Privacy statement – Assisted Dying system applicants

Assisted dying is a health service in New Zealand which was introduced following public support in a referendum held at the 2020 general election. The process for accessing assisted dying is set out in a law called the End of Life Choice Act 2019 (the Act). The Act sets the eligibility criteria, assessment process and safeguards for the assisted dying service. Assisted dying is legal in New Zealand from 7 November 2021.

The Assisted Dying Service (ADS) is a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (HNZ), with the Ministry of Health being the stewards and custodians of the personal and health information collected for the purpose of the delivery of this service.

This privacy statement outlines how HNZ, on behalf of Ministry of Health, may collect, use, store and share your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and Health Information Privacy Code 2020.

We may update this privacy statement from time to time. For a copy of this or previous versions, please contact Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora via: AssistedDying@tewhatuora.govt.nz.

This privacy statement was last updated on 20 October 2025.

We may collect the following personal information from you:

• Name
• Date of Birth
• NHI
• Address
• Contact Phone Numbers
• Email Address
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Iwi Affiliation
• Delegated Proxy or Authorised Representative/Contact Person
• Proof of identity and/or citizenship or permanent residency
• Health information to support an application.

We may collect the following personal information from other health professionals or family/whanau/persons who you have consent for us to contact:

• Health information to support an application
• Information on pressure and coercion from others
• Confirmation on immigration or citizenship status.

Some of the personal information requested will be mandatory to supply in order to process an application for assisted dying. Applicants will be advised by the ADS which information is mandatory for the application to progress.

We may use your personal information for the purposes of your application, including:

• Case management
• Managing clinical and Secretariat/Registrar reviews
• Recording decisions
• Ensuring compliance with the End of Life Choice Act 2019
• Internal (Ministry of Health and/or Health NZ) reporting requirements using de-identified personal information.

We may share your personal information internally with Ministry of Health and/or HNZ personnel, however this will only be with those who are directly involved in your application, or as required by the End of Life Choice Act 2019.

Your information may also be used in publications, but this will be in an aggregated, de-identified format.

We only keep your personal information for as long as required for the purposes outlined in this privacy statement and in accordance with the law.

We take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is protected against loss, unauthorised access, use, modification, disclosure, or other misuse.

You have the right to access any information we hold about you and ask us to correct it if you think it is wrong.

To access any personal information held by us, or if you wish to correct your information, please email the Health NZ autonomy team at AssistedDying@tewhatuora.govt.nz in the first instance who will be able to assist you with your request.

When requesting access or to change your information, please include:

• Name
• Contact address (email or postal)
• Contact phone number
• Details of the information you want or want to correct – this needs to be as clear and specific as you can make it. We may ask you for more details.

Please note that before we can provide you with your information or make any changes we will need to be satisfied about your identity.

Requesting information on behalf of someone else

If you are requesting information on behalf of someone else, you will need to provide their authorisation or other documentation to support that you have the right to do so.

If you have any queries or concerns about how your personal information has been managed, please contact Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora via: AssistedDying@tewhatuora.govt.nz.to see if we can resolve the problem. Alternately you can contact the Ministry of Health Privacy Officer via:

Email: information@health.govt.nz

Mail: The Privacy Officer, Ministry of Health, PO Box 5013, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.

Additionally, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and Ministry of Health Privacy and Security statements can be found on the below links.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Privacy Statement (external link)

Ministry of Health Privacy Statement (external link)

Privacy commissioner

If you're not satisfied with our response to any privacy-related concern you may have, you can contact the privacy commissioner at enquiries@privacy.org.nz