Core Schedule has successfully gone live with its integrated Roster to Pay solution at RHCNZ Medical Imaging Group, marking a major milestone in the partnership first announced earlier.

The rollout spans a national network of more than 73 clinics and over 1,400 active users now on Core Schedule, delivering a fully connected workforce solution across one of New Zealand’s most complex radiology environments.

The implementation brings together:

• Advanced rostering
• Seamless timesheeting
• Point-in-time award interpretation
• Real-time payroll integration via TimeFiler and PayGlobal into a single, unified platform.

This “Roster to Pay” model eliminates manual processes and disconnected systems, enabling real-time accuracy, improved compliance, and greater operational visibility across the organisation.

RHCNZ Chief Digital Officer Shayne Hunter said the go-live represents a significant step forward:

“This implementation gives us clarity, consistency, and confidence across our workforce processes. Moving to a fully connected roster to pay workflow ensures we can scale effectively while maintaining accuracy and control.”

“Having a connected roster to pay workflow removes friction and ensures accuracy where it matters most — at the point work is performed and interpreted.”

The solution integrates Core Schedule and TimeFiler into a best-of-breed ecosystem, supporting automated award interpretation, forward visibility of leave and entitlements, and accurate payroll outcomes aligned to real-time workforce activity.

Dr Stephen C. Pool, CEO and Founder of Core Schedule, said the go-live reinforces the company’s focus on delivering outcomes in complex healthcare environments:

“Going live at this scale is a significant achievement and reflects the strength of the partnership with RHCNZ. Radiology is one of the most operationally complex areas in healthcare, and connecting roster to pay with accuracy and confidence is where real value is created.”

“This milestone demonstrates what’s possible when rostering, compliance, and payroll are brought together into a single, connected system.”

With the platform now live, RHCNZ is positioned to benefit from improved workforce visibility, reduced administrative overhead, and a scalable foundation for future growth.

Source: Core Schedule media release

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Health New Zealand has implemented around 60 bots across the country, handling tasks ranging from patient referrals to HR processes and laboratory data transfers.

Parag Bhatnagar, product owner - Intelligent Automation, told Digital Health Week 2025 that the Health NZ team operates in startup mode but has evolved into a national capability. 

A number of bots are now working behind the scenes to automate routine administrative tasks, including two bots now operating in the emergency department (ED) at Middlemore.

He told attendees that the team's experience with ED bed cleaning automation revealed the complexities of implementing digital solutions in healthcare settings. 

The project was to automate bed cleaning requests after patient discharge, which involved nurses logging an electronic bed clean request into SmartPage, now automated.  The aim was to reduce the delay in time to release, increasing the turnover of a bed for the next patient.

However in this case the automation revealed a mismatch between system data and clinical reality as discharge records did not necessarily indicate that beds were ready for cleaning. 

"Just because a patient has been discharged that does not mean that it is available to clean. The bot obviously cannot know if a family's still present, if the isolation requirements have been met, if further room prep needs," Bhatnagar said.

The project also uncovered what Bhatnagar described as "invisible work". These are processes that existed but were not formally documented or owned by any specific department. For example, Emergency Department staff thought orderlies were responsible for certain aspects, while orderlies thought facilities management handled them.

An acute flow operation lead seconded to support the project helped to overcome these challenges by connecting the team with different ED wards and uncovering data quality issues.
What was estimated as a two-week project ultimately took six months to complete as they worked to refine the system.

"We did not want to just automate a process, we wanted to really build a system, and we co-built the system when we went live," Bhatnagar said at the conference in November 2025.

He told attendees it was important to not assume data tells the complete story, to look at infrastructure limitations before implementing automation, and ensure clear process ownership.

The team also learned that clinicians are more likely to trust automated systems that replicate existing processes.

"Clinicians generally will trust a bot if it does what has already been happening, so if you try to reinvent a process and say the tech is now going to drive it, it is probably going to fail," he said.

Hear more from Parag  Bhatnagar in our upcoming webinar – Bots on the frontline, April 22 12.30-1.30pm – register today.

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East Health Trust has developed more than 30 robotic process automation (RPA) bots to help address the growing administrative workload that can cause GPs to reduce clinical hours or retire early.

The Primary Health Organisation began developing the technology two and a half years ago after seeing administrative workload become a key factor in driving both newly qualified and experienced doctors away from general practice.

"The common feedback from clinicians was that the admin is what really causes them problems," says Daniel Calder, East Health Trust's clinical director. 

"Clinicians at all ranges of their career bring this up: from newly qualified GPs in interview situations to clinicians at the later part of their career saying it is one of the things that makes people want to retire."

The bots handle routine tasks including filing normal blood results, processing screening programme updates and managing hospital status notifications. Around 65 percent of East Health Trust's clinics are using them, covering 80 percent of enrolled patients.

Calder says the connectivity of healthcare systems has increased the administrative burden.

"It is not uncommon now during a consultation to do an electronic order for blood tests, an electronic order for radiology investigations, refer someone to a different specialty and perhaps arrange an ACC claim at the same time," he explains. 

"The clinician becomes part-time administrator as well as thinking with a clinical brain."

Richard Clapp, the PHO's programme specialist, says the volume of communication from hospitals can be a real challenge, with one bot dedicated solely to filtering status updates about patients progressing through the hospital system. 

A cardiovascular risk assessment bot identifies patients due for assessment and completes calculations using existing data warehouse information. It then automatically sends low-risk patients healthy lifestyle information and flags moderate and high-risk cases for nursing team review.

Blood result processing bots also handle thousands of laboratory results monthly, reviewing normal results against both standard ranges and historical values before filing them automatically. 

Calder says one of the most impactful bots works on referrals, filing routine acceptance notifications but alerting clinicians when they are declined or have advice from hospital colleagues.

He says that before implementing a new bot they test it in the clinic he works in and continue to audit its performance. 

Patients benefit by getting earlier access to  their results in the patient portal and GPs can focus more on direct clinical care.

Clapp says trust and confidence in the bots has built over time and clinics are now quick to adopt and ask when the next one is coming. 

“One of the key things that we have been able to achieve for our clinics is we have the Bots working across both indici and Medtech Evolution Practice Management Solutions," he says.

"The clinics that have a lot of bots running do not seem to have the same workforce churn, which is really positive.

"The bots do not get tired and they do not get bored - they just keep on going.”

Image: Daniel Calder, East Health Trust's clinical director

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Health New Zealand welcomes the decision by Public Service Association (PSA), members to ratify the Policy, Advisory, Knowledge, Specialists (PAKS) collective employment agreement.

Around 4,400 staff will benefit from a pay increase of 2.5 per cent in year one and another 2 per cent in year two.
 
The agreement also includes a $500 lump sum payment for employees covered by the agreement and increases in on call allowances and other after hour provisions.
 
This agreement is a positive outcome for PAKS staff, including those in Digital Services who play critical advisory and specialist roles for Health NZ and has been made possible by a strong commitment by the PSA to jointly reach settlement.
 
Following this ratification, around 20,000 of the Health NZ workforce is benefitting from new collective agreements with the recent successful ratifications of the Public and Mental Health Nurses,  PSA APHST, APEX Dietitians,  APEX Pharmacy and APEX Psychologists agreements.

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A new collective agreement covering more than 2,500 Te Whatu Ora Health NZ staff who are PSA members working in Policy, Advisory, Knowledge and Services (PAKS) roles has been ratified after an overwhelming positive vote.

The PAKS agreement covers those working in digital services, infrastructure, operations, communications, finance, people and capability, procurement, service design and planning, analytics and research, and policy.

"These workers perform vital roles that enable the public health system to keep delivering at a time when it is under significant strain from a lack of government funding, said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

The ratification was the result of 11 months of bargaining, including mediation and industrial action.

"As with the other health collectives ratified this year, the result for the PAKS workers is a testament to their resolve and resilience in the face of an unnecessarily protracted bargaining process and unrealistic initial offers," Fitzsimons said.

"To break the impasse these workers went on strike, many for the first time, during the Mega Strike on 23 October 2025 as well as a further strike in November. This settlement is a result of these workers standing together to take collective action."

Health workers covered by the collective will receive a pay increase of 2.5% effective 1 December 2025 with a further 2% from 7 December 2026. There is also an on-call allowance for IT-related employees and penal rates for workers required to work from Midnight on Friday to Midnight on Sunday.

Workers will each receive a $500 lump sum payment prorated for full time equivalent hours worked.

"While this ratification result is a step forward, major problems remain in our health system caused by the Government imposing job cuts on Health New Zealand and failing to fund our health system properly," Fitzsimons said.

"The cutting of 940 roles from the Health NZ Digital Services team between November 2024 and April 2025, has created clinical and operational risks that impact patient care because of the critical role IT plays in all aspects of health care from operating theatres to referrals, clinical test results and payroll.

The PAKS settlement, like the other health collective settlements, is an improvement on what was initially offered but doesn’t contain everything we wanted," said Fitzsimons.

"There is still a lot more work to do to improve working conditions in the public health system. The PSA will not stop fighting for the strong public healthcare system that both healthcare workers and everyday New Zealanders deserve.

"All political parties must commit to a properly funded public health system that ensures safe staffing levels, and delivers quality care for all New Zealanders, as well as pay equity for under-valued health workers," Fitzsimons said.

The other significant health collectives ratified in February covered:

• More than12,000 members working in Allied, Public Health, Scientific and Technical roles
• More than 3,500 members working as Mental Health Nurses, Public Health Nurses and Mental Health Assistants
  

The PSA represents more than 27,000 workers employed by Health NZ.

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The loss of digital services jobs at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora increases risks to patient care and willl hit rural hospitals hardest, an internal report reveals.

The organisation is actively recruiting into 200 vacancies in its digital services team and has contracted Datacom to support its IT help desk through to May 2026.

More than 600 roles were already vacant and not being filled at the organisation when it confirmed it would reduce the number of data and digital roles from around 2000 to 1460 in April last year.

At the time, the total number of employees in the department was 1412.

The report End user impact of digital change – consequences was prepared in April 2025 after being commissioned by Health NZ's Clinical Quality and Safety Committee (CQASC). It was obtained under OIA by the Public Service Assocation (PSA).

It says that ‘End User Impact of Digital Change assessments’ warned that smaller regional hospitals including Gisborne, New Plymouth, Whanganui, Masterton, Nelson, Greymouth and Rotorua were already under-resourced and geographically vulnerable before the cuts. 

In these areas, “the impact would be felt more keenly owing to the multiple roles conducted by some staff. A combination of single points of failure and inadequate wrap-around support," the report says.

The CQASC found the proposed cuts would increase "overall clinical and operational risks which will materially impact patient care and operational resilience".

Also that reducing digital delivery capability "may negatively impact Health NZ's ability to implement productivity and cost saving initiatives" needed to meet health targets.

It warns of longer wait times for clinicians seeking IT support, saying "delays in responding to issues and requests may lead to impacts on clinical care time or the ability to provide critical information."

Public Service Association National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says the report was "a crystal-clear warning that cutting the jobs of IT experts will increase risks to patients - and that was ignored by Health NZ in the headlong rush to make cuts ordered by the Government".

Health NZ's acting chief information technology officer Darren Douglass says the committee’s report identified that any reduction of that scale would carry risks if not actively managed.

"That is why targeted mitigations were built into the final proposal, including prioritising critical clinical systems, retaining additional operational support roles, strengthening regional digital leadership, and adding funded transition roles to support frontline services," he says.

Stuff reported in December that the organisation had contracted Datacom to help run its IT service desk until the end of January 2026. This contract has been extended through till 4 May 2026.

The report also reveals significant gaps in Business Continuity Plans nationwide, which ensure continuation of critical services during major system incidents or outages.

The PSA highlights recent IT outages as evidence of the risks, including an incident in January when clinicians across hospitals in Auckland and Northland were forced to use paper-based systems and whiteboards overnight.

Douglass says that as a large organisation with a significant number of different systems running in different parts of the country, Health NZ experiences technical issues from time to time. 

“Fortunately, the majority of incidents are resolved quickly.  We also have well-established contingencies in place to manage issues when they arise, to ensure patients continue to get the care they need,” he says.

The union is calling for the Government to immediately review funding for health digital services and IT infrastructure and commit to properly resourcing IT system upgrades and maintenance.

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There’s still time for Health NZ staff working in Digital Services – and in Policy, Advisory, Knowledge and Services roles – to join the PSA and receive member-only benefits included in a proposed collective agreement that covers their work.

Non-members have until 5pm Sunday 15 March to join the PSA to ensure they are covered by the proposed Policy, Advisory, Knowledge and Specialist (PAKS) workers collective agreement.

March 15 is the final day of voting by existing PSA members on whether to ratify the proposed PAKS collective agreement between the PSA and Health NZ.

Highlights of the proposed PAKS collective

The highlights of the new agreement, if it is ratified, include:

• Members would receive a pay increase of 2.5% effective 1 December 2025 with a further 2% from 7 December 2026. (Non-members would receive the pay increase from 6 April 2026).
• A transition payment to employees based on time in role, which could be significant for some workers. (The transition payments would be effective from 2 February 2026 for members, and from 6 April for non-members.). There are specific criteria on how time in role is defined.
• On call for IT related employees of $6/$8 per hour from 1 December 2025, increasing to $8/$10 per hour from 7 December 2026. (The on call would apply for non-member from 6 April.)
• A penal rate payment of time and a half for those required to work from midnight Friday to midnight Sunday.
• A new extended, clearer Coverage Clause.
• A process to move all employees to a unified pay system including ability to address pay disparities within teams.
• A lump sum payment of $500 to each HNZ worker in coverage (prorated on FTE).
• The term of the agreement is 1 December 2025 - 31 October 2027

Retaining pervious, better conditions

PSA members within coverage of the PAKS collective agreement who had entitlements that were/are better than what is provided in the new collective would retain those conditions as personal to holder. A process on how these will be recorded will be developed between HNZ and PSA following ratification.

Who is covered by the collective?

As well as Digital Services, the collective would cover those working in, communications, finance, infrastructure, operations, people and capability, procurement, service design and planning, analytics and research, and policy.

Join the PSA

Join the PSA here: https://www.psa.org.nz/join-the-psa

Source: PSA media release

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Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora staff are invited to apply for a range of secondment opportunities through to December 2026 with the Centre for Digital Modernisation of Health.

The centre plays a key role in delivering the Health Digital Investment Plan (HDIP) - turning national digital priorities into practical action that strengthens New Zealand’s health system and supports better outcomes for patients and clinicians.

More secondment opportunities are coming soon and will be advertised on the careers section of the Health NZ website as they become available.

Current secondment opportunities. The following roles are now open:

• Delivery Coordinator – Closing on 15 March
• Principal Finance Analyst – Closing on 15 March
• Clinical Informatics Director – Closing on 15 March

All roles link to the careers section of the Health NZ website and are open to current Health NZ staff on a fixed term secondment basis. The centre’s intranet page also includes FAQs and further information about how the Centre works, its leadership team, and how staff can get involved.

If you have any questions or would like further information, contact the centre at hdip_engagement@tewhatuora.govt.nz

Source: Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora media release

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New Zealand's 10-year Health Digital Investment Plan (HDIP) has workforce development as a central pillar, with modern platforms like Workday positioned to address staffing challenges through consolidated employee records and mobile-enabled self-service.

Workday New Zealand director Jonathan Brabant says the country has traditionally performed well in patient care outcomes compared to other developed nations.

"But we have seen a definite shift in the post-Covid years around workforce and starting to understand the direct correlation to patient outcomes and care through investment in your workforce," he explains.

He says the HDIP’s focus on implementing core digital platforms aligns with global trends, with health organisations investing in fewer, more interoperable systems that can support long-term innovation.

Modern AI agents can access multiple platforms and data sources, but this requires careful platform selection to avoid huge integration costs in the future.

"What platforms and what technology New Zealand chooses now will have a lasting impact for decades to come," Brabant says.

He describes a fundamental challenge facing Health New Zealand as the absence of a centralised employee record system.

"Within New Zealand there is not a central record of all the employees, where they work, their right to work, their certifications and their contracts," Brabant says. 

Creating a core record or ‘spine’ of employee information and transparency around national vacancies helps to keep staff within the organisation as they can see what opportunities are available around the country and what skills they need to apply.

"How can we develop our people within health if they have no visibility of the opportunities they have to either progress in the department where they sit or to relocate to a new geography?" he asks.

Workday's mobile-first approach puts HR functions directly into employees' pockets, enabling them to check pay slips, view leave balances and access career development resources from their mobile devices.

Brabant says international healthcare organisations implementing modern workforce platforms have achieved substantial financial returns alongside improved staff retention.

Advocate Health in the United States, with 150,000 employees, achieved a 44 percent reduction in time-to-fill positions after implementing Workday, equating to $100 million in cost savings.

The platform also has multiple languages, supporting New Zealand's diverse healthcare workforce in an employee’s preferred language.

“The technology empowers people,” Brabant says.

"Everything is in their pocket. It is all on one application, it is all secure, it is all configured for their role and their location.” 

Source: Workday media release

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In every conversation about the future of digital health, one question keeps resurfacing: do we have the right perspectives at our leadership tables to meet the challenges ahead? It is a deceptively simple question, yet the answer reveals a structural weakness that continues to shape how we design, govern and deliver health services in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Our system is complex, dynamic and deeply interdependent. It relies on people who bring different skills, worldviews and lived experiences. And yet, as my research into allied health systems leaders confirmed, our leadership structures still default to narrow, medico-centric models.  

Research shows that when we typically recruit from our wonderful colleagues in nursing and medicine, we are leaving out many potential leaders who bring a lens for community, consumer and systems thinking. This is not a small oversight; it is a systemic constraint that inhibits innovation, equity and digital transformation. 

The cost of homogeneity 

When leadership teams share similar professional backgrounds, they inevitably bring similar assumptions about what health is, how it should be delivered, and which problems matter most. This is not about capability; it is about perspective. A system designed primarily through a biomedical lens will naturally prioritise facility-based care, clinical throughput and traditional hierarchies. But the future we are moving toward: consumer-focused, community-based, digitally enabled, demands something different. 

My research identified many instances of allied health systems leaders aligned with this paradigm. Their perspectives, grounded in philosophy, professional practice and systems leadership, reflected consumer-focused outcomes, integrated service delivery and digitally enabled access. If that is true, and it is, then our leadership paradigm must evolve accordingly. We cannot build a digitally mature, equitable health system using the same leadership blueprint that shaped the past. 

Bias is not just unfair, it is inefficient 

One of the most striking findings from the research was the evidence of systemic bias in leadership development. Participants described being overlooked, underinvested in, or funnelled into roles that did not reflect or fully utilise their capabilities. The findings reflected such marginalisation is not just discriminatory, it is a waste of potential. 

That waste has consequences. When diverse professions, such as the scientific, technical and allied health, are excluded from leadership pathways, the system loses access to people who understand community need, interprofessional practice, and the realities of service delivery across the continuum of care. It also loses leaders who are fluent in integrated care and systems thinking for digital innovation and development, capabilities that are no longer optional. 

Three levers for change 

The research identified three practical areas where action is both possible and urgent: 

1. Validation 

We must normalise difference as a strength. Being different is a good thing; thinking differently and presenting alternate perspectives are positive benefits. Leadership identity needs to be nurtured early, visibly and intentionally across all professions. 

2. Development 

Leadership development cannot remain accidental, dependent on chance encounters, informal sponsorship or unspoken expectations. Equitable access to training, funding and structured pathways is essential if we want a leadership pipeline that reflects the breadth of our workforce. 

3. Endorsement 

Our governance frameworks must shift from credential-based gatekeeping to informed skills-based selection. Recruiting for capability rather than professional background is not radical; it is rational. It is also necessary if we want leadership teams that can navigate complexity rather than replicate legacy thinking. 

A Call to Courage 

None of this change will happen by accident. It requires courage from individuals willing to step into spaces not built for them, and from organisations willing to redesign those spaces entirely. It requires leaders who are future-focused, relational, digitally fluent and grounded in the realities of diverse communities. 

Most importantly, it requires each of us to examine our own influence. Leadership is a practice… we need to broaden the diversity of perspectives at the table, invite new voices, and embrace leaders who bring diverse thinking. 

The future of digital health will not be shaped by a single profession, discipline or worldview. It will be shaped by the collective intelligence of a system that finally recognises the value of its own diversity. 

And that future starts with us, today, choosing to lead differently. 

Acknowledgement and thanks go to Dr Karen Webster and Dr Nicola Kayes for their role in enabling this research. 

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In healthcare we love to say: "We are building the plane while it's flying." It's a badge of honour and a nod to the complexity of keeping a health system running while simultaneously trying to improve it. But there is an experience we have all felt before yet often avoid putting voice to, what happens when the plane is in a nosedive?

Picture this. You are on a plane and you are rocked by sudden turbulence. You exchange glances with the air crew. They look surprised. Then comes a bang and flames from the engine. Silence fills the cabin. The crew just stare at each other. That silence tells you something serious is going on. Now you hear them speak, blaming the engineers, the pilot, air traffic control, and finally each other. Everyone sits still, slowly accepting the inevitable.

This metaphor helps to illustrate Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s description of what can happen in organisations, a downward spiral that starts with a blow to an organisation's fortunes. The blow shakes its culture, causing cracks to appear. Blame begins, and communication stops. People naturally retreat into silos. Isolation entrenches trust breakdown and a sense of helplessness. Before long, the organisation has accepted this as the new, diminished normal.

If you have worked in healthcare, you have probably experienced this before.

Pulling up

When in freefall, a plane doesn't gently level itself out. It takes deliberate, sometimes drastic intervention: a leader making a decision and committing to a new heading. This purposeful act changes the momentum, empowers team members, and sparks new initiatives. The goal is not simply to arrest the decline, but to create an upward spiral - restoring people's confidence in themselves and in one another.

Kanter points to three interconnected drivers that make this possible: promoting trusted dialogue, sparking collaboration, and inspiring and empowering the people who do the work. Each of these deserves attention not as abstract principles but as practical commitments that leaders can act on today.

Promote trusted dialogue

When a team is spiralling, honest conversation is the first casualty. People stop saying what they think. Problems go unreported. Concerns are shared only in corridors and car parks.

Professor Amy Edmondson of Harvard Business School has spent decades studying this phenomenon through the lens of psychological safety,  the belief that your environment is safe enough to take interpersonal risks. This means that free, fair, and sometimes fierce discussion can be had without fear of punishment or humiliation. Its application in healthcare has shown it can reduce medical errors, improve team performance, and promote quality improvement. Two practices can make it possible. Situational humility - acknowledging what we don't yet know - and proactive inquiry: "We have never been in this exact situation before, so what should we look out for?" 

Dr Stephen Swensen, formerly of Mayo Clinic, extends this through to their approach to enterprise listening. Through systematic listening across their organisation, Mayo found that five leadership behaviours; appreciation, understanding, mentorship, transparency, and inclusion, are the most powerful determinants of staff wellbeing, even more than salary. At Mayo, this has been operationalised through democratically elected clinical leaders, cyclical term lengths, and a deliberate culture of listening and then acting. Leaders are empowered not only to ask, but to act on the question: "What makes for your best day at Mayo?"

Spark collaboration

The organisation chart is often pointed to as the place to understand how an organisation works, and a large assumption comes along for the ride, that structure equals collaboration. Everyone knows this does not actually tell you where the work gets done.

Professor Ingrid Nembhard of the Wharton School points out: "We have done many things structurally to improve quality... but have not seen the gains for the level of investment." Real activity does not happen through reporting lines alone. It happens through trusted informal connections and through the champions who bridge disconnected teams.

Leaders pulling out of a downward spiral need to find and support these influencers - the people who know everyone, who translate between departments, who make things happen despite the org chart. This means investing in leadership and relationships that drive coordination and treating human networks as infrastructure, just as critical as IT systems or care pathways.

In practice, this might mean mapping where collaboration actually happens rather than where it's supposed to, protecting time for cross-team connection, and recognising the informal leaders who hold networks together.

Inspire and empower

There is an assumption in healthcare that inspiration comes naturally, that because the work is inherently meaningful, people will find purpose in it. But in reality, measurement systems and administrative burden can actively drain that meaning from the work.

Dr Raj Behal of Amazon One Medical offers a useful reframe through Clayton Christensen's "jobs to be done" framework. Instead of assuming we know what motivates our teams, go and ask them: what is the job you are really trying to do? Health is a means to an end. A team member doesn't want to finish their discharge summary, they want time to provide the best care for their patients.

This opens a more honest conversation about how we approach measurement and success. Are our metrics capturing what matters to the people doing the work? Are they helping or hindering? As the saying goes, not everything you measure matters, and not everything that matters can be measured. 

When we align our systems with what teams are actually trying to achieve, we unlock a different kind of energy, one that comes from feeling that the organisation is working with you, not against you.

Back to our plane

The nosedive doesn't have to end in a crash, however recovery demands space for leaders to make deliberate decisions and to change the trajectory. It requires rebuilding trusted dialogue so people can speak honestly, investing in the human networks where collaboration actually happens, and creating the conditions where meaningful work can thrive.

Imagine looking across the cabin again. This time the crew are talking, clearly and calmly. Someone takes the controls with confidence. Others move to their positions with purpose. They have trained for this, they trust each other, and slowly, deliberately, the nose begins to lift.

That is the upward spiral, and it starts with a leader's decision to act.

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Healthcare and aged care organisations now have a genuine alternative for workforce management software, as Simplifi rapidly becomes the preferred solution for frontline industries across New Zealand. Built on a platform that has served over 2,300 organisations for the past decade, Simplifi has secured high-profile customers in the healthcare sector, including BeGroup, Tamahere Country Club, Omni Health Group, and Presbyterian Support Otago. 

A workforce management solution born out of industry demand 

For years, New Zealand healthcare and aged care providers struggled with overseas-owned enterprise solutions that failed to understand the intricacies of New Zealand employment law. These bloated, overcomplicated systems left organisations waiting weeks for support tickets to be resolved, often without actually solving the underlying problem. Managers were forced to create manual workarounds, while implementation processes stretched across several months and came with eye-watering price tags. 

Healthcare and aged care organisations were desperate for a solution that could handle MECA and MUCA requirements effectively, and they approached Simplifi to develop software specifically for New Zealand's frontline workforce challenges. 

The platform's foundation was laid over a decade ago by Director of IT Stephen Persson, who originally built StaffSync to connect schools with relief teachers. After significant product development work with major customers like Foodstuffs North Island, the technology evolved into Simplifi, launching as a standalone brand in early 2025 with a proven, robust platform purpose-built for complex rostering and compliance needs. 

Comprehensive functionality designed for frontline workforces 

Simplifi delivers end-to-end workforce management through an integrated platform that connects hardware and software seamlessly. Staff can clock in and out using kiosks or beacons that sync directly with the system, while the mobile app provides total visibility across their work life - from viewing job notifications and applying for shifts, to submitting leave requests, accessing payslips, updating profiles, managing work preferences, maintaining compliance details, and receiving employer messages. 

For managers, Simplifi offers complete control and visibility over workforce operations. They can view staff profiles, create rosters, manage casual staff pools, approve shift swaps, publish jobs, modify and approve timesheets, handle leave requests, verify compliance, and set up requirements with full visibility across their operations. The platform's comprehensive reporting suite includes casual staff reports, time and attendance tracking, total leave taken, location summaries, user efficiency metrics around timesheet management, public holiday checks, and exportable location manager report - all designed to give healthcare and aged care providers the insights they need to run operations smoothly. 

Over 1,500 organisations and counting 

Since its evolution from StaffSync, Simplifi has been adopted by more than 1,500 organisations across New Zealand, spanning early childhood education, retail, healthcare, and aged care sectors. The platform works best for organisations with over 100 staff members who face the daily challenge of managing casual workforces, complex award rules, and compliance requirements. 

Recent interest surged following Simplifi's presence at the ACA Conference in Christchurch in October, where the team experienced overwhelming demand from delegates seeking alternatives to paper-based systems and inadequate overseas solutions. 

"Many delegates at the conference explained they were still using paperwork to manage rosters," said Rhys Greensill, Managing Director at Simplifi. "There was significant interest in how our system can automate these processes while reducing operational and administrative time. What really resonated was that we're a New Zealand company with all our staff and customer support here in New Zealand. We have a product development roadmap based on what organisations actually need in a workforce management platform, and that customer-focused approach has been our key success factor." 

Continuously evolving to meet the needs of frontline industries 

Collaborating closely with healthcare and aged care providers has been the key to Simplifi's success. 
Multiple healthcare and aged care companies became early testers of Simplifi, and their feedback played a crucial role in shaping the product's most powerful feature: the payroll rules engine. This engine automates the logic that determines how, when, and how much to pay each person by applying the right rule to every timesheet, shift, and contract, ensuring payroll runs with perfect accuracy while meeting New Zealand's complex MECA and award requirements. 

Simplifi continues to build integrations with payroll providers based on customer requests, with the internal development team ready to create new connections as organisations need them. 
The company is also working on breakthrough functionality for 2026. Johann Schoonees, formerly Principal Scientist at Callaghan Innovation, has joined Simplifi as a consultant to help build an algorithm-based roster optimisation module that will be rolled out to existing customers in early 2026 for testing and feedback. 

"We have a product roadmap that's available upon request, and we're always keen to hear from customers and prospects about what they need," said Stephen Persson, Director of IT at Simplifi. "Customer needs drive our development priorities, and that's exactly how we've built a platform that truly works for New Zealand organisations." 

Local support meets seamless implementation 

The healthcare and aged care industries also demanded better customer support throughout deployment and daily use. Simplifi responded by establishing a real customer support team based , providing responsive assistance that understands New Zealand employment law and can resolve issues in hours, not weeks. 

Implementation has been transformed through Simplifi's discovery session process, where the team provides a clear implementation plan showing exactly how much work customers need to invest. Simplifi configures the platform for customers without requiring deep involvement from IT teams, receiving consistently positive feedback for not overloading internal resources. This streamlined approach means organisations can roll out Simplifi in weeks rather than the months required by legacy enterprise systems. 
The results speak for themselves: organisations using Simplifi for casual staff management see 90% of jobs filled via the platform, with more than 55% of positions filled within the first five minutes. Customers report 80% less time spent creating rosters and checking timesheets, alongside higher staff engagement and improved retention. 

With an exciting pipeline of new features launching in 2026, including the roster optimisation module, Simplifi remains committed to delivering even greater value to New Zealand's healthcare and aged care sectors in the year ahead. 

Learn more about Simplifi: www.simplifi.work

If you have any questions re the above feature article, please contact the editor Rebecca McBeth.

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Ryl Jensen

Ryl Jensen has joined Health New Zealand as a principal advisor, digital strategy and policy. 

In this role, she will provide senior-level advice and leadership on digital strategies and operational policies, helping to shape practical, evidence-based approaches that reflect the broader organisational, health sector, government, and technology context. 

She previously served as chief executive of the Digital Health Association NZ for over four years, where she was at the forefront of advocacy, worked closely with industry and government, and led sector-wide initiatives to advance digital health. 

Jensen holds a Master of Health from Victoria University of Wellington, with a thesis on digital health governance and is passionate about improving health outcomes through evidence-based digital innovation.

Garry Johnston

Garry Johnston has been appointed general manager of digital and innovation at Pinnacle, a Primary Health Care Organisation (PHO) as a member of their senior leadership team.

Johnston says he is delighted to join Pinnacle after nearly six years in senior leadership positions in the Waikato DHB and then Health NZ. 

“Pinnacle has a well deserved reputation as a values centred organisation that is deeply rooted in its mission of service to its community,” he says. 

“I am excited to continue my journey in health with them, working to accelerate the adoption of digital in primary and community care, with a specific focus on the adoption of AI and Agentic AI.”

Simon Kos 

Simon Kos has joined Heidi Health as global chief medical officer. In this key executive role he is responsible for clinical engagement, thought leadership, brand ambassadorship, product roadmap, and go-to-market enablement. 

Heidi is the most deployed ambient clinical AI solution globally, with 2 million notes processed weekly in 116 countries in 110 languages.

Kos is an AHPRA registered medical practitioner who practiced critical care medicine before embarking on a career in digital health. 

Prior roles over two decades include physician executive with Cerner, global chief medical officer of Microsoft based in Seattle, and CEO of Next Practice. He holds a MBBS and BSc(Med) from UNSW, an MBA from AGSM, and is Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Digital Health.

Kate Dowson

Kate Dowson has been appointed chief strategic growth and planning officer at Tāmaki Health, one of Aotearoa’s largest primary care providers. In this newly created role, she leads strategic planning, growth initiatives, and sector partnerships to strengthen access, sustainability, and outcomes across its nationwide network of clinics and services.

She brings extensive leadership experience across the health sector, most recently as group manager – system integration for Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, where she oversaw commissioning of primary and community services across the Northern Region. 

Dowson is passionate about advancing health equity, fostering innovation, and driving data-informed service improvement.

Brian More

Brian More recently joined Health NZ as a principal advisor, digital strategy and policy.

He is focused on advancing Health NZ’s Digital Investment Plan and shaping digital strategy across the health system and government. 

With senior leadership experience at Westpac, Telecom, Department of Internal Affairs, IBM, and NZ Transport Agency, More brings deep expertise in enterprise transformation. 

Motivated by his parents' health journeys, he is committed to improving outcomes through equitable, person-centred digital care and sees immense opportunity in cross-sector collaboration to unlock the potential of digital technologies for better health outcomes.

Sarah Sun 

Sarah Sun has joined PwC New Zealand as director, customer transformation, bringing rich experience in digital transformation, AI strategy, and ecosystem leadership across both public sector and industry. 

Named one of the Top 50 Global Government Innovators 2024, Sun has led national AI and emerging technology initiatives through roles at Callaghan Innovation and represents New Zealand in global AI standards development through the ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42 committee. 

At PwC, she champions an innovation mindset, combining strong AI governance with a spirit of experimentation and is passionate about helping organisations explore what is next while creating inclusive, future-ready solutions that make a real difference for people and communities.

Grant Anthony 

Grant Anthony has taken on the role of CIO and CISO at HEALWELL AI, where he leads a team providing technology and security services across the organisation.

Anthony and his team work closely with customers, partners, and external assurance entities to ensure that HEALWELL AI’s processes and systems operate effectively and remain compliant within the complex global regulatory landscape.

With a focus on AI, he is driving innovation and fostering collaboration across HEALWELL AI’s business units. He brings more than 17 years of experience designing, implementing, and leading IT programmes across North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

Rowena Woolgar 

Rowena Woolgar has commenced as director of Arise Consulting Ltd, an independent consultancy based in Christchurch. Now in its second year, Arise Consulting has delivered both local and national engagements, as well as supporting select international opportunities. 

As a dynamic fractional CTO, COO, delivery leader and AI implementation activist,  Woolgar partners with organisations to drive operational uplift, strengthen business systems, and deliver multi-year transformation initiatives. 

Previously an associate director at PwC New Zealand in the Hauora (Health) team, Woolgar continues to be engaged in digital health and disability inclusion, championing accessible, technology-driven solutions that foster equity, participation, and capability across Aotearoa.

 

Andrew Bowater 

Andrew Bowater has been appointed HEALWELL AI senior vice president people and culture whilst continuing in his current role as Orion Health vice president operations marketing and corporate affairs, based in Auckland. 

He joined the Orion Health team in 2021 as global vice president of public affairs, bringing with him strong experience across public, political and corporate communications.

In his role at Orion, Bowater has led global public affairs strategy, building strong stakeholder relationships, managing media presence, and safeguarding reputation.

 

Nick Loveridge-Easther

Nick Loveridge-Easther is a GP and now clinical director at Practice.AI. 

First and foremost a clinician, he believes a strong primary-care sector, with General Practice at its heart, is the foundation of high-quality healthcare in Aotearoa. He is committed to developing innovative models of care and responsible technologies that enhance the viability, efficiency, and quality of care for communities. 

At Practice.AI, Loveridge-Easther promotes the design of clinician-led, AI-powered tools grounded in safety, transparency, and robust clinical-governance oversight, ensuring technology empowers practitioners and strengthens the human connection at the centre of healthcare.

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Chief executive of the Digital Health Association (DHA) Ryl Jensen is stepping down and Stella Ward has been appointed into the role on a fractional basis.

Jensen led the DHA for four and a half years and says the decision to leave was incredibly hard 

“Leading the DHA has been the honour of a lifetime,” she said. 

“I am a better person for having had the chance to serve this incredible community, and I’ll always be grateful for the learnings and the opportunities I have been given.”

Jensen thanked the industry body’s members and team and said she was truly proud of that they have delivered together.

“One of the great joys of this role has been bringing government and industry closer together, finding common ground, building trust, and working side by side to shape the future of health,” she said. 

“I have also been extremely privileged to collaborate with colleagues and several of our counterparts across the globe, representing Aotearoa’s digital health voice on the international stage.”

Ward says she is excited and energised by the opportunity to lead the DHA during a pivotal time for New Zealand’s digital and data ecosystem. 

“Jensen made significant contributions to the Association, and I am excited to build on that strong foundation. I look forward to supporting our members in unlocking new commercial opportunities and driving innovation across the sector.” 

The DHA says Ward brings over a decade of executive leadership experience in health, technology, and innovation, with a strong track record of driving large-scale digital transformation, a DHA statement says. 

She has previously been chief digital officer at what was Canterbury and West Coast DHB, before being appointed the executive director government cloud programme at the Department of Internal Affairs and was then at Hewlett Packard for two years before becoming chief executive of Streamliners.

Ward says that at DHA, she looking forward to collaborating with other member organisations in the sector such as HINZ, MTANZ and TUANZ to support improvement of healthcare services

DHA chair, Tony Wai, describes Ward’s appointment as a major step forward for the organisation. 

“Her extensive commercial and leadership experience makes her an excellent addition to the DHA. Her vision and expertise will be vital as we tackle emerging challenges and create new pathways for our members.” 

HiNZ chief executive Scott Arrol says Jensen has been an outstanding leader and a tireless advocate for digital health in Aotearoa. 

“Her passion and collaborative spirit have left a lasting legacy,” he says. 

“HiNZ also warmly congratulates Ward on her appointment and looks forward to continuing the strong partnership between our organisations under her leadership at DHA."

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SECTOR UPDATE - Dr Dale Bramley, Health New Zealand Chief Executive

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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Movers and Shakers – June 2025

Gabe Rijpma

Gabe Rijpma has joined CardioNexus – Australia as chief executive.

Rijpma is a passionate technology leader with three decades dedicated to leveraging technology as a force for good across business and the public sector. His 20-year commitment to digital health has centred on innovative applications that enhance healthcare delivery and workflow. 

Previously chief executive of Aceso Health, he spent two decades at Microsoft shaping healthcare strategy across the Asia and Pacific region whilst holding technical and sales leadership roles in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. 

A globally recognised healthcare technology advocate and prolific speaker, Rijpma is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Digital Health, Founding Fellow of Health Informatics New Zealand, and active investor supporting healthcare innovation across the Asia-Pacific region.

Helen Fisher

Helen Fisher brings extensive expertise to her new role as general manager of digital, data and technology at ProCare.

With a strong foundation in healthcare, IT, sales, and change management, she leads transformative digital initiatives that align technology with business goals. Known for her strategic thinking and stakeholder engagement, Fisher drives innovation and performance across the organisation.

Having been with ProCare for more than eight years, she has contributed significantly to key strategic projects, demonstrating a deep understanding of general practice needs. Passionate about healthcare, she champions creativity, collaboration, and sustainable change, empowering teams to deliver meaningful outcomes.

Will Barnett 

Healthcare Compliance Solutions Limited (HCSL) has appointed Will Barnett as chief operating officer. With an MSc in economics and a global background in health technology and business leadership, Barnett brings both strategic insight and hands-on experience to the role. 

His career includes senior roles at Toniq, McKesson and Change Healthcare before founding Aceso Health to improve care coordination across New Zealand, which was successfully acquired at the end of 2024. 

A key figure behind 1CHART by Toniq, one of the country’s first digital medication platforms, Barnett now returns to the aged care sector to lead HCSL’s operational and product growth as well as expansion into Australia—supporting providers to reduce risk, save time, and strengthen compliance through smart, sector-led solutions.

Byron Phillips

Byron Phillips has joined Evolve Digital Health as senior consultant, digital health strategy and transformation.

With 28 years of experience in digital health, he has worked extensively across Australia and New Zealand supporting health systems to strengthen clinical adoption, align digital investment, and uplift organisational capability.

At Evolve, he is helping further expand and introduce their services throughout Australia and Aotearoa in support of improved digital literacy, and to coach the leaders and teams tasked with shaping eHealth strategy and delivering on digital health ambitions.

Having seen many professionals “fall into the industry,” Evolve’s commitment to building capability strongly appealed to him. Phillips is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Digital Health.

Niru Rajakumar 

Niru Rajakumar is the newly appointed chief executive of McCrae Tech Hospitals, bringing over a decade of digital health leadership across the Asia-Pacific region. 

Known for driving large-scale transformation programmes, Rajakumar is passionate about designing technology that actually works for healthcare workers and the people they care for. 

Formerly VP of Asia-Pacific at Orion Health, he has led high-performing teams, championed interoperability, and built trusted partnerships across Aotearoa, Australia, and South-East Asia. At McCrae Tech he is focused on uniting data, people, and purpose to build more connected, equitable healthcare systems. 

Rajakumar is also a newly appointed board member of HiNZ.

Carey Campbell 

Carey Campbell has been appointed clinical director, McCrae Tech after an 18-month stint at Orion Health. 

Her role as the voice of the user builds on her deep experience in both public and private health, including her clinical and professional leadership of designing and successfully implementing an electronic patient record that is used ‘every day for every patient’ in 18 NZ private surgical hospitals. 

Maintaining her strong nursing focus was a ‘must-have’ and McCrae Tech fully support her with her lead roles in Nurse Executives Aotearoa (NZ) and as the newly appointed chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Special Interest Group of HiNZ. 

Lucy Porter   

Lucy Porter is chief executive of Orchestral and board member at McCrae Tech.

She is leading Orchestral’s mission to unlock the power of tidy, AI-ready health data - this time AI-first, cloud-native, and ready out-of-the-box. 

Porter brings deep experience from Orion Health, where she worked at the intersection of product, people, and transformation, Her focus is building future-ready infrastructure to enable better outcomes for clinicians, funders, and the communities they serve.

Steven Parrish

Steven Parrish, has been appointed general manager, digital, technology and information at the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine’s (ACRRM).

In this newly created role, he will lead the strategic direction of ACRRM’s digital, technology and information functions, ensuring high-performing, fit-for-purpose solutions that support the College’s members and amplify its impact in rural, remote, and First Nations communities.

As part of the Executive Leadership Team, he will guide digital innovation, strengthen data-driven decision-making, and enhance service delivery across the organisation.

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Two Māori digital health leaders are the winners of the Public Sector category at the Ngā Tohu Matihiko | Matihiko Awards 2025.

Sonny Taite (Ngāi Te Rangi), National Chief Information Security Officer at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, was honoured with the Tōtara Award (established leader).

Jahminique Chivers (Ngāti Porou) received the Tipu Award (emergent leader) and leads Māori Data Governance at Te Tāhū Hauora | Health Quality & Safety Commission.

The Public Sector category, supported by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, acknowledges the impact of Māori kaimahi across the public sector.

Jon Herries, Group Manager Emerging Health Technologies at Health New Zealand, was also one of six finalists nominated in this category.

HiNZ chair and product manager at Karo, Kyle Forde, was a finalist in the Tōtara Innovator Award.

Darren Douglass, Chief Information Technology Officer, Health NZ, said Sonny Taite’s recognition as a Tōtara reflects his unwavering commitment to protecting the digital wellbeing of our health system.

“It is also fantastic to see Jon Herries recognised among the finalists, a true reflection of the strength of Māori leadership in digital across Health NZ.”

Chivers said in a LinkedIn post, "ngā mihi nui to everyone who has walked beside me, uplifted me, challenged me, held me this is not mine alone. This is for all of us."

The awards ceremony was held at Te Pae, Ōtautahi Christchurch

The final decision document for Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora data and digital directorate has been released to staff and includes the retention of 175 more roles than had been proposed. 

However, staff remain concerned about the impact of cuts on clinical outcomes and patient privacy, the country’s largest trade union says.

Sonny Taite, acting chief information technology officer, says that following feedback and consultation with staff, clinicians, and union representatives, the final structure will see 1460 roles retained nationally.

The restructure involves 610 roles being disestablished and staff given the opportunity to apply for 651 newly created roles. Another 447 roles will be disestablished and staff given a chance to be redeployed within the organisation.

As of November 2024, the FTE already included 678 vacancies. This  has risen to 758 and all of these roles will be disestablished.

"We currently have more roles available in the digital team than people, and we are committed to enabling as many staff as possible to be retained or redeployed into roles in this team and elsewhere in the organisation ,” he says.

Health NZ had proposed to slash data and digital roles by 47 percent, as part of efforts to save $100 million annually from the directorate’s budget.

The total number of disestablished roles is now 1815, including redeployments. Another 237 positions are 'transferring out', including those who have already moved into the data services team under Planning Funding and Outcomes (PFO).

The Public Service Association (PSA) Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi started litigation in the Employment Relations Authority about the original proposal saying it “overlooked or ignored the considerable increase in clinical risk which would follow the introduction of their proposals”.

Set down to be heard on April 22, 2025, it has since been halted.

Fleur Fitzsimons, national secretary for the PSA says the legal action resulted in 175 roles being added back into these teams and for contractor roles to be made available to employees whose jobs have been disestablished and want to be redeployed.

“The union's position is that no worker within data and digital should be compulsorily made redundant, and the employer needs to take a very active role in matching people's skills to roles in the new structure,” she tells eHealthNews.

She says the union will be monitoring this “very active redeployment process”, so that people who want to remain doing this important work within Health NZ can do so.

“There will still be significant loss of expertise and skills and experience from data and digital teams and hospitals all over New Zealand as a result of early exits and this change process, and that will come at a cost,” Fitzsimons says. 

"The cuts just go too deep and too wide if the Government expects to deliver the timely and quality patient care it’s promising New Zealanders."

She says staff are pleased that there are significantly more roles going into the structure than was the case prior to the litigation, but remain concerned about the impact of cuts on clinical outcomes and patient privacy. 

“There has been very strong support from clinicians for retention of these data and digital roles, and strong support for more staff in this area, not fewer, because clinicians know the desperate need to have good systems and good processes to make sure that patient information is stored correctly and can be accessed quickly,” Fitzsimons says.

The union also asked the Privacy Commissioner to investigate the planned cuts arguing that they threaten the security of sensitive patient data, but the request has been declined.

"The PSA remains deeply concerned that sensitive patient information will be at greater risk from cyber security breaches because of these cuts," she says. 

A HiNZ special report, published in February, details the potential impact of proposed funding cuts to digital health services, with respondents warning of significant consequences for patient care and the healthcare workforce. Read the report online.

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The Government is deliberately ignoring risks to patient safety and the security of sensitive information as it green lights damaging cuts to specialist IT health workers.

Health NZ Te Whatu Ora today confirmed deep cuts to the Data and Digital team, with impacted staff informed of their roles being disestablished and redeployment opportunities in the new structure.

"These cuts are dangerous - they threaten patient care and ignore the risks of sensitive patient information falling prey to cyber-attacks," said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association for Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

PSA legal action over the original restructure resulted in 175 roles being added back into the Data and Digital team, but there will still be a much smaller team with 758 vacant roles being disestablished.

"The cuts just go too deep and too wide if the Government expects to deliver the timely and quality patient care it’s promising New Zealanders.

"IT workers play a vital role in building a modern, secure and effective health system - ensuring clinicians can access patient records 24/7, maintaining ageing legacy systems, and integrating new nationwide IT systems.

"Now more than ever, Te Whatu Ora should be retaining a much larger workforce of highly skilled data and digital experts, but it’s bowing to pressure from the Government to slash numbers with little regard to consequences.

"We are seeing this reckless approach throughout the public sector and the price will be paid in the degrading of services New Zealanders need.

"The PSA remains deeply concerned that sensitive patient information will be at greater risk from cyber security breaches because of these cuts. We urge the Privacy Commissioner to reconsider his refusal to investigate these changes before they are set in concrete."

Source: PSA media release

Sector updates are provided by organisations to eHealthNews.nz and have not necessarily been edited or checked for accuracy. Any queries should be directed to the organisation issuing the release.

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I believe it is time to evolve the workforce model - from hands only to hybrid brains and bytes. This means rethinking the workforce funding model to accommodate Digital Full Time Equivalent (DFTE) employees.

In my clinical patient-facing role, I am a specialist dietitian treating refractory epilepsy children with Precision Medicalised Ketogenic Therapy (MKT), using a variety of medicalised ketogenic diets to reduce or eliminate seizures. 

This is a low-frequency, high-complexity, high-cost patient cohort. We are talking about 100s of seizures per day, a diet that can reach 90 perdcent fat content with very low carbohydrates and adequate protein to grow, and in most cases, measuring food ingredients to 0.1g. 

Ketogenics is complex for everyone involved and traditionally has an extremely high dietitian time burden.

Allocating tasks

I have been incredibly fortunate to have partnered with a fantastic colleague who is the Ketogenic Assistant. During the design of the ketogenic service, her Allied Health Assistant (AHA) role was also intentionally designed using Calderdale Framework principles.

The Calderdale Framework is an evidence-based workforce transformation tool. It uses a framework of defined Clinical Task Instructions (CTIs). Calderdale Framework uses a 3-stage training system of Taught, Modelled (simulated), and Competent (matching documented CTIs) before any tasks are allocated to another staff member. 

Governance including a fundamental ‘When to stop’ CTI excludes clinical tasks performed by untrained staff. So my keto assistant takes on a portfolio of tasks and allocated tasks. These include tracking when regular bloods are due, maintaining contact with patients to collect food and seizure records, managing admission tasks, and using tools to balance/exchange ingredients in meals and recipes. 

This frees up time for me, the practitioner, to work on top-of-scope tasks like fine-tuning individual patient keto prescriptions, and problem-solving acute medical events.

Available 24/7

I have another colleague who works with the AHA and me, who has similar ring-fenced tasks allocated, and there is governance to document and ensure the clinical safety of their tasks. 

Overseen by me as the registered practitioner, they help calculate patient-specific macronutrient food prescriptions for fat, protein, and carbohydrates, then split these into meals and snacks to create a daily meal plan. 

They also work for the AHA and sometimes directly with patients, balancing meals or recipes to patients' personal prescriptions, and give recipe options and guidance when a recipe does not balance. 

This work saves the whole team a lot of time and facilitates patients' participation in health care management. 

The amazing thing is this colleague is always available to everyone 24/7. They can work with everyone at once all over the country. They have one significant difference - let me introduce to you our digital team member.

Introducing DFTE

This experience has prompted me to write a white paper, ‘Introducing Digital-FTE into the NZ Health Environment - An alternative funding concept for a health system that requires more to be done with existing resources’. 

I am not exploring the ethical or philosophical questions around the considerable breadth of existing and future technology in the health sector, nor I am I specifically targeting any one technology such as AI. I am primarily questioning our funding model. 

Both my AHA and digital team member perform human tasks, just as I do. That is no disrespect to my AHA or myself; we have different skills. However, our digital team member is not any closer than we are to a laptop, monitor, or an electronic medical records platform. So why would it be funded like one? 

Here is the challenge to our thinking: why should we not fund digital solutions that perform human tasks from the workforce budget as a Digital Full Time Employee? Where there is unfilled human-FTE or business plans for new services, applying funding to DFTE, has great potential benefit for staff and patients.

A paradigm shift

In my Health New Zealand informatics consultant role, I have the privilege of working directly with staff on the ground across Canterbury and the West Coast to identify operational and clinical workflow challenges, codesign solutions and where needed implement digital solutions (hardware, software, data) to make life better and safer for both patients and staff. 

Difficulties exist, and it is fun and rewarding to contribute in such a real and impacting way. Colleagues probably see me as ‘techie’, but I’m primarily interested in what can be done with digital solutions. 

The computers, iPads, dashboards, EMR platforms, wearable tech, Software as a Medical Device (SaMDs), and AI tools do not exist for themselves; they exist to treat real live people and keep our staff safe. This same measure applies to DFTE. 

A paradigm shift to DFTE is possible now as this is not a futuristic concept; it is already happening. 

Recognising and reframing it as a workforce formally allows us to fund, manage, and scale qualifying health tech solutions as measurable, governable, and reliable team members. 

The potential is to contribute solutions to global health systems under strain while valuing our skilled clinicians and delivering better patient outcomes. 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, opinions or views of Health NZ Te Whatu Ora or any affiliated organisation, health services or employers.

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Another 64 proposed redundancies were announced by Callaghan Innovation today in its continued disestablishment as part of the Government’s overhaul of the science sector. 

Included in the proposed redundancies are 48 scientists working in Callaghan Innovation’s Applied Technologies group.

"There are scientists working in medical technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and mechatronics that are proposed to lose their jobs. New Zealand needs their skills and expertise," says Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons.

"These are experts that could have had a home in the Advanced Technology Public Research Organisation the Government says its planning to establish, we call on the Minister to intervene urgently and make sure we retain these staff in our science system."

"People with valuable skills are being cast aside, even though their skills are important for the future science system. The Minister has said that the science reforms are not about job losses but you only have to look at Callaghan Innovation to see this simply is not true."

"Instead, of planning properly the Government pushed the cuts through in a rush leaving talented science professionals with nowhere to go," Fitzsimons says.

"While Minister Dr Shane Reti did save some scientists’ roles by extending the funding for the Biotechnologies teams out to 30 June 2027, this has not gone far enough," Fitzsimons says.

Today’s proposed cuts are on top of 43 redundancies progressed from a February proposal in response to the science sector reforms outlined by the then Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins. Another 13 roles have been lost through attrition during this time.

Looking back further, since July 2024 Callaghan Innovation will have lost 164 roles, 42% of its workforce, which includes redundancies from previous restructures and reduction in roles via attrition.

The coalition Government changes aim to merge the seven CRIs into three PROs, establish a fourth Advanced Technology PRO, and disestablish Callaghan Innovation.

"Today’s announcement underscores the poorly planned way in which changes in the public science sector are being implemented. There’s been little consideration as to how roles might be retained or transferred to the new PROs, risking New Zealand losing innovative experience and knowledge," said Fitzsimons.

Union figures show there will be 224 employees working at Callaghan Innovation by 1 October 2025, which will continue to decrease until the entity’s full disestablishment in mid-2026.

This group is made up of roles transferring elsewhere (including the Measurement Standards Laboratory, Biotechnologies, and grants and funding functions), staff employed to support these functions in the interim (such as, IT, finance, HR, administration), and those whose future is still uncertain. Further redundancies are likely, if the roles aren’t lost via attrition first.

"When Callaghan is finally disestablished in 2026 New Zealand will have no government agency dedicated to applied technology research despite this being a clear focus of the government’s reforms," Fitzsimons says.

Source: PSA media release

Sector updates are provided by organisations to eHealthNews.nz and have not necessarily been edited or checked for accuracy. Any queries should be directed to the organisation issuing the release.

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The Government’s demands for savings in health mean Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand is proposing to cut 338 People and Culture roles - at a time it when is struggling to recruit people to provide health services for New Zealanders.

In a change proposal released today Health New Zealand says it is looking to reduce its People and Culture services from 1632 roles to 1294 roles a net reduction of 21% or 338 roles, (some of which are vacant).

Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says People and Culture services are vital to ensure there are enough health workers and the workers are supported, kept safe, paid properly and kept well.

"The People and Culture services ensure health workers who feel safe and supported so they can deliver the best possible health care to New Zealanders," Fitzsimons says.

"These cuts are just another way the Government’s unfocussed reckless drive for savings will impact the healthcare New Zealanders receive," Fitzsimons says.

"The PSA is seeking legal advice as to whether it would also challenge this change proposal in the Employment Relations Authority," Fitzsimons says.

One of the biggest areas for cuts will be the Recruitment and Attraction function, which could see a net 126 roles go.

"These cuts make no sense when the delivery of health services is being held back by unfilled vacancies right across an extremely stretched health system," Fitzsimons says.

The change proposal says the reduction in recruitment is based on implementing a new recruitment technology system, which is expected to take 12 months to roll out.

"This is a risky way to proceed. We understand the new technology hasn’t yet been put out to tender and its planned roll out would happen after Health New Zealand implements significant cuts to its Data and Digital team.

Two other areas that keep staff and patients safe and assist staff return to work after injury or illness are facing cuts:

• Occupational Health, which will see a net loss of 27 roles
• Health & Safety and Resilience, which will see a net loss of 55 roles.

The Organisational Culture and Development function, responsible for staff education and development and improving organisational culture, faces a net loss of 35 roles.

Another area for concern raised by the change document is the proposal to "significantly reduce" core parts of the security function that protects staff, property and operations.

The Protective Services function in the People and Culture team, which provides expert leadership and advice on security, is facing a loss of a net three roles.

The proposal says the challenge for the function is the move from a "guards and gates model" to a "proactive, risk-based approach".

"Given resourcing constraints we are proposing to significantly reduce core components of a basic protective security function. We anticipate that initiatives like security incident response, corporate security, and regional support would be scaled back to critical cases," the change proposal says.

"The allocation of resources and reassessment of priorities with this function does present several risks which require careful management of the work programme and best utilisation of advisory activity," the proposal says.

Fitzsimons says the proposed changes to security and protection are ominous.

"The proposals underline that at a time of increased attacks on health workers there is an urgent need for more investment in security and protection, as there needs to be in the health system generally."

Source: PSA media release

Sector updates are provided by organisations to eHealthNews.nz and have not necessarily been edited or checked for accuracy. Any queries should be directed to the organisation issuing the release.

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A New Zealand Doctor is sharing global insights as he works to assist the development of healthcare leadership in Aotearoa.

Dr Jonathan Hoogerbrug is the host of the podcast Clinical Changemakers, which explores how effective leadership can transform healthcare systems.

Hoogerbrug’s inspiration for the podcast came during his time at Stanford University, where he spent one year on a Harkness Fellowship.

“I had originally intended to focus my time at Stanford on digital health research,” said Dr. Hoogerbrug.

“However, after my first session of my mentor's Masters of Science and Management class, I realised how little I knew about leadership and how important it is within healthcare.” 

That prompted a change in direction, with the Aucklander shifting his research to organisational behaviour in healthcare, with a particular emphasis on clinical leadership.  

He’s now presenting his findings through the podcast, which includes interviews and practical insights from international experts, including healthcare leaders at The Mayo Clinic, Harvard, Microsoft, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. 

A recurring theme in Clinical Changemakers is that the challenges faced by New Zealand’s healthcare system including; workforce shortages, burnout, limited resources, and politicisation, are not unique. Dr Hoogerbrug says healthcare systems around the world face similar pressures but approach them in different ways.

“Our episodes showcase diverse leadership styles and innovative solutions that could be adapted to the New Zealand context or used to inspire our own approaches. 

“It’s become really clear to me that effective leadership transcends cultural boundaries while requiring local adaptation.”

Dr Hoogerbrug believes New Zealand is lagging behind other nations when it comes to investing in leadership development within the healthcare sector. 

“The US, Australia, and the UK have formal healthcare leadership programs that combine academic learning with practical training,” he says.

“In New Zealand, leadership often happens incidentally rather than intentionally. Clinicians are promoted based on clinical excellence without necessarily being equipped with leadership skills, coaching, or mentorship. This is an area we could really improve on and I’m advocating for change.”

Hoogerbrug hopes that by tuning in, listeners will reflect on their own leadership capabilities and take steps to develop their skills.

“Storytelling is a powerful vehicle for change,” he says. 

“There’s a huge amount we can learn in New Zealand from these international experts. By sharing leadership journeys and lessons, I’m hoping to drive change and empower New Zealand clinicians to thrive.”

Clinical Changemakers is available on major podcast platforms, providing New Zealand healthcare professionals with a new resource to enhance their leadership development.

Source: Payper media release

Sector updates are provided by organisations to eHealthNews.nz and have not necessarily been edited or checked for accuracy. Any queries should be directed to the organisation issuing the release.

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Restructuring of the data and analytics team within Planning, Funding and Outcomes (PFO) has stopped following agreement with the country’s largest trade union, while litigation on the data and digital change process is continuing “at this stage”. 

Fiona McCarthy, interim chief human resources officer at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora says the organisation has reached agreement with the Public Service Association (PSA) on three change proposals.

The restructuring of the National Public Health Service and two directorates in the PFO unit - data and analytics, and community mental health funding and investment - will stop, and litigation by the PSA has been withdrawn.

McCarthy says this follows cost savings being met in those areas through operational efficiencies, voluntary redundancy and early exit processes.

“Health NZ continues to work through processes for other business units where change is underway to ensure all parts of our organisation live within budget and will remain engaged with our staff and unions as we do that,” she says.

eHealthNews reported in January 2025 that 81 analyst roles would be transferred from other directorates to the data and analytics function of the PFO business unit as part of a restructure proposal, with a net reduction of seven full-time equivalent (FTE) roles. 

PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says the union is pleased the restructures have been stopped but says the health system has still lost critical expertise in these teams.

"The settlement means the proposed restructures are withdrawn and the current structures remain in place. Staff who are still employed and have agreed early exits can withdraw from that agreement if they choose to," she says.

"We have won this fight, but the damage has already been done to our health system. We will keep resisting and opposing this Government’s attacks on public health."

The PSA is still pursuing litigation in the Employment Relations Authority focused on a proposal to cut the number of roles in Health NZ’s data and digital directorate by 47 percent.

The legal action says the proposal “overlooked or ignored the considerable increase in clinical risk which would follow the introduction of their proposals”.

Fitzsimons says PSA litigation covering the data and digital and Pacific health directorates is still filed in the ERA at this stage, with a full hearing timed for 22 and 23 April in Wellington.

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