The Minister of Health, formerly styled Minister of Public Health, is a minister in the New Zealand Government with responsibility for the New Zealand Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora—Health New Zealand.
The current Minister of Health is National Party MP Simeon Brown.
History The first Minister of Public Health was appointed in 1900, during the premiership of Richard Seddon. The word "Public" was dropped from the title when Sir Māui Pōmare took over the portfolio from 27 June 1923, as simply "Minister of Health".
In the health system reforms of the 1980s, the Department of Health lost responsibility for both the provision and funding of healthcare – these roles were transferred to separate Crown Health Enterprises (the precursors to today's District Health Boards) and the Health Funding Authority, respectively. The only function remaining was policy-making (resulting in the department being renamed a Ministry). For a time, there was a separate Minister in Charge of Crown Health Enterprises, who was not necessarily the same as the Minister of Health. Further reforms have changed this, however – the Health Funding Authority has been re-absorbed into the Ministry of Health, and the modern District Health Boards, while not part of the Ministry, are considered a responsibility of the Minister of Health.
In July 2022, on the passing of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022, District Health Boards were disestablished and the provision and funding of healthcare was centralised under Health New Zealand.
List of Health Ministers Key
No.NamePortraitTerm of OfficePrime Minister1Joseph Ward8 November 19006 August 1906 Seddon Hall-Jones 2 George Fowlds 6 August 1906 6 January 1909Ward 3 David Buddo 6 January 1909 28 March 1912 4 George Russell 28 March 1912 10 July 1912 Mackenzie 5 Heaton Rhodes 10 July 1912 12 August 1915Massey (4) George Russell 12 August 1915 25 August 1919 6 Francis Bell 4 September 1919 3 April 1920 7 James Parr 3 April 1920 7 June 1923 8Maui Pomare 7 June 192318 January 1926 BellCoates 9 Alexander Young 18 January 1926 10 December 192810Arthur Stallworthy10 December 192822 September 1931 WardForbes (9) Alexander Young 22 September 1931 6 December 193511Peter Fraser6 December 193530 April 1940 SavageFraser 12 Tim Armstrong 30 April 1940 21 January 1941 13 Arnold Nordmeyer 21 January 1941 29 May 1947 14 Mabel Howard 29 May 1947 13 December 1949 15 Jack Watts 13 December 1949 19 September 1951Holland 16 Jack Marshall 19 September 1951 26 November 195417Ralph Hanan 26 November 195412 December 1957 Holyoake 18 Rex Mason 12 December 1957 12 December 1960 Nash 19 Norman Shelton 12 December 1960 24 January 1962Holyoake 20 Don McKay 24 January 1962 9 February 1972 21 Lance Adams-Schneider 9 February 1972 8 December 1972 Marshall 22 Bob Tizard 8 December 1972 10 September 1974 Kirk 23 Tom McGuigan 10 September 1974 12 December 1975 Rowling 24 Frank Gill 12 December 1975 13 December 1978Muldoon 25 George Gair 13 December 1978 11 December 1981 26 Aussie Malcolm 11 December 1981 26 July 1984 27 Michael Bassett 26 July 1984 24 August 1987Lange 28 David Caygill 24 August 1987 30 January 198929Helen Clark 30 January 19892 November 1990 Palmer Moore 30 Simon Upton 2 November 1990 27 March 1993 Bolger 31 Bill Birch 27 March 1993 29 November 1993 32 Jenny Shipley 29 November 1993 16 December 1996 33 Bill English 16 December 1996 2 February 1999 Shipley 34 Wyatt Creech 2 February 1999 10 December 1999 35 Annette King 10 December 1999 19 October 2005Clark 36 Pete Hodgson 19 October 2005 5 November 2007 37 David Cunliffe 5 November 2007 19 November 2008 38 Tony Ryall 19 November 2008 6 October 2014 Key 39 Jonathan Coleman 6 October 2014 26 October 2017 English 40 David Clark 26 October 2017 2 July 2020 Ardern 41 Chris Hipkins 2 July 2020 6 November 202042Andrew Little6 November 20201 February 2023Hipkins 43 Ayesha Verrall 1 February 2023 27 November 2023 44 Shane Reti 27 November 2023 24 January 2025 Luxon 45 Simeon Brown 24 January 2025 Present
References
External links New Zealand Ministry of Health