Office of the Privacy Commissioner | Health Privacy Toolkit
The toolkit brings together new guidance material with material we've already produced, and puts it all together in one convenient place.
Health information privacy is about making sure patients and staff know what's being done with their health information, and why. Collecting, using and disclosing health information to provide care should never be a problem. But when you do get questions about privacy, the information in this kit will help to give you the answers you need.
See the Health Information Privacy Code 1994 and commentary. This code of practice applies specific rules to agencies in the health sector to better ensure the protection of individual privacy.
On the Record (a practical guide to health privacy). On the Record is a ready reference guide for managing common situations that people in the health sector face.
Brochure for Health consumers
- Brochure for health consumers (pdf, 189 KB)
- Poster for health consumers [PDF, 860 KB]
and some translations:
- Maori (pdf, 195 KB)
- Samoan (pdf, 202 KB)
- Simplified Chinese (pdf, 169 KB)
- Tongan (pdf, 204 KB).
Health Information Privacy Fact Sheets:
- Fact Sheet 1 : Overview
- Fact Sheet 2 : Collection of health information
- Fact Sheet 3 : Disclosure of health information
- Fact Sheet 4 : Dealing with requests for health information
- Fact Sheet 5 : Storage, security, retention and disposal of health information
Health-related privacy case notes:
- Case Note 51345 [2003] NZPrivCmr 20 (collection)
- Case Note 7454 [1997] NZPrivCmr 7 (collection; dealing with requests)
- Case Note 210870 [2010] NzPrivCmr 24 (disclosure)
- Case Note 211472 [2010] NZPrivCmr 2 (disclosure)
- Case Note 209438 [2009] NZPrivCmr 20 (disclosure; storage, security, retention, disposal)
- Case Note 35361 [2003] NZPrivCmr 9 (disclosure)
- Case Note 55528 [2003] NZPrivCmr 8 (disclosure)
- Case Note 21110 [2001] NZPrivCmr 10 (disclosure)
- Case Note 69555 [2006] NZPrivCmr 6 (dealing with requests)
- Case Note 95042 [2008] NZPrivCmr 1 (dealing with requests)
- Case Note 93953 [2007] NZPrivCmr 7 (dealing with requests)
- Case Note 203014 [2009] NZPrivCmr 8 (storage, security, retention, disposal)
- Case Note 99263 [2007] NZPrivCmr 24 (storage, security, retention, disposal)
Health-related Human Rights Review Tribunal cases:
- HG v Taranaki District Health Board [2009] NZHRRT 29 (dealing with requests)
- Te Koeti v Otago District Health Board [2009] NZHRRT 24 (dealing with requests)
Health-related High Court case:
- L v L, High Court Auckland, AP95-SW01, 31 May 2002
Health practitioners, privacy officers, and members of the public with an interest in the sometimes complex issues around mental health and privacy may, also find the Privacy Commissioner's Guidance Material on Mental Health Information useful.
Additional resources: