Questions about New Zealand's health system in 2013, its 75th anniversary year.

New Zealand's health system turns 75 in September, 2013. This article suggests that it is a time for celebration but also reflection on whether we have achieved the aims of the 1938 Social Security Act which laid out a set of principles for health care delivery. The article looks at questions of access, equity and service integration. It outlines why the health system we have today is shaped the way it is, and asks whether we should recommit to the original 1938 aims or develop a new set of principles for our health system.