The New Zealand Hospital Engineers Association was formed in 1936 and was one of the early members of The International Federation of Hospital Engineering. The Association was renamed The New Zealand Institute of Health Estate and Engineering Management in 1991 and in 2009 it has opted to change again to better reflect the current disciplines represented by the institute. The New Zealand Institute of Healthcare Engineering (NZIHE) was selected as the organisational name that better reflected the nature of work being undertaken by Engineers within New Zealand's Health Sector.
The Institute has, for many years, maintained close links with The Institute of Hospital Engineers Australia with Engineers from both sides of the Tasman participating in the ANZEX exchange scheme providing an excellent foundation for ongoing information exchange.
Membership of the Institute is open to the many people who are involved in the technical aspects of Estate and Engineering in the Health Service.