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

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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·       If you’re concerned or not sure about something

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·       For advice about what’s happening for you and next steps

·       If you want advice on finding services near you visit
[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

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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 Hannah,

Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request, received on 17th March 2026, in which you requested the following information:

"information relating to the recruitment, utilisation, and workforce capacity of Resident Medical Officers (RMOs) within Auckland Metro districts.

This request is made in the context of ongoing discussion regarding doctor shortages, alongside reports of NZ-trained doctors being unable to secure RMO or locum work, including some who have required government income support while seeking employment.

Specifically, I would be grateful for:

1. Current and recent (past 12 months) data on RMO vacancies across Auckland Metro districts, including both permanent and locum roles (by level and specialty where available).

2. The number of NZ-trained doctors who have applied for RMO or locum positions within this period, and how many were successfully placed.

3. Any data, reporting, or internal analysis relating to NZ-trained doctors who remain unplaced or underutilised.

4. Any internal communications, reports, or briefings discussing workforce shortages alongside recruitment constraints or unmet applicant demand.

5. Policies or processes governing recruitment outside of the ACE matching system, including locum engagement pathways.

6. Any identified barriers (administrative, financial, or operational) to employing available NZ-trained doctors within Auckland Metro districts."

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

show quoted sections

Dear Hannah

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), which was received by this Office on 17 March 2026.

I am writing to advise you that the information you have requested is not held by this Office but is believed to be held by Health New Zealand. Accordingly, your request is being transferred to Health New Zealand under section 14(b)(i) of the Act. You can expect to receive a response from Health New Zealand in due course.

Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review this decision. The Ombudsman may be contacted by email at [email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.

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

show quoted sections

Dear Hannah

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), which was received by this Office on 17 March 2026.

I am writing to advise you that the information you have requested is not held by this Office but is believed to be held by Health New Zealand. Accordingly, your request is being transferred to Health New Zealand under section 14(b)(i) of the Act. You can expect to receive a response from Health New Zealand in due course.

Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review this decision. The Ombudsman may be contacted by email at [email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.

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

show quoted sections

Tçnâ koe,

 

Thank you for your email. 

 

Under the Official Information Act (OIA), agencies are required to respond
to requests for official information as soon as reasonably practicable and
no later than 20 working days after receiving them.

If your request is for data that Health NZ holds, have you checked
[1]Lighthouse first to see if the data you are seeking is already
published?

 

Lighthouse is a searchable catalogue that makes a range of data and
analytics products available to New Zealanders to enable easier, faster
access to insights about health services.

 

You can find further information about how OIA timeframes are calculated,
including the Ombudsman’s OIA calculator, at the link below:
[2]Official information calculators | Ombudsman New Zealand

 

We will provide a response to your request in line with the statutory
timeframes set out in the OIA.

We appreciate your understanding and patience during this time.

 

Ngâ mihi,
Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora

Statement of confidentiality: This email message and any accompanying
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received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and
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https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/agen...

Kia ora Hannah
 
Thank you for your email of 19 March 2026, asking Health New Zealand | Te
Whatu Ora (Health NZ) for information under the Official Information Act
1982 (the OIA). You have requested:

I am seeking information relating to the recruitment, utilisation, and
workforce capacity of Resident Medical Officers (RMOs) within Auckland
Metro districts.
 
1. Current and recent (past 12 months) data on RMO vacancies across
Auckland Metro districts, including both permanent and locum roles (by
level and specialty where available).
2. The number of NZ-trained doctors who have applied for RMO or locum
positions within this period, and how many were successfully placed.
3. Any data, reporting, or internal analysis relating to NZ-trained
doctors who remain unplaced or underutilised.
4. Any internal communications, reports, or briefings discussing workforce
shortages alongside recruitment constraints or unmet applicant demand.
5. Policies or processes governing recruitment outside of the ACE matching
system, including locum engagement pathways.
6. Any identified barriers (administrative, financial, or operational) to
employing available NZ-trained doctors within Auckland Metro districts.

Health NZ can confirm that we are currently working on most parts of your
request. However, as currently framed, part 4 of your request seeks
information that may be embedded across a wide range of teams, emails,
operational and planning documents held across Health NZ Districts and
National Office.

Providing a response would require significant research, retrieval, and
collation from the Auckland Metro Districts and National Office. As such,
this part of your request may be refused under section 18(f) of the OIA
due to substantial manual collation and research. For these reasons, we
invite you to clarify or narrow the scope of these parts to identifiable
document types, for example:
 

* Formal reports to the Regional Director, primarily about workforce
shortages of RMOs, in the last 3 months.

Once we receive your refinement, we will be able to reassess this part of
your request.

Please confirm by 3.00pm Tuesday 7 April 2026 that you are happy to
proceed with our proposed refinement, or we may refuse your request.

Under section 15 of the OIA, any clarification or amendments made to a
request within seven days after the date it is received, that request may
be treated as a new request and the time limit for the response restarts.

If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[1][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 [2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
 
Ngā mihi
 
Cassandra
Government Services

 
 
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

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2. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/

Kia ora Hannah, 
 
Thank you for your request for information regarding RMO Workforce
Shortage vs Unemployed NZ Doctors on 16 March 2026. Please find attached
our response to your request.
 
If you have any questions, please get in touch at
[1][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 [2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
 
Ngā mihi,

 

Cassandra
Government Services

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora

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

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