The rocky road to health reform:some lessons from New Zealand

Abstract

Ongoing structural change has been a feature of the New Zealand health system throughout the 1990s. As we enterthe new millennium a new government is now embarking upon yet another round of reform. I look back on the pastfew years and consider what lessons might be learned about the process of health policy-making in New Zealand. Theyinclude the need for a clear vision about the goals of health policy, the importance of consulting with key stakeholdersat an early stage, the problems of implementing change too speedily, and the need to allow sufficient time for systemsto mature before replacing them with new structures.