Often, a consumer’s first interaction with Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is online. This helps people find the right care sooner, support their own wellbeing, and reduce pressure on clinical services.

There’s also strong demand from health professionals and the wider sector for reliable information. It can be hard to know where to look or where to direct patients.

Health New Zealand are starting a progressive roll out of a single national website – HealthNZ.govt.nz – bringing together health information for consumers, health professionals, and job seekers.

While the domain name isn’t changing quite yet and will remain info.health.nz (external link) (our current consumer website), significant changes continue, making it easier for consumers, health professionals, and the wider sector to access the information they need.

To make sure the site meets user needs, we gathered direct feedback from consumers and health professionals through structured testing sessions. Their feedback directly shaped the design and content. We also analysed web traffic and search patterns, then tested prototypes to see how users naturally navigate. These insights helped us refine the design so people can find what they need quickly and easily.

The new site combines the existing info.health.nz (external link) website with the current TeWhatuOra.govt.nz corporate website. We are working with content owners to review and rewrite material so it’s clinically accurate, accessible, and easy to understand.

Josh Mens, Digital Lead National Platforms, says “info.health.nz (external link) works well for consumers, but we needed to improve the experience for health professionals”.

What's new?

  • Revamped layout and navigation: The site features a redesigned structure and improved navigation, making it easier for users to find what they need.
  • Updated ‘About Health New Zealand’ section: Content has been rewritten to meet accessibility, plain language, and compliance standards. This marks the beginning of a transition of content from the tewhatuora govt.nz corporate website.
  • New ‘A to Z’ functionality: to browse over 1000 health topics.
  • Expanded ‘Programmes and Initiatives’: Offers visibility into Health NZ’s programmes of work, linking to relevant public info, guidance, news, and publications.
  • New Online and phone section: providing quick access to some of our newer channels like Online GP Care and Rural after-hours healthcare and more familiar channels like Telehealth

Simplified access for all users

The new information architecture, shaped by extensive testing with consumers and health professionals, ensures intuitive access to:

  • Health topics
  • Hospitals and services
  • Phone and online service channels - helping reduce pressure on the health system by promoting digital access.

‘News’ will take you back to the tewhatuora.govt.nz corporate website – ‘News’ will come into the refreshed Health NZ website early in the new year (Launch 2).

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Careers

Job seekers now have a tailored experience via the ‘Careers’ tab (top right), with focused navigation and content.

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What’s next?

A domain name change, to HealthNZ.govt.nz, will align the site more closely with the Health New Zealand brand, reinforcing its identity as a trusted government source.

A dedicated experience for health professionals is in development, set to launch in the first half of next year (Launch 3).

Work continues to migrate remaining content from the tewhatuora.govt.nz corporate website, creating a single, unified platform.

Trust is growing

Recent consumer testing revealed a strong theme of trust – in both the content and the user experience when using the Health NZ national website.

This trust is further validated by the Health NZ web team winning the Best Plain Language Award for a public sector website. The recognition and success of this project is a reflection of the collaboration between the Health NZ Digital Services and Communications & Engagement teams.