Privacy: Shared Digital Health Record

People receive healthcare in different places, such as at general practices, community care clinics, or in hospital. This includes when you need emergency care or have travelled away from home and cannot see your usual doctor.

For the best treatment and care, it is important healthcare providers have the latest information about your health. We are making it easier for your health information to be securely shared, so your records are available for your immediate care wherever you are in New Zealand. This information is provided through the Shared Digital Health Record clinical data connector.

Health information sharing already happens in some regions. We are making sure it happens consistently across the country, so your health information can follow you wherever you go.

We are going to hold a copy of some of your information from your general practice or other healthcare clinic. This will enable this information to be shared with other approved healthcare providers when they are providing care to you.

The health information we collect and share will include:

• your allergies to medicines and intolerances, for example, an allergy to penicillin
• your medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes and long-term conditions
• your vital signs like your temperature, heart rate and blood pressure.

Other information may be shared in the future, such as details of:

• your health appointments and the notes from those appointments
• prescribed medicines
• immunisation records
• hospital discharge summaries
• radiology and laboratory results.

We will keep this page updated as new types of information are shared.

Healthcare professionals will begin to see the health information that is available through the Shared Digital Health Record from mid-2026.

We also hope to share your information directly with you in future. If we do this, we will be able to let you know when we are adding services and give you more choices about what types of information can be shared.

From around mid-2026, it’s expected that the following types of healthcare providers nationwide will be able to view your health information when providing you with care:

• general practice
• urgent care clinics
• after-hours clinics
• hospitals
• ambulance.

We will update this page if new health provider types are added.

Your health information is confidential and only shared with people providing you with treatment and care. There are strict privacy and security controls in place to protect your health information and to monitor who looks at your information.

Your general practice will communicate with patients about the Shared Digital Health Record before they start to share your health information. Some of your health information will then be available for other healthcare providers who are caring for you. 

From mid-2026, some of your health details will be available to other healthcare providers involved in your care.

You can also choose to limit or block your information from being shared. No matter what you decide, you’ll still receive healthcare. 

You have the right to see the health information we collect about you and ask for corrections to be made. We may need to refer you back to your healthcare provider to correct any clinical errors.

You can change your sharing preferences at any time. There will be a short delay before your preferences will be updated.

If you choose not to share, or to withhold some information, we will inform any healthcare providers who try to access your data that you have made that choice. This is so they understand that not all information about your medical history is available. They can ask you directly for additional information if they need to.

To find out more about how your health information is protected, contact us at hnzprivacy@tewhatuora.govt.nz and we can give you a copy of our privacy impact assessment. 

If you have questions about the collection of your health information through the Shared Digital Health Record either:

• talk to your healthcare provider
• call us on 0800 144 751
• email customerservice@health.govt.nz

You can also call or email us to:

• opt out or back into the Shared Digital Health Record [insert opt out/in form link]
• request a copy of your information in the Shared Digital Health Record [insert request info form link]

If you have a privacy question or complaint, contact hnzprivacy@tewhatuora.govt.nz

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
PO Box 793
Wellington 6140
New Zealand