Tap a Health NZ district for what its scheme says about oxygen funding, cluster
headache eligibility, and who needs to refer you. Dots mark the gas suppliers'
own branches, agents and depots: tap one, or pick it from the list on a district's card,
for its address and driving directions.
Health NZ districts
Twenty districts, one card each, as at 12 October 2026.
Colour is the coarse state of the funded community oxygen route in that district,
read live from CHNZ's own outreach record so the map cannot drift from it.
Tap a district on the map to read its position, or a supplier dot for its address and directions.
Partly confirmed, no funded route established
Named referral route, funding holder not settled
Te Tai Tokerau (Northland)
Northland gave the first named referral route and the first named oxygen service. Whether neurology has to see the patient first is decided case by case. The primary-options acute-demand fund is the front door, not the funding holder: it pays for extended consultations where oxygen may be used, but oxygen is not claimable as a treatment in its own right, and the decision to use it sits with the treating practitioner.
Route as described to CHNZ: Respiratory specialist approval requested through the district eReferral system; a dedicated oxygen nursing service handles triage, supply and refills.
Gas supplier locations
Funded route confirmed
Answered: a GP can refer directly to community oxygen
Waitematā
Health NZ answered on 9 October 2026 under HNZ00209687. The Community Oxygen Service provides oxygen equipment for non-respiratory conditions, including cluster headache. Referrals are accepted from a GP, neurologist or other appropriate clinician, so a GP can refer directly, and the referral should include the prescribed flow rate. The treating clinician, typically a neurologist, determines clinical need and prescribes. There are no written eligibility criteria and no local cluster headache policy, HealthPathways note or referral form; referrals are handled case by case. This is one of the more open routes in the country, because a GP does not have to pass through a neurologist first.
Route as described to CHNZ: A GP, neurologist or other appropriate clinician refers to the Community Oxygen Service with the prescribed oxygen flow rate. The service arranges the equipment and the contracted supplier provides patient education.
Gas supplier locations
Funded route confirmed
Answered: neurologist-approved concentrator
Auckland (Te Toka Tumai)
Health NZ answered on 30 September 2026 (HNZ00209054), after the request reached its OIA team only on 14 September. Approval, prescribing and eligibility rest with a consultant neurologist. Supply is a 10 L/min oxygen concentrator and non-rebreather mask. No local policy, HealthPathways guidance or referral form exists for cluster headache beyond the Home Oxygen Service Specification and the TSANZ guideline. Counties Manukau, next door, supplies cylinders because the treatment needs high flow over short periods.
Route as described to CHNZ: GP after neurologist consultation, or a consultant neurologist directly, through the Home Oxygen Service.
Gas supplier locations
Funded route confirmed
Supported in writing, with patients on the service
Counties Manukau
The strongest district reply held anywhere in the country. Counties Manukau's community oxygen service states that community oxygen therapy for cluster headache can be supported, grounds that explicitly in the TSANZ oxygen guideline, and confirms the district currently supports a small number of cluster headache patients on oxygen. Supply is by cylinder rather than concentrator, because the treatment needs high flow over short periods. No Counties Manukau guideline or referral form exists solely for cluster headache oxygen.
Route as described to CHNZ: Referral through neurology assessment; the district community oxygen service supplies cylinders.
Gas supplier locations
District reports no funded route
Not funded for cluster headache
Waikato
Respiratory says community oxygen is not funded for cluster headache in Waikato, and previously suggested neurology apply for dedicated funding. Neurology says it has no access to oxygen and respiratory is the only possible supply route, but sees no problem with GP-arranged oxygen for an established, properly diagnosed patient with a known oxygen response; a new diagnosis still needs neurology to exclude migraine or another mimic. Waikato respiratory also set out the practical questions any national pathway has to answer: prescribing responsibility, contraindications, training, supervision and safety-netting, cylinder storage, transport, refills, procurement, and planning for time away from home.
Route as described to CHNZ: None funded. Respiratory is the only possible supply route and does not fund it.
Gas supplier locations
Funded route confirmed
Answered: funded, but gated behind a specialist
Lakes
Health NZ answered on 9 October 2026 under HNZ00209688, together with Bay of Plenty. Oxygen is funded and supplied, but a GP cannot go straight to it. GP referrals go through BPAC under General Medicine or Neurology, and that physician or neurologist refers on to Respiratory Physicians, who approve and prescribe. There are no written eligibility criteria, and cluster headache is not an indication in the district Home Oxygen Policy. The only service document identified is the Ministry of Health Community Oxygen Therapy service specification, which does not name cluster headache. BOC delivers one or two D cylinders and a regulator, with tubing, non-rebreather masks, consumables and training from the respiratory clinical nurse specialists, and can supply a new patient within 24 hours.
Route as described to CHNZ: A GP refers through BPAC under General Medicine or Neurology. The physician or neurologist then refers to Respiratory Physicians, who approve and prescribe. Clinical nurse specialists arrange BOC supply of one or two D cylinders delivering up to 15 L/min.
Gas supplier locations
Funded route confirmed
Answered: district nursing route, protocol names cluster headache
Bay of Plenty
Health NZ answered on 9 October 2026 under HNZ00209688, having acknowledged the 14 August request on 29 September under HNZ00209623. Bay of Plenty supplies oxygen through district nursing, prescribed by the referrer: with a diagnosis and prescription in hand, district nursing supplies high-flow intermittent oxygen. Its district nursing protocol, Oxygen Therapy Management of New District Nursing Patients (CPM.O2.11, version 5, October 2024), names cluster headache directly as a condition it manages, a rare case of a district protocol that does so. No other local document or standing process exists. The earlier acute-demand reply from the primary health organisation was a front door, not this funded route.
Route as described to CHNZ: Referral is through district nursing and is prescribed by the referrer. With a diagnosis and prescription, district nursing supplies the high-flow intermittent oxygen.
Gas supplier locations
District reports no funded route
No pathway, and the equipment cannot deliver the dose
Tairāwhiti
Health NZ's national release confirms Gisborne has no local guideline, pathway note, referral form or standing process for community oxygen and cluster headache, and cannot say whether neurology assessment is required first because no such referral has ever been made. The larger barrier is stated unprompted in the same release: district nursing's concentrators are not capable of delivering 100% oxygen and cannot provide flow rates of up to 15 L/min. That is an equipment barrier, not just an absent policy.
Route as described to CHNZ: A GP referral would be accepted, going to district nursing, but no such referral has ever been received.
Gas supplier locations
Funded route confirmed
Answered: Neurology confirms, Respiratory Service funds, BOC supplies cylinders
Taranaki
Health NZ response HNZ00207297, received 11 September 2026, answered the original Taranaki district item: referral is to Neurology for confirmation of cluster headache diagnosis, then the Respiratory Service approves and prescribes oxygen case by case. BOC supplies and delivers cylinders, regulator, tubing, non-rebreather mask, refills and consumables, billed to the hospital, and the Respiratory CNS trains the patient. Health NZ confirmed on 29 September 2026 NZDT that the later relocated request HNZ00207647 was answered within HNZ00207297, so Taranaki is fully answered and there is no open clock. Craig acknowledged and closed the mistaken chase on 29 September at 12:02pm.
Route as described to CHNZ: Neurology confirms diagnosis; Respiratory Service approves and prescribes case-by-case; BOC supplies cylinders, regulator, tubing, non-rebreather mask, refills and consumables; Respiratory CNS trains.
Gas supplier locations
Partly confirmed, no funded route established
The only district guideline that names cluster headache
Hawke's Bay (Te Matau a Māui)
Hawke's Bay owns the only New Zealand district community oxygen guideline with a cluster headache appendix. The service that owns it confirms the appendix was added because people were successfully using oxygen and no clear guidance existed, that it was compiled from available guidance, and that it was clinically reviewed and cleared. That establishes a written clinical basis. It is not the same thing as a confirmed funded supply route, which is why this district reads amber rather than green.
Route as described to CHNZ: Community oxygen therapy service, under a district guideline with a cluster headache appendix.
Gas supplier locations
District reports no funded route
No local supply route identified
Whanganui
Health NZ response HNZ00207297 found no Whanganui-specific referral route for funded intermittent high-flow community oxygen, no approval or prescribing information, no local eligibility or documentation requirements, and no equipment, refill, consumable, training or funding arrangement. The attached Whanganui and MidCentral HealthPathways page still lists acute cluster headache oxygen, so the gap is converting the clinical recommendation into a supply route.
Route as described to CHNZ: No Whanganui-specific funded community oxygen route identified.
Gas supplier locations
District reports no funded route
No local supply route identified
MidCentral
THINK Hauora's 31 July reply says local HealthPathways recognises high-flow oxygen clinically, but current MidCentral EPCC settings do not name cluster headache oxygen as a claimable condition or standalone EPCC-funded service. THINK Hauora also says it does not hold a separate funded home or community oxygen pathway for cluster headache. The actual MidCentral supply route remains unidentified and needs Health NZ commissioning or the usual specialist pathway to name the responsible owner.
Route as described to CHNZ: No MidCentral funded community oxygen route identified. THINK Hauora/EPCC is not the claimable or supply route.
Gas supplier locations
Partly confirmed, no funded route established
Working, but informal
Hutt Valley
Hutt Valley has a working but informal funded route, with around four people currently under the service; existing cases appear to have come directly from neurology. There is no formal cluster headache eligibility criterion of the kind long-term oxygen therapy has. It is an informal neurology assessment rather than a laboratory benchmark. No specific policy, pathway or form was found, only a small mention of cluster headache in the long-term oxygen policy.
Route as described to CHNZ: Neurologist approves and prescribes; community health sets up the cylinder account and delivery and supplies consumables; the patient arranges refills with the supplier.
Gas supplier locations
Funded route confirmed
Written policy, with the dose specified
Capital & Coast
Capital & Coast released the cluster headache section of its community oxygen policy in writing: diagnosis and the oxygen prescription must both be completed by a neurologist; oxygen at least 12 L/min through a reservoir mask for 15 minutes; and for episodic patients oxygen can be uplifted after four weeks clear of a bout, with emergency re-supply available given the recurrent nature of the condition. A GP can refer to community health, but without an oxygen prescription the service cannot supply. Delivery is before 9am the same day or 4pm the next.
Route as described to CHNZ: Neurology confirms the diagnosis and completes the prescription; respiratory signs off; community health supplies cylinders, tubing, training and refills and covers cylinder cost.
Gas supplier locations
No supplier branch, agent, depot or clinic in this area.
Funded route confirmed
Procedure released in full, and it contradicts itself on dose
Wairarapa
Health NZ's national release put out Wairarapa's community oxygen therapy procedure in full. It names cluster headache directly and is stricter than Health NZ's own national position, which requires only referral to respiratory services once the diagnosis is made. The equipment specified is capable: a size D cylinder with a regulator up to 15 L/min through a non-rebreather mask with reservoir bag. But the procedure contradicts itself on dose. Its clinical flow chart says at least 12 L/min for 15 minutes, while the patient-facing leaflet inside the same document says at least 6 to 12 L/min for 15 to 30 minutes. A 6 L/min floor sits below this procedure's own minimum and below international guidance.
Route as described to CHNZ: A neurologist must confirm the diagnosis and complete the oxygen prescription.
Gas supplier locations
Partly confirmed, no funded route established
GP to Neurology; equipment detail thin
Nelson Marlborough
Health NZ response HNZ00207297 answered Nelson Marlborough: GP referrals for funded intermittent high-flow community oxygen for cluster headache go to Neurology, which assesses, approves and prescribes where clinically appropriate. District Nursing supports delivery and ongoing management. The answer does not clearly list cylinder, regulator, tubing, non-rebreather mask, urgent delivery, refill or consumable details, so this is a partly confirmed route rather than a complete one.
Route as described to CHNZ: GP refers to Neurology; Neurology assesses, approves and prescribes; District Nursing supports delivery and ongoing management.
Gas supplier locations
Funded route confirmed
Domiciliary oxygen form route confirmed
Te Tai Poutini (West Coast)
Health NZ response HNZ00207297 confirmed West Coast uses the Domiciliary Oxygen Service Referral Form. A Health NZ neurologist or another clinician may refer with the form; a GP may refer to Neurology for non-acute assessment; referrals may also go through ERMS to a Respiratory Nurse Specialist. After prescription and safety checks, supply includes BOC cylinder access with regulator and three-monthly consumables. The answer also mentions concentrator setup, so the cylinder detail should be kept explicit when using it for cluster headache.
Route as described to CHNZ: Domiciliary Oxygen Service Referral Form; Health NZ neurologist or another clinician may refer; GP can refer to Neurology; Respiratory Nurse Specialist route available; BOC cylinders/regulator and three-month consumables supplied.
Gas supplier locations
Funded route confirmed
The national model
Waitaha (Canterbury)
Canterbury runs the service the rest of the country should be measured against. Coverage runs from Christchurch to Kaikōura, Oxford, Akaroa, Rakaia and the Darfield and Springfield area; Ashburton has its own nurse specialist. Two things in it still need raising: the referral form requires the patient to be refractory to other treatment, and it calls the condition "cluster migraines".
Route as described to CHNZ: Neurology requests it, a respiratory specialist prescribes, a clinical nurse specialist assesses and trains, consumables are supplied, refills go through the service, and there is an annual review.
Gas supplier locations
Funded route confirmed
Fully documented, prescribing tied to Canterbury
South Canterbury
South Canterbury is the one district whose picture is complete end to end. Eligibility follows Canterbury's criteria. District nursing supplies regulator, tubing and nasal prongs, funds refills, sets up the supplier account and handles cylinder exchange through hospital stores; referral to setup takes about 48 hours. The non-rebreather mask is not supplied by district nursing but can be provided by the cardio-respiratory clinical nurse specialist. There is no local cluster-headache-specific policy, pathway, referral form or standing process. The route works because Canterbury's does.
Route as described to CHNZ: General physicians prescribe in consultation with Canterbury neurology; district nursing processes the referral, arranges equipment, trains the patient and funds refills.
Gas supplier locations
Partly confirmed, no funded route established
Would support it; nothing written down
Southern
Southern covers both Dunedin and Southland as one district. Respiratory found no cluster-headache-specific guideline, pathway note, referral form or standing process, and no such referral has occurred. The indication is described as clearly valid, and Southern would support delivery where there is no ventilation contraindication. That is willingness without a documented route.
Route as described to CHNZ: Neurology referral preferred; a GP referral may be accepted where the diagnosis was established elsewhere. Supply would need cylinders, not a concentrator.
Not a funded supply point. Oxygen for cluster
headache runs through the Tairāwhiti route.
Written from the districts' own replies and from Health NZ official information
releases. Names, addresses and correspondence stay in the trust's private
outreach record: several correspondents have consented to nothing beyond
answering the question.
About the supplier dots
The dots are BOC and Air Liquide New Zealand locations from the companies'
public location finders. They mark where each company lists a branch, agent
or depot, not where a cluster headache patient can obtain funded oxygen.
Supply still runs through the district route described on the card.
Supagas publishes no New Zealand branch network at all, so the map carries BOC
and Air Liquide only.