Insights from Co:Lab 2025

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth 

Telehealth helpful but no silver bullet for rural communities

The government is expanding the use of digital, telehealth and prevention services as part of future planning to enable care closer to home, Associate Health Minister (rural) Matt Doocey told the Co:Lab conference in Wellington on 23 October.

Doocey said that in rural areas there can be some hesitation when people are offered a digital solution because it can be seen as second rate, but once they experience it they realise its comparable and change their minds.

“I think digital and telehealth play an important part, but I would caution it is no silver bullet,” he told the audience. 

Health New Zealand is also setting up a Point-of-Care Testing Technical Advisory Group to support the rollout of diagnostic services in rural areas, to provide quicker diagnoses and treatment plans for patients in remote communities.

The group will advise on the National Pathology Clinical Framework and the National Urgent Care and After Hours framework launched earlier this year.

The framework includes $164 million funding over four years to boost urgent and after-hours care nationwide.

"By 2025, 98 percent of Kiwis will be able to access services within an hour's drive from home," Doocey told attendees.

"For many patients in rural communities, getting additional testing at the nearest hospital or lab might mean several hours of driving. In more urgent cases, it could require transfer via air ambulance.

"Pathology is recognised in Health New Zealand's health delivery plan as a core service for primary, community and hospital delivered care," Doocey said.

Health system faces challenges, not crises - Bloomfield

The challenges facing New Zealand's health system are not new or unique, former director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield says.

"I do not believe our health system is failing or broken, or that we are facing some sort of poly crisis," Bloomfield told the Co:Lab conference.

He said that many current issues, such as waiting lists and workforce shortages, have been around for decades, pointing to the Gibbs report from 1988 that highlighted similar concerns, including equity, access and waiting times for procedures.

Bloomfield, who is now chief executive of the New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Sciense, said New Zealand's health expenditure per capita is above the OECD average and that public funding for healthcare as a percentage of GDP has stayed relatively stable over the past 25 years.

He also said data shows improved retention rates for both New Zealand-trained doctors and international medical graduates over the past two decades.

He suggested adopting a 10-year planning approach, to help move away from three-year political cycle and talked about the importance of data-driven decision-making and engaging with healthcare staff.

"The people working in the system are smart, deeply committed and focused on finding solutions," Bloomfield said.

Wellness and new sources of health info

Social media and AI are reshaping where people get their health information from, says Jeremy O'Donnell, senior product manager at Awanui.

O'Donnell highlighted a growing trend where people create and consume health information independently of healthcare professionals and said this is fostering distrust in clinical judgements.

"Healthcare providers are increasingly seen as gatekeepers rather than trusted clinical advisors," O'Donnell told the Co:Lab audience.

He said people freely post about medical experiences and give advice on platforms like Reddit, Facebook, and Instagram, without any professional oversight. Many are also using AI chatbots such as ChatGPT for health recommendations.

O’Donnell spoke about the significant growth in the wellness industry, saying it operates under different funding models and objectives from the health sector. 

He said clinicians could broaden their wellness advice beyond basic recommendations and collaborate with wellness organisations to amplify their message and encourage referrals from wellness services back to the healthcare system.

Public and private sector collaboration fosters innovation

Public sector support is crucial in scaling Kiwi-grown healthcare innovation, says the chief executive of the Digital Health Association.

Stella Ward spoke at Co:Lab 2025 about her involvement in the development of Via Innovations, a business unit linked to the New Zealand Health Innovation Hub. This unit helps commercialise public sector intellectual property and builds partnerships between healthcare providers and tech companies.

“This created the opportunity for innovation and industry partnership: sometimes you need to be really close to the provider of a technology or the capability that you are using in order to continue to enhance its capability,” she said.

Canterbury has worked to bring together healthcare providers, educators and researchers to drive innovation in the sector.

Te Papa Hauora Health Precinct includes representatives from the University of Canterbury, University of Otago, Ara Institute of Canterbury, Health New Zealand and Ngāi Tahu with the aim of promoting research and innovation that benefits the community.

The Manawa building is the hub of the precinct and is "all about fostering connections”, she said.

“By bringing together people from various disciplines and parts of the health ecosystem, you create opportunities for innovative conversations and collaborations,” Ward told the lab conference.

Throughout the year, the building hosts public research presentations, conferences and innovation showcases, with attendance from students, healthcare professionals and the public.

Image : Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey

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