Register With Us

No. You should enroll with the service you use most often. You can still visit other primary health care professionals, but there are benefits when you get most of your health care from your usual doctor, nurse, or health service

Enrolment is voluntary. If you choose not to enroll, you will still be able to visit any primary health care professional to get the care you need. However fee’s are usually higher for un-enrolled patients as the provider receives less to no funding to provide you care.

Yes. You can enrol any children in your care if they are 16 years of age or under. Ask at reception to find out what you need to do. We can only consider applications for enrolment for children where at least one parent is enrolled with us.

No. If they are over the age of 16 they need to enrol themselves, unless you have Power of Attorney or you are their authorized representative. However you can give them an enrolment form or show them where/how to register.

You will still have to pay to see your primary care provider, but once your enrolment is processed by the Ministry of Health and if you are eligible for subsidised consultations, we will be able to offer reduced fees, or even free care for some categories of patients.

All our standard charges and the reduced charges available to enrolled patients that receive the additional subsidies from the Ministry of Health, these are displayed on our website and at reception. If you have any questions about the health services provided or cost, ask at reception.

When you enrol, the PHO that Tau Oranga is aligned with will use the information collected from you to build an enrolment register. This register is sent to the Ministry of Health where your information will remain confidential.

The Ministry of Health needs this information to:

• Calculate the funding that is given to the Primary Health Organization

• Correct your details on the National Health Index

• Monitor quality of care

The following information is kept:

• Name and address

• Date of birth, gender and ethnicity

• CSC (Community Services Card) number and expiry date (and if applicable) High User Card and expiry date

• National Health Index (NHI) number known by the PHO

• Whether you are a New Zealand resident or not

• The date of your enrolment and the date you last visited your doctor or nurse.

• The reason for your visit will not be sent to the Ministry of Health

Kia ora, nau mai ki Tau Oranga Health Care.

At Tau Oranga Health Care, we respect your privacy, protect your mana, and recognise the importance of maintaining the trust of our whaiora and whānau.

Your health information is personal and confidential. We are committed to collecting, using, storing and sharing your information responsibly, in accordance with New Zealand privacy legislation and our professional obligations.

This statement explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and your rights regarding your health information.

1. Why do we collect your information?

We collect personal and health information directly from you and, where appropriate, from other health professionals and organisations involved in your care.

We collect this information to:

• Provide safe, effective and coordinated primary health care for you and your whānau.

• Understand your health needs and support your ongoing wellbeing.

• Maintain an accurate record of your health history, assessments, treatment and care.

• Keep you and others safe.

• Coordinate referrals, investigations, prescriptions and follow-up care.

• Support health promotion, screening, immunisation and preventive health care.

• Send appointment reminders, screening invitations and clinical recalls where appropriate.

• Meet our legal, professional, contractual and reporting obligations.

• Support health service planning, funding, quality improvement and clinical audits.

• Contribute to approved research, education and population health initiatives where legally permitted.

We aim to collect only the information reasonably necessary for these purposes.

2. What information do we collect about you?

Depending on your circumstances and the services you receive, we may collect:

• Personal information: your name, date of birth, address, contact details, National Health Index (NHI) number and other relevant demographic information.

• Health information: your medical history, current health concerns, medications, allergies, diagnoses, examination findings, treatment plans and clinical notes.

• Whānau and support information: relevant information about your whānau, caregivers, nominated support people or emergency contacts, where appropriate and permitted.

• Cultural and wellbeing information: information you choose to share that is relevant to your care, including your cultural needs, preferences and wellbeing goals.

• Clinical results: laboratory tests, radiology reports, screening results and other investigations.

• Service information: appointments, consultations, referrals, immunisations, prescriptions and other services provided.

• Administrative and financial information: enrolment details, eligibility for funded services, consultation charges, payments and information required for funding claims.

• Communication information: relevant correspondence, telephone messages, emails and communications through approved patient portals or other practice systems.

We understand that some information is particularly sensitive. We take care to ensure it is handled respectfully, securely and confidentially.

3. What information do we collect from other organisations?

To provide safe and coordinated care, we may receive relevant information from other health professionals and organisations, including:

• Hospitals, emergency departments and specialist services.

• Laboratories and radiology providers.

• Pharmacies and prescribing services.

• Midwives and maternity services.

• Other general practices and primary health care providers.

• After-hours and urgent care services, including services such as Practice Plus where applicable.

• Immunisation, screening and other authorised health programmes.

• Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and other authorised health agencies.

• ACC, Work and Income New Zealand (MSD), insurers, legal representatives or other agencies where relevant to your care and where authorised by you or by law.

• Other providers involved in your treatment, rehabilitation or wellbeing.

Information may include discharge summaries, specialist correspondence, test results, medication records, referrals and relevant treatment information.

Where we collect your personal information indirectly, we will explain this to you where required by the Privacy Act 2020, including when and how the information was obtained, unless an applicable exception applies.

If you have questions about information received from another organisation, please speak with your health practitioner or our reception team.

4. Confidentiality and information sharing

Your privacy and confidentiality are central to the care we provide.

At Tau Oranga Health Care, we:

• Collect and use your information for legitimate health care and related purposes.

• Restrict access to authorised people who need the information to perform their role.

• Share information with other health professionals involved in your care when appropriate and legally permitted.

• Seek your consent where required before sharing your information.

• Share information without your consent only where authorised or required by law, or where another lawful basis applies.

• Never sell your personal or health information.

• Take reasonable steps to protect your information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.

• Retain health records for the periods required by applicable law and professional standards.

Your information may be shared with other health providers to support referrals, prescriptions, investigations, emergency treatment, after-hours care and continuity of care.

In some circumstances, we may be legally required or authorised to disclose information, including where necessary to address serious safety concerns, meet statutory reporting obligations or respond to a lawful request.

We will not share your information simply because another person requests it. We consider the purpose, authority and legal basis for any disclosure.

5. How do we use and protect your information?

Your information is recorded and managed through the clinical and administrative system Indici and Myindici Patient Portal used by Tau Oranga Health Care.

Tau Oranga Health Care may use Heidi, an AI-assisted clinical documentation tool, to support clinicians with clinical note-taking. Any use of this tool must follow the practice’s privacy and confidentiality procedures, including appropriate safeguards for the collection, processing, storage and security of whaiora health information. Clinicians remain responsible for reviewing, verifying and approving clinical notes to ensure they are accurate and complete.

We use appropriate safeguards to protect your information, which may include access controls, secure passwords, staff confidentiality obligations, system monitoring, backups and other security measures appropriate to the information we hold.

Access is limited to authorised personnel who require it for their work.

Some information may be processed or stored by external technology providers, including cloud service providers. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure the arrangements comply with applicable privacy requirements and provide appropriate protection for your information, including where information is processed or stored outside New Zealand.

No electronic system is entirely free from risk. If a privacy breach occurs, we will respond in accordance with our legal obligations, including notifying affected individuals and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner where required.

6. How your information may be used within the health system

Tau Oranga Health Care may use or disclose relevant information for the following purposes, where authorised and appropriate:

Enrolment and funding

We may use your demographic and eligibility information to manage your enrolment, determine eligibility for funded services, claim applicable subsidies and meet contractual reporting requirements.

National Health Index (NHI)

Your demographic information may be used within the national health system to create, maintain or update your NHI record and support accurate identification across health services.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and other health agencies

Relevant information may be shared with authorised health agencies to support your treatment, coordinate care, administer health programmes, meet reporting requirements and plan or improve health services.

Clinical audits and quality improvement

Authorised clinicians, auditors or other approved personnel may review relevant records to assess the quality, safety and effectiveness of care, fulfil contractual requirements and identify opportunities for improvement. Access is managed in accordance with applicable privacy and confidentiality requirements.

Screening, immunisation and preventive care

Where applicable, relevant information may be shared with authorised screening, immunisation and public health services to coordinate care, maintain records and support timely follow-up.

Legal and regulatory requirements

Your health record is a legal record of the care provided. Information may be disclosed where required or authorised by law, including for a lawful investigation, complaint process, audit or regulatory requirement.

7. Research and education

Health information may sometimes be used for research, statistical analysis, health service planning, education or quality improvement.

Any such use must comply with applicable privacy requirements, professional obligations and any relevant ethical approval requirements.

Where information can be used in a form that does not identify you, it may be used for permitted research or statistical purposes without your individual consent where the law allows.

Where research involves identifiable information, we will obtain consent or establish another lawful basis for its use and ensure any required ethics approvals are in place.

You are not required to agree to the use of your information for optional research or educational purposes where consent is required. Your decision will not affect your access to care.

8. Your right to access and correct your information

Under the Privacy Act 2020 and the Health Information Privacy Code 2020, you have rights regarding your personal and health information.

You can:

• Request access to your health information.

• Ask us to correct information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.

• Ask us to add a statement to your record if you disagree with information recorded and we do not make the requested correction.

• Ask questions about how your information is collected, used, stored or shared.

• Request information about the circumstances in which your information has been disclosed, subject to applicable legal limitations.

You do not generally need to explain why you wish to access your information. We may need to verify your identity before releasing it.

We will respond to access and correction requests within the timeframes required by law. If we cannot provide access or make a requested correction, we will explain our decision where required and advise you of your options.

To request access to or correction of your information, please contact our reception team or Privacy Officer.

9. Your choices and consent

You can ask questions about how your information is used and raise any concerns before or during your care.

You are not required to consent to every form of information sharing. However, withholding information or declining certain disclosures may affect our ability to coordinate your care safely.

Some information sharing may occur without consent where it is authorised or required by law. We will explain relevant options and limitations where appropriate.

You can also tell us about your preferences for communication, including how we contact you and whether messages may be left with another person. We will take reasonable steps to respect your preferences while meeting our clinical and legal responsibilities.

10. Other information we may collect

Depending on the systems and services used by Tau Oranga Health Care, additional information may be collected through:

• Telephone calls and voicemail messages.

• Email, text messages and patient portal communications.

• Appointment booking and electronic communication systems.

• Security systems, including CCTV, if used at the practice.

• Digital clinical documentation or AI-assisted tools, if used by the practice.

Where additional technologies are used, we will take appropriate steps to explain what information is collected, why it is collected, how it is handled and what safeguards apply.

We will not assume that information can be used for an unrelated purpose simply because it has been collected.

For further information about specific technologies or communication systems, please contact our Privacy Officer.

Use of AI tools, call recording and CCTV

Tau Oranga Health Care clinicians may use Heidi, an AI-assisted clinical documentation tool, to support clinical note-taking during consultations. Its use is subject to appropriate privacy and confidentiality safeguards, and clinicians remain responsible for reviewing and ensuring the accuracy of clinical records. Your consent will always be obtained first before using.

Telephone calls are not routinely recorded by the practice.

CCTV is installed outside the building and at reception for the safety and security of our patients, whānau and kaimahi. CCTV footage is accessed only by authorised personnel for legitimate safety and security purposes and is managed securely in accordance with applicable privacy requirements.

11. Our commitment to privacy and your mana

Tau Oranga Health Care is committed to providing care that respects the mana, dignity, identity and individual needs of every whaiora and whānau.

We recognise that trust is essential to a strong health care relationship. We aim to provide a safe and respectful environment where you can share information relevant to your health and wellbeing with confidence.

Our team is expected to uphold professional standards of confidentiality, act responsibly when handling personal information and raise any privacy concerns promptly.

12. Privacy concerns and complaints

If you have concerns about how your information has been collected, used, stored or shared, please contact our Privacy Officer in the first instance.

We will listen to your concerns, investigate them appropriately and explain the steps taken to address them.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner

Phone: 0800 803 909

Website: https://www.privacy.org.nz/

Health and Disability Advocacy Service

Phone: 0800 555 050

Website: https://advocacy.org.nz/

You may also find further information in the Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora privacy statement:

https://www.healthnz.govt.nz/privacy/privacy-statement

13. Contact Tau Oranga Health Care For questions about your privacy, to request access to your health information, or to raise a concern, please contact us.

Practice: Tau Oranga Health Care
Address: 2a Ranolf Street
Phone: 07 348 5656
Email: reception@tauoranga.co.nz
Privacy Officer: Jacinda Childs

This statement should be read alongside Tau Oranga Health Care's internal privacy, information security and records management policies.