The Counties Manukau District Health Board says it's aware of the major challenges it faces with increasing diabetes and associated health conditions.
Counties Manukau has 31,000 people with the condition - more than any other DHB.
Chief executive Geraint Martin told Parliament's health select committee the DHB's population is hard to reach, and type 2 diabetes is on the rise.
But Mr Martin says efforts to identify high users of its services and teach them how to manage the disease better at home are improving.