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New Zealand law explained for everyone

Health Act 1956

Administration - Personal information

22G: Inspection of records

You could also call this:

"Who can look at your health records?"

When you get health services, you might wonder who can look at your records. A provider is someone who gets paid for giving you health services by organisations like a department of the Crown that funds services within the meaning of section 4 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022, a district health board, or Health New Zealand. The provider must show their records to someone who is allowed to see them.

You might ask who can look at these records. The Director-General or the chief executive of Health New Zealand can ask to see the records. They can send someone they trust to look at the records, and this person must have the right skills to understand the services the provider gives.

This person can copy or take notes from the records. They do this to check if the provider should get paid for the services they gave you. The provider must make the records available right away when they get a request.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM306666.

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"Getting to see your own health information"

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22H: Anonymous health information, or

"Sharing health information without saying who the person is"

Part 1Administration
Personal information

22GInspection of records

  1. In this section, provider means a person who has claimed payment for services from 1 or more of the following:

  2. a department of the Crown that funds services within the meaning of section 4 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022:
    1. a district health board:
      1. the Health Funding Authority or a person authorised by the Health Funding Authority to make payments:
        1. a regional health authority or a person authorised by a regional health authority to make payments:
          1. a hospital and health service:
            1. a Crown health enterprise:
              1. an area health board:
                1. a hospital board:
                  1. the Department of Health:
                    1. Health New Zealand.

                        1. Every provider must, forthwith after a request by the Director-General or the chief executive of Health New Zealand or of Health Benefits Limited, make available any records of the provider that relate to the services concerned for inspection—

                        2. by a person authorised in writing by the Director-General or the chief executive of Health New Zealand or Health Benefits Limited (as the case may be) for this purpose, being a person who holds a professional qualification relevant to the services provided by the provider or any other person the Director-General or the chief executive considers appropriate; and
                          1. for the purpose of verifying the claim for payment.

                            1. Any person authorised in accordance with subsection (2) to inspect the records of a provider may copy or take notes of those records for the purposes of the inspection.

                            Notes
                            • Section 22G: inserted, on , by section 2 of the Health Amendment Act (No 2) 1993 (1993 No 32).
                            • Section 22G(1): replaced, on , by section 111(1) of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 (2000 No 91).
                            • Section 22G(1)(a): replaced, on , by section 104 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 (2022 No 30).
                            • Section 22G(1)(j): inserted, on , by section 104 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 (2022 No 30).
                            • Section 22G(1)(k): repealed, on , by section 43 of the Pae Ora (Disestablishment of Māori Health Authority) Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 5).
                            • Section 22G(2): replaced, on , by section 111(1) of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 (2000 No 91).
                            • Section 22G(2): amended, on , by section 43 of the Pae Ora (Disestablishment of Māori Health Authority) Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 5).
                            • Section 22G(2): amended, on , by section 104 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 (2022 No 30).
                            • Section 22G(2)(a): amended, on , by section 43 of the Pae Ora (Disestablishment of Māori Health Authority) Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 5).
                            • Section 22G(2)(a): amended, on , by section 104 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 (2022 No 30).
                            • Section 22G(3): inserted, on , by section 111(1) of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 (2000 No 91).