Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury is responsible for planning, organising, providing and purchasing hospital and community health services for the large and highly populated region of Canterbury. The Canterbury health system is part of the larger national Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora health system, established in 2021, to create an equitable, accessible, cohesive and people-centred system.

Secondary and tertiary health services are largely consolidated on three main sites; Christchurch Hospital Campus, Hillmorton Campus and Burwood Hospital Campus. Primary care services are provided through Integrated Family Health Centres and General Practice teams along with a wide range of community based services including specific Māori and Pacific providers.

Christchurch Hospital is the major tertiary centre for the South Island. Currently underway is a redevelopment programme of unprecedented scale for New Zealand’s health sector. Significant recent investment in both Christchurch and Burwood sites have enabled their growth as centres of excellence for hospital services as part of the integrated health system. The purpose built Outpatients facility located at the Te Papa Hauora Health Precinct directly opposite Christchurch Hospital was completed in 2018. The first part of new Acute Services building the Christchurch Hospital site was completed in 2020, with a further tower currently under construction. Completion of this site will boast over 72,000 sqm of additional operating theatres, inpatient beds, purpose-designed spaces for children, an expanded intensive care unit, emergency department and roof-top helipad.