General media enquiries
You can contact your local district health board (DHB) communications unit or email news@ccdhb.org.nz.
After hours media enquiries
For urgent media enquiries, there is an after hours media line that operates between 7am and 10pm. The number is 04 806 2790.
General media enquiries, particularly those requesting data, will be handled during normal working hours. Please contact your local DHB communications unit or email news@ccdhb.org.nz if you have a general media enquiry.
Requests for patient interviews
We will check with the client’s clinical team that they are well enough to be interviewed. If the clinical team believe it is appropriate, we will pass on your interview request to the client or their parent or guardian.
It is up to the client or their parent or guardian to decide whether they want to be interviewed and to give their consent for any photos or videos taken.
Visiting MHAIDS sites
You must get approval from the communications unit before you visit MHAIDS sites for client or staff interviews, photographs or filming.
It is not enough to only get consent from the client, their parents or guardian or other organisations. We need to think of the safety and privacy of other clients and staff. There may also be other factors which could affect your visit such as infection control risks.
If you carry out interviews, filming or photography without permission from the communications unit, our security staff will ask you to leave the site immediately.
We are happy to provide you with images of our hospitals, staff and board members which are a suitable resolution for publication.
For more information refer to our policy on filming by external organisations.
Information about clients
We have a responsibility under the Health Information Privacy Code and Privacy Act to protect clients’ privacy. This means we cannot speak publicly about specific clients without their consent.
Written consent from a client, their legal guardian, or their legal representative must be obtained before we can consider whether to provide any client information to the media.
Even if written consent is provided, clinicians have the right to override any consent if they believe it is in the best interests of the client – taking into consideration client wellbeing and safety, privacy for other patients and other factors.
Download consent form as a PDF
Please contact the communications unit if you have questions about this.
