10 April 2026
Grace R
[FYI request #34137 email]
Tēnā koe Grace
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00201748
Thank you for your email on 18 March 2026, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for the
following under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the OIA):
Can you please provide information regarding uniforms for nurses (registered, enrolled etc)
and mental health assistants/psychiatric assistants working within Forensic mental health
inpatient environments. Including, but not limited to, high, medium and low security wards
(e.g. Lock, Unlocked, or transitional wards).
Area that may be included, but not restricted to
- Mason clinic
- Henry Rongomau Bennett Centre/Puawai Forensic services
- Stanford house
- Ratonga-Rua-o-Porirua
- Hillmorton
- Wakari
Or any other mental health units under health NZ providing forensic mental health support.
please outline each ward if uniform varies (as different acutity wards may require different
uniform).
Please outline which areas/wards have a specific uniform, if so what, or if RNs/MHAs wear
civies (e.g. Normal clothing without branded or identification to maintain patient privacy and
reduce power imbalance between staff and patient for therapeutic purposes).
Response
Health New Zealand recognises that uniform requirements within forensic mental health inpatient
environments may vary across New Zealand and in some forensic settings, staff may wear
standardised uniforms, while in others a non-uniform or “civvies” approach is adopted.
Health New Zealand is progressing a national standardisation programme for nursing and health
care assistant uniforms, which is being implemented in a phased manner and is aligned with
existing uniform stock levels. This approach wil be rolled out in May 2026 and allows uniforms to
be replaced as part of normal operational cycles rather than through a standalone procurement
exercise. Costs associated with this programme are therefore managed within existing operational
provisions, and the broader standardisation initiative is expected to reduce administrative and
supply-chain complexity across the organisation.
While cost efficiencies are a benefit of standardisation, they are not the primary driver of the
programme. The initiative focuses on staff comfort, ease of uniform supply, clear professional
identification, and supporting positive patient experiences.
It is important to note that decisions about whether staff wear uniforms or non-uniform clothing in
forensic mental health units are currently made locally and as a result, the presence and type of
uniform may vary between sites and wards.
Details of these local arrangements are outlined in
Appendix One for each relevant service and
ward.
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
Sasha Wood
Head of Government Services
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
