Regional digital directors appointed

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth 

Four new regional digital directors have been appointed at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora to oversee the performance of digital services across their region.

Megan Milmine has been appointed in Northern | Te Tai Tokerau, Debbie Manktelow for Te Manawa Taki, Steve Miller for Central | Ikaroa and Kirsty Martin for Te Waipounamu, South Island.

These digital directors report to the executive regional directors who have recently been announced. They will have a dotted line to the chief information technology officer - and act as the interface into digital services.

A Health NZ spokesperson says digital directors play a pivotal role in overseeing the performance of digital services across their region, ensuring alignment with national priorities while responding to local needs. 

“Their work involves coordinating the implementation of digital programmes, fostering collaboration across teams, and ensuring consistent, high-quality service delivery. With deep regional knowledge and extensive experience in digital transformation,” the spokesperson says.

“As members of both the digital services and hospital & speciality services regional senior leadership teams (SLT), they contribute to national planning and governance, champion equity and inclusion in digital health, and lead large-scale change initiatives that improve outcomes for whānau and communities.” 

The final decision document for the organisation’s data and digital directorate says each regional director will have a service excellence manager and regional portfolio manager sitting underneath them.

“This role is responsible for defining and delivering a regional digital roadmap that ensures digital services support the evolving needs of the region,” the document says. 

It includes enabling the necessary investment to aid the successful delivery of the regional roadmap ensuring alignment between digital initiatives and regional business objectives.” 

Under the new structure of digital services at Health NZ, seven directors will be leading teams and reporting to the CITO. 

These are;  digital health service and design, clinical informatics, cybersecurity, digital delivery, digital operations, digital applications and products, and business services.

Darren Douglass is acting CITO and Jean Fleming is acting director digital health strategy and design.

Lara Hopley continues as chief clinical informatics officer, Sonny Taite as chief information security officer, James Allison as director digital operations and George Smith as director business services.

Sandrah Horsfall has been appointed as director digital delivery and Ed Falloon as director digital applications and products.

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