Hon Karen Chhour
Minister for Children

Trained Oranga Tamariki staff will shortly be able to administer life-saving medicines, in a common sense move that will also allow young people to access the services of Nurse Practitioners.

“Previously only a doctor or nurse could administer EpiPens and Glucagon Pen Kits, and if there wasn’t a doctor or nurse at the residence when a young person had a severe medical reaction, staff in the room were unable to respond,’ says Minister Chhour.

“This put young people at serious risk, it is unconscionable and defies common sense, we could not let that continue.

“Trained staff will shortly be authorised to administer emergency injectable medications in residences and potentially save lives.”

The changes introduced include:

• Trained and authorised residence workers will be allowed to use emergency injectable medications to save the life of a young person experiencing a medical emergency.
• The types of approved emergency injectable medications will begin with EpiPens and Glucagon Pen Kits, while new emergency injectable medications can be approved for use in the future.
• EpiPens may be administered without a prescription to enable access to this emergency medication when a young person may have an unknown allergy.
• Young people can access the services of Nurse Practitioners, while maintaining the right for young people to access a Medical Practitioner if they prefer.
• Young people will also have access to prescribed medications from authorised prescribers.

“We expect these changes to come into effect by mid-2026 and Oranga Tamariki will be working closely with residence staff to ensure they are well-trained and confident in their ability to use these medicines in an emergency situation,” says Minister Chhour.

Training and authorisation for staff will start shortly, beginning with EpiPen use. Annual refresher training will follow.

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