Otago and Southland District Health Boards

Who We Are

Southern District Health Board (DHB) is a government owned entities responsible for ensuring the provision of publicly funded health care services to a combined population of approximately 290,000 across the Otago Southland region. This population is largely based in the two main cities of Dunedin and Invercargill with the remainder spread across the lower South Island of New Zealand.

The statutory objectives of our DHB are:

• to improve, promote and protect the health of our communities;
• to promote the integration of health services across primary and secondary care services, and
• to promote effective care or support of those in need of personal health services or disability support. 

Our DHB is charged with planning, funding and delivering and health and disability support services across the primary/secondary/tertiary continuum of care.

We provide hospital services and community mental health services from our own secondary and tertiary hospitals. 

We also fund and contract with primary health providers ranging from Primary Health Organisations (inclusive of General Practitioners), Pharmacies, Residential Aged Care Facilities, NGO Mental Health services, and some rural hospitals that are owned and operated through local community trusts, to name a few.

• Southern DHB serves 289,500 people spread across a mix of urban and rural areas, encompassing Dunedin City, the Clutha and Waitaki Districts, Central Otago, Wanaka, Stewart Island, Invercargill City, rural Southland, Gore, Te Anau, Queenstown and Glenorchy. 

Healthdownsouth - Southern DHB Regional Recruitment

Since early 2007 and prior to the DHBs merger, Otago and Southland DHBs have been working collaboratively together with a shared, regional Executive Management Team and regional teams working across the areas of finance, information systems, procurement, planning and funding and human resources - including recruitment.  The Healthdownsouth recruitment team works directly with candidates interested in working in the southern part of New Zealand and can help you with employment enquiries to work at the Southern District Health Boards and our hospitals. You can contact us by emailing Debbie at  jobs@healthdownsouth.co.nz.

More Information on the DHB and NZ Health System

For further information and frequently asked questions about District Health Board, please see the
Ministry of Health's website. You can also check out more information regarding the New Zealand health system from www.moh.govt.nz