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About us

The Health Research Council is the home of health research in New Zealand.

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We’re here to improve the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders through our process of identifying and supporting high-quality, high-value research that delivers far-reaching impact within the health and science landscape.

The Minister of Health is the minister responsible for the HRC, and appoints the 10-member governing Council. Parliament appropriates funding for the HRC through Vote Business, Science and Innovation, which is administered by the Minister of Science, Research and Innovation.

The Health Research Council Act 1990 established our key statutory functions as: 

  • Advising the Minister of Health on national health research policy
  • Advising on health research priorities for New Zealand
  • Initiating and supporting health research
  • Fostering the recruitment, training and retention of health researchers in New Zealand.

For more on the HRC's work, see What we do. In our Resource Library, you’ll find a range of other documents outlining our duties, vision and strategic goals.