates of Appropriations 2025/26 - Health Sector.

The figures $4,906 and $5,222 are given as Vote Health Operating per capita.

Based on the nominal totals for "Vote Health Operating' given in your response, I estimate the population used for 2024/25 per capita purposes is 5,360,862, and for 2025/26 it is 5,450,337.

The Statistics New Zealand estimated permanent population for March 2024 is 5,283,400 and for March 2025 (the latest figure they have recorded) is 5,330,600.

These are at some variance to the numbers you have appeared to use to estimate per capita spending. What data base was used to provide the population figures you used?

I also asked if 'record investment' the same as 'we are spending more than the previous year'?

This was not explicitly answered (it is really a yes or no question), although I think the answer is that operating expenditure, after adjusting for short term atypical spending, have increased each year for at least the last twenty years. Is that what is intended with the sentence in the letter "On that basis, I am advised that funding levels have not reduced each year over the past decade"?

Finally you state that total health spending in 2025/26 increased to $32.7 billion. The total appropriation shown for Vote Health for 2025/26 is $31.05 billion. Where does this $32.7 billion come from?"

Your request will be answered within the provisions of the Official Information Act.

Kind regards,
Office of Hon Simeon Brown
Minister of Health, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Minister for Auckland

Email: [email address]
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

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