This document is for DHBs to use as appropriate to assist in the development of their 2016/17 Annual Plan including Statement of Intent (SOI) and Statement of Performance Expectations (SPE).

The Guidelines are a reference document to enable DHBs to meet their minimum legislative and Ministerial obligations when drafting their Annual Plans. Please note that these Guidelines include references to additional guidance and resources that will be useful when developing Annual Plans, such as the Planning Priorities for Annual Plans and Regional Service Plans 2016/17, which contains detailed guidance on the expectations for each planning priority.

Each DHB has a statutory responsibility to prepare:

• an Annual Plan for approval by the Minister of Health (Section 38 of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000) – providing accountability to the Minister of Health
• a Statement of Performance Expectations (Section 149C of the Crown Entities [CE]Act 2004 as amended by the Crown Entities Amendment Act 2013) – providing financial accountability to Parliament and the public annually
• a Statement of Intent (Section 139 of the CE Act) – providing accountability to Parliament and the public at least triennially.

In 2010 Cabinet determined that the above documents could be brought together into a single DHB Annual Plan with SOI and SPE, to be known as the ‘Annual Plan’. The SOI needs to be prepared and tabled in Parliament every three years. However, until otherwise notified, DHBs should prepare their Annual Plans as if they are required to table an SOI in 2016/17.  Whether an SOI is required will be confirmed in the Minister of Health's Letter of Expectations to DHBs and subsidiary entities, which should be sent in December 2015 (section 139A(1) of the CE Act).