Social prescribing — connecting people to community activities, groups, and services as an alternative or complement to clinical treatment — is growing rapidly in New Zealand's primary health system. Rather than a prescription for medication, a GP or nurse refers a patient to a community link worker, who connects them to activities like gardening groups, exercise programmes, arts classes, volunteering, or social clubs. The evidence base is growing, and government and philanthropy are investing in expanding social prescribing infrastructure.
Social prescribing recognises that health is shaped by social factors — loneliness, housing instability, financial stress, lack of purpose, and disconnection from community — as much as by clinical factors. When social factors underpin health problems, social solutions are often more effective than medical ones.
In a social prescribing system:
1. A health professional (GP, practice nurse, allied health) identifies that a patient's health is affected by social factors
2. The patient is referred to a community link worker (sometimes called a social prescribing coordinator, health-community connector, or wellbeing coordinator)
3. The link worker has a conversation with the patient about what matters to them — their interests, needs, strengths, and goals
4. The link worker connects the patient to appropriate community activities, groups, or services
5. The link worker may follow up to support sustained engagement
Social prescribing is not appropriate for everyone — people in crisis or with complex clinical needs require clinical care. But for the significant proportion of primary care appointments driven by loneliness, anxiety, stress, and social isolation, social prescribing is often more effective.
International evidence (particularly from the UK, where social prescribing is most developed) consistently shows social prescribing:
- Reduces GP appointment demand (typically 20-50% reduction for participating patients)
- Improves wellbeing, mental health, and social connection
- Improves management of chronic conditions (through connection to exercise, healthy eating, and peer support)
- Is cost-effective: the cost of link workers is typically offset by reduced primary care demand within 12-18 months
New Zealand evidence is growing — Te Whatu Ora and PHOs have piloted social prescribing in multiple regions, and the evidence from these pilots is informing national scale-up.
Te Whatu Ora commissioning
Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) is increasingly commissioning social prescribing through Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) and Community Health Coordinators. The national social prescribing expansion — announced in 2023-24 — is placing community link workers in GP practices across the country.
PHO initiatives
Several PHOs have developed social prescribing programmes ahead of national scale-up:
- ProCare (Auckland): Well Homes, social prescribing for housing-related health
- Compass Health (Wellington): social prescribing pilot
- South Canterbury DHB: social prescribing as part of integrated care
Arts and health organisations
Arts and health organisations — which operate at the intersection of creative practice and wellbeing — are natural social prescribing partners. Music therapy, visual art, creative writing, and dance programmes are frequently prescribed through social prescribing systems.
Government funding
Social prescribing is being funded through:
- Te Whatu Ora's primary care innovation funding
- Mental health and addiction commissioning (link workers for people with mild mental health needs)
- Social sector investment (MSD and other agencies as social prescribing intersects with housing, employment, and social connection)
Gaming trust grants
Gaming trusts fund community organisations that become social prescribing destinations — exercise groups, arts programmes, community gardens, men's sheds, and other community activities that GPs and link workers refer to. The infrastructure of community activities that social prescribing connects people to is substantially funded by gaming trusts.
Philanthropic investment
Several New Zealand foundations are investing in social prescribing:
- Health-focused foundations investing in primary care transformation
- Community foundations investing in community activities that serve as prescribing destinations
- Arts and health organisations funded for both arts delivery and health impact
Community link workers: the core infrastructure of social prescribing. Funding link worker positions — particularly in high-deprivation areas and with Māori and Pacific communities — is the highest-priority investment.
Community activity infrastructure: social prescribing only works if there are high-quality community activities to refer to. Exercise groups, arts programmes, men's sheds, nature-based programmes, and community gardens need sustained funding to remain accessible.
Cultural adaptation: social prescribing approaches designed for mainstream populations don't automatically work for Māori, Pacific, or CALD communities. Funding culturally adapted social prescribing — with link workers who share communities' cultural backgrounds and refer to culturally relevant activities — is important.
Evaluation: the New Zealand evidence base for social prescribing is still developing. Funding for robust evaluation — capturing health outcomes, wellbeing, and cost-effectiveness — strengthens the case for continued investment.
Workforce development: link workers need training, supervision, and professional development. Funding for link worker training programmes and community of practice builds workforce capability.
Social prescribing aligns well with Māori health models — particularly the holistic understanding of hauora (wellbeing) that encompasses taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing), taha hinengaro (mental wellbeing), taha tinana (physical wellbeing), and taha whānau (family wellbeing). Social prescribing, properly adapted for Māori, connects to the marae, the whānau, and the cultural practices that sustain Māori wellbeing.
Kaupapa Māori social prescribing — designed by Māori for Māori — is an emerging area with significant potential. Funding for Māori-led social prescribing programmes is a priority for Māori health funders.
Tahua's grants management platform supports social prescribing programmes, PHOs, and health-community partnerships — with referral pathway management, community resource directories, outcome tracking, and the tools that help funders measure the health and social impact of social prescribing investment.