Under section 152 of the Social Security Act 1964, the Director-General of Health is required to notify the maximum contribution that applies in each region for long-term aged residential care.

The maximum contribution is the maximum weekly amount (inclusive of GST) that a resident assessed as requiring long-term residential care (through a needs assessment and service coordination agency) is required to pay for contracted care services provided to them in the region in which their rest home or continuing care hospital is located.

The maximum contribution is the same for all residents regardless of the type of contracted care services they receive. It is equivalent to the rest home contract price applying to residential care facilities in each territorial local authority region.

The maximum contribution set by this New Zealand Gazette notice applies from 1 July 2015 and replaces the previous maximum contribution notice published in the New Zealand Gazette, 11 September 2014, No. 109, page 3035.

The daily GST exclusive contract price for rest home services has been increased by 0.7%, GST has been added and the result has been multiplied by seven to determine the new maximum contribution. The calculations are rounded to two decimal places at each step.

Copies of the maximum contribution amounts and other information about income and asset testing can be found on the Ministry of Health website at

www.health.govt.nz/our-work/life-stages/health-older-people/long-term-residential-care/maximum-contribution

Needs assessment and service coordination agencies, Specialised Processing Services, Work and Income of the Ministry of Social Development and residential care providers, will also be able to advise the maximum contributions applying in each region.

Dated at Wellington this 14th day of June 2015.

CHAI CHUAH, Director-General of Health.