Health Coalition Aotearoa
1. Business / Trading Name: Health Coalition Aotearoa Incorporated
2. Company Number: Data Not Found (HCA is an Incorporated Society without a standard company registration number)
3. NZBN: 9429047486669 (as listed on the Incorporated Societies Register)
4. Entity Type: Incorporated Society and Registered Charity
5. Business Classification: Public health advocacy (Non-profit)
6. Industry Category: Health Promotion / Public Health
7. Year Founded: 2018 (coalition established May 2018; charity registered 2019)
8. Addresses: Postal: School of Population Health (Attn: Prof. Boyd Swinburn), Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142. Street: School of Population Health, 22-30 Park Ave, Grafton, Auckland 1023
9. Website URL:
https://www.healthcoalition.org.nz
10. LinkedIn URL: https://nz.linkedin.com/company/health-coalition-aotearoa
11. Company Hub NZ URL: Data Not Found (no dedicated profile on Company Hub or similar business directory)
12. NZ Companies Office URL: https://app.businessregisters.govt.nz/sber-businesses/viewInstance/view.html?id=229a78e05307b6d8bf1b29667f00cb17f98786a403eab8c1&_timestamp=1095539487071743 (incorporated societies register)
13. Social Media URLs: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/people/Health-Coalition-Aotearoa/100093037767873/; Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/healthcoalitionaotearoa; Twitter (X) – https://twitter.com/HealthCoA; YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@HealthCoAotearoa
14. Ultimate Holding Company: None (independent not-for-profit society; not owned by any parent entity)
15. Key Shareholders: Not applicable (no shareholding; governed by members under society structure)
16. Leadership: Governance: Professor Boyd Swinburn (Co-Chair) ; Professor Lisa Te Morenga (Co-Chair) ; Grant Berghan (Board Member) ; David Galler (Board Member) ; Dr. Jacinta Fa’alili-Fidow (Board Member) ; Sally Liggins (Board Member) ; Jason Alexander (Board Member) ; Kristen Maynard (Board Member). Management: Faye Langdon (Acting Executive Director) ; Emma Williams (Communications Lead) ; Danica Ludlow (Operations & Projects Coordinator).
17. Staff: 2–10 employees (small team). Current staff include the Acting Executive Director and specialists in communications and operations.
18. Staff with Previous Government Roles: Data Not Found (No publicly documented former ministerial or MP roles. Several leaders have served on government advisory panels or in public health service positions – e.g. board members are academics and health sector professionals often consulted by government.)
19. Past Employees: Data Not Found (Past staff not publicly listed. Leadership positions have seen changes – e.g. Jacinta Fa’alili-Fidow formerly Executive Director, now on board.)
20. Clients: Not applicable (HCA does not operate as a consultancy; it serves member organisations and public interest, not fee-paying clients)
21. Industries/Sectors Represented: Primarily public health, including tobacco control, alcohol harm reduction, nutrition/food policy, and broader health equity sectors. Member organisations span health NGOs, consumer groups, and academic institutions in these fields.
22. Publicly Disclosed Engagements: HCA routinely publishes its policy submissions and open letters (e.g. submission to Smokefree Environments Amendment Bill ). It spearheaded an open letter signed by 100+ health organisations supporting Smokefree 2025 measures. The co-chairs and experts often appear in parliamentary consultations and press releases (e.g. meeting with the Health Minister in 2024 ; presenting at select committee hearings on health bills ). However, formal lobbying meetings are only known via government disclosures (a 2024 Ministry aide-memoire noted HCA’s requested meeting with the Minister).
23. Affiliations: HCA is an umbrella coalition of dozens of health-related organisations in New Zealand. It works alongside groups like the Child Poverty Action Group and education unions on overlapping issues (e.g. joint open letters on child nutrition initiatives). Internationally, HCA aligns with global public health networks (its leaders engage with WHO and global health initiatives) – though no formal international parent body, it shares goals with bodies like the Framework Convention Alliance on tobacco control (through member experts).
24. Sponsorships / Collaborations: Major funding comes from philanthropic foundations rather than corporate sponsors. Key grant-makers include Jasmine Social Investments, MAS Foundation, Jester Foundation, Mills Foundation, and Gama Foundation. Collaboration-wise, HCA partners with academic institutions for research (many board members are university researchers), and with Māori and Pacific health organisations (e.g. Moana Connect, Hāpai Te Hauora) which are represented on its board. It has also collaborated with democracy advocacy groups on lobbying transparency reforms.
25. Events (held or organised): HCA has convened national health forums and political briefings. It launched at Parliament in 2018 with a high-profile event alongside the Minister of Health. It holds annual meetings and conferences bringing together health experts – for example, an HCA Conference in September 2024 where health professionals confronted the Associate Health Minister over smoking policy. During the 2020 election, HCA hosted a virtual “Political e-Forum” on public health policy. It also organizes webinars and workshops (e.g. on vaping harms, healthy food policies) for members and the public.
26. Political Donations: None disclosed as an organisation. HCA is a registered charity and does not donate to political parties or candidates. (No records of donations in Electoral Commission filings; its advocacy is through policy influence, not campaign contributions.)
27. Controversies: HCA has been embroiled in debates over “nanny state” policies. Industry-aligned critics have accused HCA-backed measures (like the Smokefree generation ban) of overreach. The coalition’s influence on government policy has drawn fire from libertarian and industry groups – for example, the ACT Party denounced the Smokefree law HCA championed as “nanny-state prohibition”. In late 2023, HCA publicly clashed with Associate Health Minister Casey Costello, accusing her of “pro-tobacco industry” decisions and calling for her removal. HCA’s outspoken criticism of the new government’s rollback of public health measures stirred political pushback, highlighting tensions between the coalition and current ministers. No scandals regarding HCA’s internal operations or finances are known; criticism centers on policy positions and its lobbying role.
28. Other Information of Note: HCA’s governance includes eminent public health figures: for instance, Co-Chair Prof. Boyd Swinburn is a globally recognized obesity prevention expert, and board advisor Prof. Sally Casswell is a leading alcohol policy researcher. The coalition maintains a strict conflict-of-interest policy – individuals or organisations with ties to tobacco, alcohol, or unhealthy food industries are excluded from membership to protect HCA’s integrity. HCA actively campaigns to reform New Zealand’s lobbying laws (“Level the Lobbying Playing Field” campaign), demonstrating unusual self-awareness for an advocacy group in seeking greater transparency rules that would also apply to itself. The coalition’s rapid growth (from ~45 founding member organisations to a broad alliance) and its role in shaping high-profile policies have made it a notable new actor in Wellington’s political landscape.
29. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: Data Not Found. There is no public record of HCA receiving the COVID-19 wage subsidy (likely due to its funding model and continued donor support during the pandemic). Its name does not appear in official wage subsidy recipient lists, suggesting HCA did not claim this subsidy.
Sources:
• Charities Services – Charity Summary for Health Coalition Aotearoa Incorporated (CC56881), Department of Internal Affairs, https://register.charities.govt.nz/Charity/CC56881
• NZ faces a daunting health gap. Damned if we’re going to sit and watch it grow, The Spinoff (Politics), https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/07-11-2018/nz-faces-a-daunting-health-gap-this-new-expert-group-is-determined-to-close-it
• Unashamedly political: How GPs can lobby with the best, New Zealand Doctor (NZDoctor.co.nz), https://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/article/news/summer-hiatus/unashamedly-political-how-gps-can-lobby-best
• New health group set up to tackle much-needed health prevention measures – launches today at Parliament, Scoop News, 8 Nov 2018 (Press Release: HCA via Hāpai Te Hauora), https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1811/S00027/new-health-group-set-up.htm
• Aide-Memoire: Meeting with Health Coalition Aotearoa (H2024039246), Ministry of Health (Proactively released document, 2024), via health.govt.nz
• Health Coalition Aotearoa | LinkedIn – About us, LinkedIn profile, https://nz.linkedin.com/company/health-coalition-aotearoa
• Our Donors – Health Coalition Aotearoa, healthcoalition.org.nz, https://www.healthcoalition.org.nz/our-donors/
• MAS Foundation Grant Stories – Health Coalition Aotearoa Incorporated, MAS Foundation (foundation.mas.co.nz), grant description excerpt
• All DHBs Sign Open Letter In Support Of Smokefree 2025 Action Plan, Scoop News, 8 Nov 2021 (Press Release: HCA), https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2111/S00009
• Health Coalition Aotearoa Supports DHB Heads – Alcohol Policy Has Failed, Scoop News, 28 Sep 2021 (Press Release: HCA), https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2109/S00114
• Fast-food ‘Covid-washing’ in Action – HCA Board Chair Prof. Boyd Swinburn comments, Scoop News, 23 Sep 2021 (Press Release: HCA), https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2109/S00102
• Media Release: Voluntary code will not protect us from harmful alcohol marketing, Health Coalition Aotearoa, 16 Dec 2020, via Scoop (Press Release), https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2012/S00136
• Charity Annual Return Summary – Health Coalition Aotearoa (2024), Charities Register (open data), Financial Information, https://register.charities.govt.nz/Charity/CC56881
• Health Coalition Aotearoa said new smokefree law is culmination of decades of advocacy, PBS NewsHour / AP News, 13 Dec 2022, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/new-zealand-passes-lifetime-ban-on-youth-buying-cigarettes
• Luxon must stand Costello down and reverse tobacco tax cut decision, Health Coalition Aotearoa News (by Danica Ludlow), 2 Oct 2024, https://www.healthcoalition.org.nz/luxon-must-stand-costello-down-and-reverse-tobacco-tax-cut-decision/
• Casey Costello tobacco excise possibly a mistake – PM Luxon, RNZ News, 30 Jan 2024, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/507909/
• The lobbyists, the minister, and the mystery document, RNZ – The Detail (analysis by Alexia Russell), 26 Sep 2024, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/529045/
• Rising toxicity in NZ politics (Bryce Edwards), The Democracy Project at The Integrity Institute (Substack), 17 Nov 2023, https://democracyproject.substack.com/p/rising-toxicity-in-nz-politics
• Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp? (Bryce Edwards), chrislynchmedia.com, 21 Feb 2023, https://www.chrislynchmedia.com/bryce-edwards-who-will-drain-wellingtons-lobbying-swamp/
• Bryce Edwards: Luxon needs to raise standards in the Beehive, Evening Report, 31 Jan 2024, https://eveningreport.nz/2024/01/31/bryce-edwards-analysis-luxon-needs-to-raise-standards-in-the-beehive/
• Trust Democracy – Feedback on HCA’s lobbying regulation paper, Trust Democracy (Max Rashbrooke), 9 Mar 2024, via trustdemocracy.nz (PDF)
• Opinion: HCA defends free school lunches programme (Lisa Te Morenga), NZ Herald, 28 Aug 2023, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/opinion-health-coalition-aotearoa-defends-free-school-lunches-programme/VV4VUSR4IJDG5ACQ6EP6XEWS2Q/
• Child poverty and free lunches: Talbot Mills poll for HCA, NZ Herald (referenced in above op-ed), Aug 2023
• Health Coalition Aotearoa Submissions & Resources, healthcoalition.org.nz, https://www.healthcoalition.org.nz/resources/ (e.g. Smokefree Bill submission, 2024)
• Health Coalition Aotearoa (Facebook and Twitter profiles), Facebook.com and Twitter.com/@HealthCoA
• Hāpai Te Hauora contract roles (tobacco, gambling), Hāpai Te Hauora, https://hapai.co.nz (and CAB directory)
• ACT Party on Smokefree bill – “nanny-state prohibition”, Parliamentary Debate excerpts (ACT MP B. van Velden), 13 Dec 2022, via PBS/AP, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/new-zealand-passes-lifetime-ban-on-youth-buying-cigarettes (see lines on ACT opposition)
• Talbot Mills Research – polling on Ka Ora Ka Ako (summary referenced by HCA), via NZHerald op-ed above.
Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz