Consumer opportunities Tā te kiritaki whai wāhi
Read more about the current open opportunities for consumers to get involved.
We support consumers being actively involved in decision-making about their health, at all levels.
Health services, including hospitals, government agencies and other services, require consumer representatives to co-design the planning, design, delivery and evaluation of health services.
Below are the current open opportunities for consumers to get involved.
Please note we publish these opportunities on behalf of a range of different agencies and groups in the health sector. Please contact each provider directly using the information provided in the listing.
Do you have an opportunity you think Consumer health forum Aotearoa members should know about?
If so, please submit an expression of interest for consumer and whānau representatives.
Current opportunities
Have your say on your or your whānau members’ experience with antidepressants.
Around one in seven New Zealanders take medication for depression and anxiety, and the number of prescriptions continues to rise.
Clinical psychologist Valerie Tan and pharmacist prescriber Marleen van Oeveren from the University of Otago, Dunedin are spearheading a project to help understand what information is most useful when you are prescribed antidepressants and how clinicians and prescribers can work towards consistent practice so you are well supported to make informed choices.
Why they want to hear from you
Antidepressants are usually started with a visit to your GP, but the information people receive can vary depending on the prescriber, GP practice or health service.
To make the best decisions for themselves and their whānau, people need clear information about what antidepressants can do, possible side effects, how long they may be needed, and how they might affect day-to-day life.
Another part of the picture is stopping antidepressants. Valerie and Marleen are also interested in hearing from people who have stopped, or tried to stop, taking antidepressants.
Coming off medication can be straightforward for some, but more challenging for others, and they want to learn about the information and support people received during this process.
Take the survey
This short survey asks you about the information you received before taking antidepressants, what you found helpful, and what you wish you had known when starting and stopping medication.
https://forms.office.com/r/dCY6V4Eij2
The survey runs until 31 Dec 2025.
Your privacy
This survey is anonymous. You will not be asked for your name or any identifying details, and your responses cannot be linked back to you. The survey is hosted on SurveyMonkey, which means SurveyMonkey may collect some standard technical information (such as your IP address), but the project team will only receive your survey answers. We will store the information securely and use it only to understand people’s experiences with antidepressants.
Because the survey is anonymous, we are unable to trace responses back to individuals, which means submitted information cannot be changed or withdrawn once completed.
Feel free to contact us at rethinking.meds@gmail.com for further queries and considerations.
You can also read more about how Microsoft collects and protects information in their Microsoft Privacy Policy.
Saman Hazir, PhD candidate at the University of Canterbury is seeking participants to be interviewed for his doctoral research project: ‘Expectations, Experiences, and Equity: How do lived experience partners influence mental health care in Aotearoa New Zealand?’
The research is supervised and supported through the School of Health Sciences at the University of Canterbury.
The participants
Participants should have personal lived experience of mental health and/or addiction challenges and recovery, and who have used that lived experience in a professional capacity (such as in advisory, governance, or service design roles) for at least six months, either currently or in the past.
Māori lived experience advisors are warmly encouraged to participate, as their perspectives are especially important for understanding how equity, cultural responsiveness, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations can be advanced within mental health care.
Pacific participants are also welcome to take part.
What’s involved
Each participant will be asked to take part in one interview lasting approximately 60 minutes. Interviews can be conducted either in person or online, depending on what is most convenient.
Participants will receive a summary of the research findings and may provide feedback if they wish.
More about the research and how to get involved
Read the Letter - Invitation to learn more (DOCX 37KB)
If you are interested in participating please email: saman.nazir@pg.canterbury.ac.nz
The Commission runs the National patient experience survey programme to collect and measure feedback about people’s experiences of the health services they receive, including what worked well and where improvements are needed.
We are developing survey questions for people who have a hospital admission with a primary diagnosis of mental health.
We want to connect with people who have:
- had a recent hospital inpatient admission, or outpatient appointment, with a primary diagnosis of mental health,
- a strong interest in this area.
We will be holding online workshops where we would like to work with consumers to ensure the topics included in the questionnaire reflect the experiences of mental health consumers, and identify how we can best encourage people to respond to the survey if they receive an invitation.
More information
Download the expression of interest (DOCX 59KB)
Download the engagement form (DOCX 79KB)
Closing date for applications:
Thursday 4 December 2025.
How to apply
To register your interest please complete the EOI form and email it to survey@hqsc.govt.nz
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora is seeking nominations for a consumer representative to help update guidance for designing small rural hospital buildings.
Applications close on Friday 19 December 2025
The guidance helps project teams to plan, design and construct small rural hospitals across Australia and New Zealand.
Australasian Health Facility Guidelines – healthfacilityguidelines.com.au
Small Rural Hospital Design Guidance – healthfacilityguidelines.com.au
Who we're looking for
Health NZ is looking for consumer representatives who:
- have supported a family member or attended a small rural hospital in the last three years
- can provide advice from a consumer or whānau perspective and bring an understanding of the unique cultural and social context of New Zealand
- make every effort to attend all meetings via Teams and review any supporting documents.
Requirements
You’ll need to attend one 1.5-hour meeting via Teams. The meeting is likely to be held in March or April, 2026.
Remuneration is in line with the NSW health consumer remuneration rates (currently $AUD40 per hour).
If you are interested in applying to represent New Zealand at this meeting, please complete the application form and email xanthe.torrens@tewhatuora.govt.nz
Application form
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora is seeking nominations for a consumer representative to help to update guidance for designing allied health buildings.
Applications close on Friday 19 December 2025.
The Australasian Health Infrastructure Alliance is reviewing the Allied Health Unit Guidance. You will participate in the review, working with the Australasian Health Facility Guidelines team and other consumers to provide feedback on the existing guidance.
The guidance helps project teams to plan, design and construct allied health facilities across Australia and New Zealand. The guidance covers facilities like audiology, gyms, hand and foot treatment rooms, and hydrotherapy pools.
Who we're looking for
Health NZ is looking for consumer representatives who:
- have supported a family member or attended an allied health facility in the last three years
- can provide advice from a consumer or whānau perspective and bring an understanding of the unique cultural and social context of New Zealand
- make every effort to attend all meetings via Teams and review any supporting documents.
Requirements
You’ll need to attend one 1.5-hour meeting via Teams. The meeting is likely to be held in February 2026.
Remuneration is in line with the NSW health consumer remuneration rates (currently $AUD40 per hour).
If you are interested in applying to represent New Zealand at this meeting, please complete the application form and email xanthe.torrens@tewhatuora.govt.nz
Application form
Have your say: Experiences with antidepressants
Have your say on your or your whānau members’ experience with antidepressants.
Around one in seven New Zealanders take medication for depression and anxiety, and the number of prescriptions continues to rise.
Clinical psychologist Valerie Tan and pharmacist prescriber Marleen van Oeveren from the University of Otago, Dunedin are spearheading a project to help understand what information is most useful when you are prescribed antidepressants and how clinicians and prescribers can work towards consistent practice so you are well supported to make informed choices.
Why they want to hear from you
Antidepressants are usually started with a visit to your GP, but the information people receive can vary depending on the prescriber, GP practice or health service.
To make the best decisions for themselves and their whānau, people need clear information about what antidepressants can do, possible side effects, how long they may be needed, and how they might affect day-to-day life.
Another part of the picture is stopping antidepressants. Valerie and Marleen are also interested in hearing from people who have stopped, or tried to stop, taking antidepressants.
Coming off medication can be straightforward for some, but more challenging for others, and they want to learn about the information and support people received during this process.
Take the survey
This short survey asks you about the information you received before taking antidepressants, what you found helpful, and what you wish you had known when starting and stopping medication.
https://forms.office.com/r/dCY6V4Eij2
The survey runs until 31 Dec 2025.
Your privacy
This survey is anonymous. You will not be asked for your name or any identifying details, and your responses cannot be linked back to you. The survey is hosted on SurveyMonkey, which means SurveyMonkey may collect some standard technical information (such as your IP address), but the project team will only receive your survey answers. We will store the information securely and use it only to understand people’s experiences with antidepressants.
Because the survey is anonymous, we are unable to trace responses back to individuals, which means submitted information cannot be changed or withdrawn once completed.
Feel free to contact us at rethinking.meds@gmail.com for further queries and considerations.
You can also read more about how Microsoft collects and protects information in their Microsoft Privacy Policy.
EOI: Take part in research on the role of lived experience partners in mental health
Saman Hazir, PhD candidate at the University of Canterbury is seeking participants to be interviewed for his doctoral research project: ‘Expectations, Experiences, and Equity: How do lived experience partners influence mental health care in Aotearoa New Zealand?’
The research is supervised and supported through the School of Health Sciences at the University of Canterbury.
The participants
Participants should have personal lived experience of mental health and/or addiction challenges and recovery, and who have used that lived experience in a professional capacity (such as in advisory, governance, or service design roles) for at least six months, either currently or in the past.
Māori lived experience advisors are warmly encouraged to participate, as their perspectives are especially important for understanding how equity, cultural responsiveness, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations can be advanced within mental health care.
Pacific participants are also welcome to take part.
What’s involved
Each participant will be asked to take part in one interview lasting approximately 60 minutes. Interviews can be conducted either in person or online, depending on what is most convenient.
Participants will receive a summary of the research findings and may provide feedback if they wish.
More about the research and how to get involved
Read the Letter - Invitation to learn more (DOCX 37KB)
If you are interested in participating please email: saman.nazir@pg.canterbury.ac.nz
EOI: Hospital mental health Patient experience survey
The Commission runs the National patient experience survey programme to collect and measure feedback about people’s experiences of the health services they receive, including what worked well and where improvements are needed.
We are developing survey questions for people who have a hospital admission with a primary diagnosis of mental health.
We want to connect with people who have:
- had a recent hospital inpatient admission, or outpatient appointment, with a primary diagnosis of mental health,
- a strong interest in this area.
We will be holding online workshops where we would like to work with consumers to ensure the topics included in the questionnaire reflect the experiences of mental health consumers, and identify how we can best encourage people to respond to the survey if they receive an invitation.
More information
Download the expression of interest (DOCX 59KB)
Download the engagement form (DOCX 79KB)
Closing date for applications:
Thursday 4 December 2025.
How to apply
To register your interest please complete the EOI form and email it to survey@hqsc.govt.nz
EOI: Help update guidance for designing small rural hospital buildings
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora is seeking nominations for a consumer representative to help update guidance for designing small rural hospital buildings.
Applications close on Friday 19 December 2025
The guidance helps project teams to plan, design and construct small rural hospitals across Australia and New Zealand.
Australasian Health Facility Guidelines – healthfacilityguidelines.com.au
Small Rural Hospital Design Guidance – healthfacilityguidelines.com.au
Who we're looking for
Health NZ is looking for consumer representatives who:
- have supported a family member or attended a small rural hospital in the last three years
- can provide advice from a consumer or whānau perspective and bring an understanding of the unique cultural and social context of New Zealand
- make every effort to attend all meetings via Teams and review any supporting documents.
Requirements
You’ll need to attend one 1.5-hour meeting via Teams. The meeting is likely to be held in March or April, 2026.
Remuneration is in line with the NSW health consumer remuneration rates (currently $AUD40 per hour).
If you are interested in applying to represent New Zealand at this meeting, please complete the application form and email xanthe.torrens@tewhatuora.govt.nz
Application form
EOI: Help update guidance for designing Allied Health Units
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora is seeking nominations for a consumer representative to help to update guidance for designing allied health buildings.
Applications close on Friday 19 December 2025.
The Australasian Health Infrastructure Alliance is reviewing the Allied Health Unit Guidance. You will participate in the review, working with the Australasian Health Facility Guidelines team and other consumers to provide feedback on the existing guidance.
The guidance helps project teams to plan, design and construct allied health facilities across Australia and New Zealand. The guidance covers facilities like audiology, gyms, hand and foot treatment rooms, and hydrotherapy pools.
Who we're looking for
Health NZ is looking for consumer representatives who:
- have supported a family member or attended an allied health facility in the last three years
- can provide advice from a consumer or whānau perspective and bring an understanding of the unique cultural and social context of New Zealand
- make every effort to attend all meetings via Teams and review any supporting documents.
Requirements
You’ll need to attend one 1.5-hour meeting via Teams. The meeting is likely to be held in February 2026.
Remuneration is in line with the NSW health consumer remuneration rates (currently $AUD40 per hour).
If you are interested in applying to represent New Zealand at this meeting, please complete the application form and email xanthe.torrens@tewhatuora.govt.nz
Application form
Consumer opportunity case studies
These consumer engagement stories describe how consumers have responded to opportunities promoted with the Consumer health forum Aotearoa. Consumers share their experience of the application process, onboarding and their contribution to the work. We hope these stories encourage others to use their lived experience and skills to contribute to the design, development, delivery and evaluation of the health system.
System safety strategy rōpū
Ngā Reo Māhuri Young Voices group
FIT for symptomatic project
Published: 16 Sep 2022
Modified: 6 Oct 2025
