Health New Zealand is expanding the information that is available to the doctors and other healthcare providers you see. This is being done through an information technology (IT) data connector called the Shared Digital Health Record. The Shared Digital Health Record will securely collect your health information from Three Rivers Health IT system and make it available to patient information systems across New Zealand.

Having this access to your information will help healthcare providers give you the best treatment and care, where and when you need it. For example, if you’re away from home and need urgent medical care, the doctor treating you will be able to see your important health information – such as any allergies to medicines that you may have, and your medical conditions.

Health information sharing already happens in some regions of New Zealand. This enhancement is so it can happen across the country. There are strong privacy and security controls in place to protect your health information and monitor who accesses it.

Information to be shared

The health information that will be collected from Three Rivers Health and shared will include:

· Your allergies 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, such as details of your health appointments and prescribed medicines, may be shared in the future.

Your choices and what you need to do

You don’t need to do anything if you’re happy for your health information from Three Rivers Health to be shared. From mid-2026, some of your health details will be available to other healthcare providers involved in your care.

The visual below shows the actions you need to take if you want to limit or stop your information from being shared. You can change your sharing preferences at any time. No matter what you decide, you’ll still receive healthcare.