Health Technology Evaluation Pathway and Investment Plan to modernise fragmented tech landscape

NEWS  - eHealthNews editor Rebecca McBeth

A new Health Technology Evaluation Pathway and Health Technology Investment Plan aim to bring consistency and transparency to how new medical technologies are assessed and funded in New Zealand’s health system, the health minister says. 

Speaking at the Medical Technology Association of New Zealand (MTANZ) HealthTech Week 2026 conference, Simeon Brown said Health New Zealand manages around 350,000 pieces of clinical equipment nationally, with an estimated replacement value of approximately $3 billion.

Around a quarter of this clinical equipment is already beyond its recommended lifespan and much of it is unconnected.

He said the new evaluation pathway and investment plan are designed to work together to address gaps in how the country evaluates and adopts new health technologies.

"Health technologies continue to emerge with frequent requests for new technologies to be publicly funded," Brown said. 

"At the same time, obsolete technologies and outdated clinical practices can persist, while uneven access across the country means some communities miss out entirely."

Jason Power, acting director of Planning Funding and Outcomes at Health NZ said the 10-year investment plan focuses on clinical equipment and devices and is being developed alongside Pharmac.

He said the pace of decision-making is not keeping up with how quickly the technology environment moves and a central goal of the plan is scaling proven technologies more quickly across the system. 

"We pilot, we trial, but how do we get scalability urgent and quickly?" Power asked.

Remote monitoring and telehealth also feature prominently in the plan, particularly for rural and hard-to-reach communities.

Power said Health New Zealand is encouraging industry to engage early in the process as the organisation wants to partner around emerging technologies.

Working groups are being established between Health New Zealand and Pharmac, with industry representatives expected to play a key role in shaping the new technology evaluation and funding framework.

Brown said the new Medical Products Bill, replacing the Medicines Act, will allow most devices to rely on approvals from overseas regulators to be approved in New Zealand.

The bill will also apply to some health software defined as ‘software as a medical device’, in a way that “supports rather than stifles innovation”, he said.

Image: Health Minister Simeon Brown

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