18306 (2025). Hūhana Lyndon to the Minister of Health

18306 (2025). Hūhana Lyndon to the Minister of Health: What is the reason for the proposed Health Payment Integrity Team job cuts, and was the return on investment that the team generates for the Government considered as part of those proposed cuts?

Hon Simeon Brown: As the Member will be aware, this proposal is under active consideration and is an operational matter for Health New Zealand. I have made my expectations clear to Health New Zealand that the agency must maintain a strong focus on frontline services to ensure all New Zealanders can access timely, quality healthcare, and its change processes should prioritise reducing bureaucracy. I am advised the return on investment was considered when developing the new structure. Further, I am pleased to inform the Member that integrating the audit team will increase the number of auditors from HPIT’s 11.8 to a total of 26 auditors in the new integrated team.