MSD and the DHB
Central government and regional health organisations have evaluated health initiatives using ORUA’s data analytics
In New Zealand, ORUA has worked with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and the District Health Boards (DHBs) to use data analytics to evaluate health policy initiatives.
By identifying how the characteristics of individuals affect their future outcomes and exploring how initiatives can change these characteristics, ORUA’s work helped MSD and the DHBs to evaluate the effect of the initiatives on the future outcomes of people both locally and nationally. This data-informed approach enabled decision makers to better understand the ramifications of the initiatives and improved the information available to them during the decision making process.
ORUA’s approach made use of state-of-the-art data analytics tools to analyse New Zealand’s citizen-based data sets. This enabled health initiatives to be evaluated not only in terms of their effect on an individual’s health, but also holistically, to observe how an initiative may affect other aspects of a person’s life. This holistic approach aligns with the recent focus on wellbeing both within New Zealand and internationally (e.g., within the OECD).