Thank you for contacting the Hon Simeon Brown, Minister of Health,
Minister for State Owned Enterprises, and Minister for Auckland.

The Minister’s office is closed from midday 24 December and reopens on 7
January 2026. 

If the topic of your correspondence falls outside of the Minister's
portfolio responsibilities, expresses a personal view, or is copied to
multiple Members of Parliament, then your email will be noted, and it may
be transferred to another Minister’s office, or there may be no further
response to you.

If your correspondence is related to a constituent matter, please get in
touch with the Minister’s electorate team by email
at[1][email address]

 

If it’s a medical emergency – call 111

This can include chest pain or tightness, difficulty breathing, choking,
severe bleeding or bleeding that won’t stop, sudden weakness or difficulty
talking, fainting or unconsciousness.

 

Associate Health Ministers

Please note that all emails are read, however please do not expect a
response from this office if your email relates to the below matters as
these responsibilities are delegated to Associate Ministers of Health.

·       Hon Matt Doocey, Minister for Mental Health and Associate Minister
of Health. If your matter relates to mental health, neurodiversity,
nutrition, or rural health, you can contact Hon Doocey by emailing
[2][email address].

·       Hon Casey Costello, Associate Minister of Health. If your matter
relates to emergency services, women’s health, aged care, or smoking and
vaping, you can contact Hon Costello by 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
contact Hon Seymour by emailing [4][email address].

Further delegations details of Associate Ministers of Health can be found
[5]here.

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[6]Healthpoint.

·       If you want information on COVID-19, call the COVID-19 Healthline
on 0800 358 5453.

·       If you are feeling stressed, a bit overwhelmed or just need
someone to talk to Freecall or text 1737 any time for support from a
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·       Call the Vaccination Healthline for information about COVID-19,
flu, MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), Boostrix (whooping cough) on 0800
28 29 26 8AM – 5:30PM Monday to Friday.

·       You can also visit: [7]bookmyvaccine.health.nz.

·       If you or your family are not happy with public health services
received, you can [8]contact Health New Zealand.

·       If you would like to raise a complaint about a health and
disability service,  you can also [9]contact the Health and Disability
Commissioner.

 

References

Visible links
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3. mailto:[email address]
4. mailto:[email address]
5. http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/our-business-uni...
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 Hayden,

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

Any analysis of how monetary, welfare, or housing policy affects health system demand — or confirmation none exists.

Any communication between Health NZ, Ministry of Health, Treasury, RBNZ, or MSD regarding cross-portfolio health impacts since October 2023.

Health NZ's demand forecasting methodology, including which demand drivers are excluded.

Risk assessments conducted prior to the 2024-2025 health funding decisions.

Internal reporting on ED deaths, near-misses, or sentinel events linked to resource constraints since January 2024.

Any mechanism by which health costs of other portfolios' decisions are fed back to relevant Ministers.

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

-----Original Message-----
From: Hayden <[FOI #33470 email]>
Sent: Thursday, 8 January 2026 7:27 PM
To: Simeon Brown (MIN) <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - FOI minister brown health demand

Dear Simeon Brown, Minister of Health

Your government's policies generate health demand while your budgets cut the services meant to absorb it. This is the structural issue I am requesting documentation on.
Health NZ has confirmed in writing (HNZ00106546) that they do not monitor whether economic policy drives mental health demand, do not coordinate with the Reserve Bank on health impacts of rate changes, and exclude economic modelling from demand forecasting. Nobody is counting the patients created by policy decisions in other portfolios.
The results are predictable. A woman died in Rotorua ED in August 2024 after a three-hour wait — staff had warned management two weeks earlier. Middlemore treated 1,500 patients in corridors in one month. Wellington Hospital processed under 40% of patients within six hours on some days. The Manage My Health breach — 126,000 records stolen after you cut $480 million from digital infrastructure — is the same pattern: gut the system, express concern at the outcome.
When you cut funding to an already-failing service while running policies that increase demand on it, people die. The absence of cross-portfolio modelling doesn't make the deaths invisible. It just means nobody is required to count them.

Under the Official Information Act, I request:

Any analysis of how monetary, welfare, or housing policy affects health system demand — or confirmation none exists.

Any communication between Health NZ, Ministry of Health, Treasury, RBNZ, or MSD regarding cross-portfolio health impacts since October 2023.

Health NZ's demand forecasting methodology, including which demand drivers are excluded.

Risk assessments conducted prior to the 2024-2025 health funding decisions.

Internal reporting on ED deaths, near-misses, or sentinel events linked to resource constraints since January 2024.

Any mechanism by which health costs of other portfolios' decisions are fed back to relevant Ministers.

If this information does not exist, that is the problem I am identifying.
I expect a response within 20 working days.
Ngā mihi,

Yours faithfully,

Hayden

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #33470 email]

Is [Simeon Brown request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Simeon Brown? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fyi....

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fyi....

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

hide quoted sections

Kia ora Hayden

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), which was received by this Office on 8 January 2026.

 

I am contacting you to refine part of your request, specifically:

 

Any communication between Health NZ, Ministry of Health, Treasury, RBNZ,
or MSD regarding cross-portfolio health impacts since October 2023.

 

This part of your request encapsulates a large volume of information,
including email correspondence. This may result in this part of your
request being refused under section 18(f) of the Act, as the request may
not be able to be responded to without substantial collation or research.

Could you please refine the scope of your request? You may wish to reduce
the timeframe of your request or reduce the number of entities included.

 

Please respond by 27 January 2026 so that we may consider your refined
request.

 

Ngâ mihi

 

 

Reuben

Private Secretary (Health) | Office of Hon Simeon Brown

Minister of Health, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Minister for
Auckland
 

Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Hayden <[1][FOI #33470 email]> 
Sent: Thursday, 8 January 2026 7:27 pm
To: Simeon Brown (MIN) <[2][email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - FOI minister brown health demand

 

Dear Simeon Brown, Minister of Health

 

Your government's policies generate health demand while your budgets cut
the services meant to absorb it. This is the structural issue I am
requesting documentation on.

Health NZ has confirmed in writing (HNZ00106546) that they do not monitor
whether economic policy drives mental health demand, do not coordinate
with the Reserve Bank on health impacts of rate changes, and exclude
economic modelling from demand forecasting. Nobody is counting the
patients created by policy decisions in other portfolios.

The results are predictable. A woman died in Rotorua ED in August 2024
after a three-hour wait — staff had warned management two weeks earlier.
Middlemore treated 1,500 patients in corridors in one month. Wellington
Hospital processed under 40% of patients within six hours on some days.
The Manage My Health breach — 126,000 records stolen after you cut $480
million from digital infrastructure — is the same pattern: gut the system,
express concern at the outcome.

When you cut funding to an already-failing service while running policies
that increase demand on it, people die. The absence of cross-portfolio
modelling doesn't make the deaths invisible. It just means nobody is
required to count them.

 

Under the Official Information Act, I request:

 

Any analysis of how monetary, welfare, or housing policy affects health
system demand — or confirmation none exists.

 

Any communication between Health NZ, Ministry of Health, Treasury, RBNZ,
or MSD regarding cross-portfolio health impacts since October 2023.

 

Health NZ's demand forecasting methodology, including which demand drivers
are excluded.

 

Risk assessments conducted prior to the 2024-2025 health funding
decisions.

 

Internal reporting on ED deaths, near-misses, or sentinel events linked to
resource constraints since January 2024.

 

Any mechanism by which health costs of other portfolios' decisions are fed
back to relevant Ministers.

 

If this information does not exist, that is the problem I am identifying.

I expect a response within 20 working days.

Ngâ mihi,

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Hayden

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[3][FOI #33470 email]

 

Is [4][Simeon Brown request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Simeon Brown? If so, please contact us using this form:

[5]https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fyi....

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[6]https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fyi....

 

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Statement of confidentiality: This email message and any accompanying
attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use,
disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachments. If you have
received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and
delete this message

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #33470 email]
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[FOI #33470 email]
4. mailto:[Simeon Brown request email]
5. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/fyi.o...
6. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/fyi.o...

hide quoted sections

Kia ora Hayden

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), which was received by this Office on 8 January 2026.

 

This Office has decided to partially transfer parts of your request under
section 14(b)(ii) of the Act to both the Ministry of Health and Health New
Zealand. This is because the information you’ve requested is more closely
connected with the functions of those agencies.

These parts of your request will be transferred to the Ministry of Health:

 

Any analysis of how monetary, welfare, or housing policy affects health
system demand — or confirmation none exists.

 

Risk assessments conducted prior to the 2024-2025 health funding
decisions.

 

Health NZ's demand forecasting methodology, including which demand drivers
are excluded.

 

Any mechanism by which health costs of other portfolios' decisions are fed
back to relevant Ministers.

 

This part of your request will be transferred to Health New Zealand:

 

Internal reporting on ED deaths, near-misses, or sentinel events linked to
resource constraints since January 2024.

 

This part of your request will remain with this Office for a response.
Please note that we have previously asked you to refine this part of your
request:

 

Any communication between Health NZ, Ministry of Health, Treasury, RBNZ,
or MSD regarding cross-portfolio health impacts since October 2023.

 

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: [1][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602. 

 

Ngâ mihi

 

Reuben

Private Secretary (Health) | Office of Hon Simeon Brown

Minister of Health, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Minister for
Auckland
 

Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

 

From: Simeon Brown (MIN) <[email address]>
Sent: Friday, 23 January 2026 3:13 PM
To: [FOI #33470 email]
Subject: Refinement of your request for official information -
SBOIA25-1000

 

Kia ora Hayden

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), which was received by this Office on 8 January 2026.

 

I am contacting you to refine part of your request, specifically:

 

Any communication between Health NZ, Ministry of Health, Treasury, RBNZ,
or MSD regarding cross-portfolio health impacts since October 2023.

 

This part of your request encapsulates a large volume of information,
including email correspondence. This may result in this part of your
request being refused under section 18(f) of the Act, as the request may
not be able to be responded to without substantial collation or research.

Could you please refine the scope of your request? You may wish to reduce
the timeframe of your request or reduce the number of entities included.

 

Please respond by 27 January 2026 so that we may consider your refined
request.

 

Ngâ mihi

 

 

Reuben

Private Secretary (Health) | Office of Hon Simeon Brown

Minister of Health, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Minister for
Auckland
 

Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Hayden <[2][FOI #33470 email]> 
Sent: Thursday, 8 January 2026 7:27 pm
To: Simeon Brown (MIN) <[3][email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - FOI minister brown health demand

 

Dear Simeon Brown, Minister of Health

 

Your government's policies generate health demand while your budgets cut
the services meant to absorb it. This is the structural issue I am
requesting documentation on.

Health NZ has confirmed in writing (HNZ00106546) that they do not monitor
whether economic policy drives mental health demand, do not coordinate
with the Reserve Bank on health impacts of rate changes, and exclude
economic modelling from demand forecasting. Nobody is counting the
patients created by policy decisions in other portfolios.

The results are predictable. A woman died in Rotorua ED in August 2024
after a three-hour wait — staff had warned management two weeks earlier.
Middlemore treated 1,500 patients in corridors in one month. Wellington
Hospital processed under 40% of patients within six hours on some days.
The Manage My Health breach — 126,000 records stolen after you cut $480
million from digital infrastructure — is the same pattern: gut the system,
express concern at the outcome.

When you cut funding to an already-failing service while running policies
that increase demand on it, people die. The absence of cross-portfolio
modelling doesn't make the deaths invisible. It just means nobody is
required to count them.

 

Under the Official Information Act, I request:

 

Any analysis of how monetary, welfare, or housing policy affects health
system demand — or confirmation none exists.

 

Any communication between Health NZ, Ministry of Health, Treasury, RBNZ,
or MSD regarding cross-portfolio health impacts since October 2023.

 

Health NZ's demand forecasting methodology, including which demand drivers
are excluded.

 

Risk assessments conducted prior to the 2024-2025 health funding
decisions.

 

Internal reporting on ED deaths, near-misses, or sentinel events linked to
resource constraints since January 2024.

 

Any mechanism by which health costs of other portfolios' decisions are fed
back to relevant Ministers.

 

If this information does not exist, that is the problem I am identifying.

I expect a response within 20 working days.

Ngâ mihi,

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Hayden

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[4][FOI #33470 email]

 

Is [5][Simeon Brown request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Simeon Brown? If so, please contact us using this form:

[6]https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fyi....

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[7]https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fyi....

 

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Statement of confidentiality: This email message and any accompanying
attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use,
disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachments. If you have
received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and
delete this message

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[FOI #33470 email]
3. mailto:[email address]
4. mailto:[FOI #33470 email]
5. mailto:[Simeon Brown request email]
6. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/fyi.o...
7. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/fyi.o...

hide quoted sections

Kia ora Hayden,

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), received by the Ministry of Health on 2 February 2026. You
requested:

 

"Any analysis of how monetary, welfare, or housing policy affects health
system demand — or confirmation none exists.
 

Risk assessments conducted prior to the 2024-2025 health funding
decisions.
 

Health NZ's demand forecasting methodology, including which demand drivers
are excluded.
 

Any mechanism by which health costs of other portfolios' decisions are fed
back to relevant Ministers."

 

The reference number for your request is H2026078208. As required under
the Act, the Ministry will endeavour to respond to your request no later
than 20 working days after the day your request was
received: [1]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/.  

 

If you have any queries related to this request, please do not hesitate to
get in touch ([2][email address]).

 

 

Ngā mihi, 
 
OIA Services Team

Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora

 

M[3]inistry of Health information releases

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legal privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate,
distribute or copy this message or attachments.
If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender
immediately and delete this message.
****************************************************************************

References

Visible links
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2. mailto:[email address]
3. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...
https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...

hide quoted sections