Health services in Canterbury are under pressure and Covid-19 exposure events are causing problems for Southland and Whangārei.
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Outpatient appointments are being postponed in Canterbury to free up health staff to work in acute care.
Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury interim director Peter Bramley said the measures were to alleviate the pressure on health services.
Dr Bramley said factors affecting the ability to provide care include high levels of acute respiratory illnesses and the high number of admissions to Christchurch Hospital.
There was also high demand at the emergency department, urgent care facilities and general practice.
An unprecedented number of staff were also sick.
Meanwhile, Southland Hospital has temporarily closed off all of its inpatient wards to visitors due to Covid-19 exposure events and capacity problems.
The Southern DHB said there had also been a significant increase in Covid-19 cases in the region.
All necessary steps were being taken to ensure patient and staff safety including closely monitoring patients for signs and symptoms of the disease.
Visiting was available on compassionate grounds by contacting the hospital.
In the North Island, a ward at Whangārei Hospital has been closed to visitors after patients tested positive for Covid-19.
Over 200 new cases had been reported daily in Northland this week.
Interim district director Tracey Schiebli said as soon as there was an increase in patients testing positive in the ward, it was closed to visitors.
She said prevention measures were in place to control the outbreak.
The closure was only temporary and was a common measure, she said.
Covid-19 numbers were forecast to continue to rise over the coming weeks.