Southern District Health Board

Health services in Southland have an interesting history both with respect to the establishment and redevelopment of our flagship medical facility - Southland Hospital, as well as the government health reforms which have shaped the way that health services are funded and delivered to the Southland population.  A summary of that history is provided below.

Health Entity History:

Since 2001 - Southland District Health Board (DHB). 21 DHBs were established across New Zealand on January 1, 2001 under the NZ Public Health and Disability Act 2000 (NZPHD).  DHBs have very wide responsibilities for publicly funded health and disability services, including purchasing of services. They are bodies corporate owned by the Crown and are required to operate in a transparent manner. DHB Boards are partly elected and partly appointed by the Government.

1998 - Southern Health Limited (HHS). Hospital and Health Services (HHSs) were publicly owned companies with responsibilities for a wider range of health and disability service provision than CHEs. Their boards were appointed by the Government.

1993 - Southern Crown Health Enterprise (CHE). Crown Health Enterprises (CHEs) took over from AHBs. They were publicly owned companies, with boards appointed by the Government.

1988 - Southland Area Health Board (AHB). Area Health Boards (AHBs) combined hospital and public health services. Their boards were partly publicly elected and partly appointed by the Government.

Prior to 1983 - Southland Hospital Board. Hospital Boards had a strictly hospital focus and were publicly elected (the Department of Health ran non-hospital public health and some mental health services).

1885  Southland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board established.  However the history of Southland Hospital goes back further. "One of the first provisions for the public made by the Southland Provincial Council, after it came into being in 1861, was a hospital." "Towards the end of 1864 a committee held an enquiry. It recommended that the hospital should come under what was known as public management, and not remain under government control. In practice, public management was control by a committee elected by subscribers to the funds of a hospital". This didn't happen in 1864 but in 1867 it came under a Committee of management. This body was later called the Southland Hospital Committee.   This period of history is tied up with the Southland Provincial Council and Otago Provincial Council, the former having gone out of existence and amalgamated with Otago. 

Source for above 1885 related information: History of the Southland hospitals and boards 1861-1968 presumed to have been written by J.O.P. Watt. Published by the Southland Hospital Board in 1968.