133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
5 March 2026
Sam Brown
By email: [FYI request #33469 email]
Ref: H2026077361
Tēnā koe Sam
Response to your request for official information
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to the Ministry of
Health – Manatū Hauora (the Ministry) on 8 January 2025 for information regarding Telehealth
service delivery.
We wrote to you on 13 February 2026 pursuant to section 15(1)(a) of the Act, to advise you of
our decision on your request. In that email we informed you that the Ministry did not hold any
information in scope of parts 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 of your request, and had accordingly refused
these parts under section 18(g)(i) of the Act.
Turning to the remainder of your request:
3. Any advice to Ministers regarding health equity implications of rural residents depending
on particular connectivity types for health service access, including:
•
Whether connectivity limitations create disparities in care access or quality
•
Assessment of telehealth viability in areas with limited connectivity options
•
Whether rural health strategy adequately considers connectivity infrastructure as
health infrastructure
The Ministry has advised of general digital connectivity gaps for rural communities in documents
such as the Rural Health Strategy 2023. We have interpreted this part of your request to focus
on advice that includes an assessment of connectivity in rural areas including the type of
connection. The Ministry has identified two documents in scope of your request:
• Briefing H2025064699:
Digital access for rural communities; and
• A weekly report item from the Ministry of Health to the Associate Minister of Health on
digital inclusion in rural communities, provided as an excerpt in accordance with section
16(1)(e) of the Act, with information deemed out of scope of your request excluded.
Copies of these documents have been released to you, with some information withheld under
section 9(2)(a) of the Act, to protect the privacy of natural persons; and section 9(2)(f)(iv) to
maintain the constitutional conventions that protect the confidentiality of advice tendered by
Ministers and officials.
Where this is the case, I have considered the public interest in the release of this information
and do not consider that it outweighs the need to withhold it in this case.
7. Any assessment of health service delivery risks if rural connectivity market structure
changes result in:
•
Reduced provider choice, limiting patients' and healthcare facilities' connectivity
options
•
Price increases affecting affordability of adequate connectivity for vulnerable patients
or small medical practices
•
Service quality concerns affecting real-time video consultations, remote monitoring,
or emergency telemedicine
•
Elimination of terrestrial alternatives, creating sole dependency on satel ite solutions
with potential latency, reliability or security limitations
The Ministry does not hold any information in scope of this part of your request. As such, this
part of your request is refused under section 18(g)(i) as the information requested is not held by
the Ministry and there are no grounds for believing it is held by another agency subject to the
Act.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this decision, please feel
free to contact the OIA Services Team on:
[email address]. Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review any
decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be contacted by email at:
[email address] or by cal ing 0800 802 602.
Please note that this response, with your personal details removed, may be published on the
Ministry website at:
www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/information-releases/responses-official-
information-act-requests. Nāku noa, nā
Sam King
Manager, Health System Stewardship Strategy and Policy | Te Pou Rautaki
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