Accountability Documents

As a Government agency with a purpose defined in law, we are accountable to Parliament and the Minister of Health for the work we undertake. As part of our accountability, we prepare two main statutory documents each year: The Statement of Intent and the Annual Report. The Statement of Intent describes the work we plan to undertake and the Annual Report outlines what we have achieved in relation to our stated workplan.

In addition, we publish the Annual Review, a more detailed summary of pharmaceutical usage patterns in New Zealand. The Annual Review also comments on issues of interest in the pharmaceutical sector in New Zealand and internationally.

Letter of Expectations

The Minister of Health’s expectations for PHARMAC’s strategic direction, and the specific priorities for the following three years are reflected in a letter of expectations. A letter of expectations can be issued at any time, but normally coincides with the development of the Statement of Intent (SOI) as the SOI must reflect the content of the letter of expectations.

Generally a letter of expectations is sent when a new Minister takes up the role of responsible Minister for PHARMAC, but a Minister may consider that he or she needs to send a new letter of expectations when circumstances change, such as the appointment of a new Chair or following legislative changes affecting PHARMAC’s operating environment. You can download PHARMAC’s current letter of expectations here.

Statement of Intent

The Statement of Intent is tabled in Parliament at the beginning of each financial year, and outlines the work we intend to do in the coming financial year. It provides an overview of our strategic priorities as well as specific performance targets and measures. You can download our Statement of Intent here.

Annual Output Agreement

Each year, the Minister of Health and PHARMAC enter into an Output Agreement which is effectively a contractual form of the SOI. The purpose of an output agreement is to: assist the Minister and PHARMAC to clarify, align and manage their respective expectations and responsibilities for the funding and production of certain outputs; and set the particular standards, terms and conditions under which PHARMAC will deliver and be paid for the specified outputs. PHARMAC’s current annual output agreement is available here.

Annual Reports

The Annual Report is our main reporting mechanism to Parliament, and is usually tabled in late October. The Annual Report outlines our performance compared to the performance targets set in the previous year's Statement of Intent. You can download our most recent Annual Report here.

Annual Reviews

We've published an Annual Review since 1995. This provides a more detailed summary of pharmaceutical usage patterns than the Annual Report, and also discusses issues of interest around pharmaceuticals. The Review is designed with a broad readership in mind and contains information on pharmaceutical prescribing over time, as well as highlighting the work we undertake in optimal use of medicines and working for DHBs. You can download the latest Annual Review here.

To obtain hard copies of any of these publications, visit our online order service www.pharmaconline.co.nz.