Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health
In 2024, the Ministry of Health completed the first review of the End of Life Choice Act 2019.
The End of Life Choice Act is the law that makes assisted dying legal in New Zealand. The Act came into force on 7 November 2021, following a public referendum held alongside the 2020 General Election. The Act is administered by the Ministry of Health.
Under the legislation, the Ministry of Health is required to review the operation of the Act within three years of it coming into force, and every five years after that.
The review of the Act was undertaken in 2 parts:
- a review of the operation of the Act by the Ministry of Health
- an online process to gather public opinion about changes that could be made to the Act.
This publication provides the findings of the Ministry’s review of the operation of the Act, which examined whether the Act as currently written is operating effectively and achieving its intended purposes. In reviewing the Act, the Ministry considered whether changes could:
- increase clarity around the meaning and interpretation of rules or settings in the Act
- improve the effectiveness of mechanisms in the Act, such as those intended to address issues of access and safety
- support effective administration of assisted dying
- provide clarity around the roles and responsibilities of those involved
- improve alignment of the Act with other relevant pieces of legislation, and the wider health system (including the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022).
The final report notes where things are working well and makes recommendations on changes that could be made to the Act to improve its effectiveness. Government parties agreed that any changes to the Act will be proposed through members’ bills.
Alongside the review, the Ministry also provided an online process to give the public an opportunity to share their views on what changes could be made to the Act. A summary of the submissions provided through this process can be found at Summary of Online Submissions Received on the End of Life Choice Act 2019.
