WORLD PATIENT SAFETY DAY 2026
Light It Orange for Patient Safety & Health System Safety!
For the first time Aotearoa Is lighting Up for World Patient Safety Day
17 September 2026 will be a little different in Aotearoa New Zealand
World Patient Safety Day is a Global Day of Recognition and action, established by the World Health Organization to bring patients, families, health workers, health leaders, policymakers and communities together around a shared goal: reducing avoidable harm in healthcare. It is marked internationally every year on 17 September.
This year, Aotearoa is not simply acknowledging the day. We are showing up!
Led by the Health Consumer Advocacy Alliance, Patient Voice Aotearoa and Kaitiaki Hauora, 2026 will see New Zealand's first nationwide coordinated, patient and whānau-led World Patient Safety Day campaign. And there is already real momentum behind it.
Health organisations, health workers, patients, whānau and communities are finding ways to take part. Some will wear orange. Others are making patient safety visible in their workplaces and communities. Organisations across the country are getting involved, and the campaign continues to grow.
Light It Orange!
On 17 September, landmarks across Aotearoa will be illuminated in orange, joining a global movement of landmarks, buildings and public spaces lighting up to demonstrate a shared commitment to safer healthcare.
Auckland's Sky Tower and landmarks in Wellington, Tauranga, Whangārei and Dunedin are already confirmed to take part, with more expected to join.
These lights will create powerful images, but the real story is the people behind them.
People whose lives have been changed by preventable harm. Patients and whānau who have had experiences they never expected to have. Health professionals who know that safer systems are possible. And decision-makers who have the opportunity to listen and act.
Click on the link to find out more