A two-year transition period is planned before the new Medical Products Bill takes effect, which will regulate software as a medical device - including artificial intelligence used for therapeutic purposes.

Tim Vines, manager, therapeutics, strategy, policy and legislation, Ministry of Health, told the MTANZ Conference on June 30 that all essential policy decisions have now been made and that drafting instructions are to be issued this year, but the bill will not be introduced to Parliament before the November election.

The Ministry's indicative timeline is to introduce the bill to Parliament in early 2027. It would then go to the Health Committee for a public consultation process of around six months and could be passed by Parliament by the end of 2027.

A two-year transition period is planned before the law comes into force to allow secondary legislation to be developed, for Medsafe to prepare operationally, and for any necessary IT systems to be put in place. 

Vines said that the bill will regulate software that has a therapeutic purpose, including uses of AI.

Things like patient management software, e-prescribing systems, and AI note-taking scribes are not intended to be regulated as medical devices. 

However, if software moves beyond note-taking into suggesting diagnosis or treatment options, it would be considered to have a therapeutic purpose and would likely be captured under the new regulatory framework.

Vines told the audience that AI is an emerging field and that ongoing discussions with the sector will be needed to determine how New Zealand balances support for innovation against patient safety considerations. 

He said the new bill also extends the regulation of clinical trials to medical devices, a change from the current framework under the Medicines Act, and that this will need to reflect the differences between medicine trials and the typical product development cycles for medical devices.

Image: Tim Vines, manager, therapeutics, strategy, policy and legislation, Ministry of Health speaking at MTANZ Conference 2026

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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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Health NZ has extended the timeline for rolling out the Shared Digital Health Record, citing the need to do security and due diligence checks before patient data can be shared.

This follows three major data breaches affecting New Zealand health providers in the space of three months.

Immunisation and medication data, originally expected to be available through the Shared Digital Health Record earlier in 2026, is now expected to be shared later in the year. 

Primary care data has also been pushed back with clinician access now expected from mid-2027, rather than mid-2026.

An update from Health New Zealand links the delay to requirements under the Government Digital Delivery Agency's (GDDA) Information Sharing Standard, which it must comply with before sharing personal information with third parties, including primary care practices and clinics.

Health NZ says that four steps must be completed before data sharing can start; an information sharing and security awareness initiative, due diligence checks, signing of the Health NZ Information Access and Use Agreement, and patient notification about the new data service.

The New Zealand health sector has recently suffered what one expert described as a “feeding frenzy” pattern of cyberattacks. Three breaches; at ManageMyHealth, MediMap, and Auckland-based private healthcare provider IntraCare, occurred within three months of each other in late 2025 and early 2026.

The ManageMyHealth breach was detected on 30 December 2025, MediMap was compromised in February 2026, and IntraCare detected unusual activity within its IT environment on 20 March 2026.

In response, Health NZ is rolling out an information sharing and security awareness initiative running from the end of June to August 2026. The initiative is aimed initially at Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) and their primary care practices, as well as providers of telehealth, urgent care, and after-hours services.

Support available includes webinars, a security checklist, quick reference guides, learning modules, a central online hub, regional workshops with PHOs, and targeted support for practices as requested. 

A Security Checklist for health service providers, developed in collaboration with General Practice New Zealand (GPNZ), is based on the National Cyber Security Centre's Minimum Cyber Security Standards and aligned to the Cyber Security Capability Maturity Model (CS-CMM). Organisations wanting to share information with Health NZ must meet at least CS-CMM Level 2, described as the "Baseline" rating.

The checklist covers ten standards, including risk management, security awareness, asset management, secure configuration, patching, multi-factor authentication, detection of unusual behaviour, least privilege access, data recovery, and response planning.

Once due diligence is complete, Health NZ will sign an Information Access and Use Agreement with health service providers, and a separate agreement with IT vendors.

Health NZ describes the initiative as a collaboration rather than a compliance exercise where the organisation is looking to “partner with providers to build confidence, capability, and consistency across the system”.

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Health NZ is rolling out an information sharing and security awareness initiative to help strengthen how health information is shared digitally, in a way that works for the sector. Information sharing happens every day and is essential for safe patient care.

This approach builds on our shared commitment to protecting patient information, while also responding to learnings from recent cyber security events.

We will initially work with PHOs and their primary care practices/clinics, as well as with providers of telehealth services, urgent care and afterhours care.

Support includes an online hub, checklist and webinars

The information sharing and security awareness initiative, which will run from the end of June to August 2026, will include:

• webinars and awareness activities
  • register for webinar on 30 June 6:00pm
  • register for webinar on 1 July 12pm
• a security checklist (attached)
• quick reference guides and learning modules
• a central online hub with guidance (available early July), e-learning and resources
• regional workshops with PHOs
• targeted support for PHOs and practices as requested
• ongoing awareness activities over time.

Responsibilities when sharing health information

As part of the Government Digital Delivery Agency (GDDA) Information Sharing Standard, Health NZ has responsibilities when sharing personal information with third parties, including primary care practices and clinics.

We must now undertake due diligence – working alongside practices and clinics to make sure strong safeguards are in place to protect personal information. We will work with our sector partners to make these expectations practical, achievable, and supportive of day-to-day care delivery.

We see this as a collaboration, where we partner with providers to build confidence, capability, and consistency across the system. This includes supporting alignment with the Health Information Privacy Code and Privacy Act 2020, as well as working progressively towards the National Cyber Security Centre’s Minimum Cyber Security Standards and the Health Information Security Framework (HISF).

Health NZ Information Access and Use Agreement

Once due diligence is complete, Health NZ will sign an Information Access and Use Agreement with health service providers, and a separate Information Access and Use Agreement with IT vendors. Signing means an organisation acknowledges and understands its role and the role of Health NZ in keeping data safe.

The Information Access and Use Agreement is a new, single, main agreement between Health NZ and healthcare service providers.

It sets out:

• how information can be shared
• the responsibilities of Health NZ, health providers and IT vendors.
  

Individual schedules set out specifics for data sharing for a service, such as the Shared Digital Health Record.

Next steps

We will work through PHOs to connect with general practices about the information sharing and security awareness initiative and will be in touch with more information shortly. In the meantime, if you would like more information please contact customerservice@health.govt.nz.

We look forward to working with our sector partners as this initiative rolls out and continuing to strengthen trusted information sharing across the sector.

Extended timeline for the Shared Digital Health Record

The Shared Digital Health Record is the first Health NZ data service needing to respond to the requirements of the GDDA’s new Information Sharing Standard. This means additional checks, working with primary care practices/clinics, must be undertaken before information can be shared.

The following must be completed before data sharing:

• information sharing and security awareness initiative
  
• due diligence checks
  
• signing of the Health NZ information access and use agreement 
  
• patient notification about the new data service.
  

The above also support alignment with the Health Information Privacy Code and Privacy Act 2020, the National Cyber Security Centre’s Minimum Cyber Security Standards and the Health Information Security Framework (HISF).

The information sharing and security awareness initiative being rolled out by Health NZ will support primary care practices/clinics to respond to the new requirements.

Updated rollout timeline

To ensure requirements are met before data is shared, the timeline for rolling out the new data service has been extended.

• Immunisation and medication data is now expected to be shared through the Shared Digital Health Record later in 2026.
  
• Primary care data is expected to be available to clinicians from mid 2027.
  

If you would like further information about the Shared Digital Health Record, please email SharedDigitalHealthRecord@TeWhatuOra.govt.nz.

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Health New Zealand is progressing work towards New Zealand’s first registry for female pelvic floor procedures, including mesh.

“Late last year, we signed an agreement with Melbourne’s Monash University to implement the Australasian Pelvic Floor Procedure Register (APFPR) here in New Zealand,” says Dr Richard Sullivan, Health New Zealand Executive National Director Clinical.

“Since then, we’ve partnered with the Centre for Health Outcome Measures New Zealand (CHOMNZ), a charitable trust that is experienced managing health registries, to support a safe, seamless rollout of the registry across New Zealand.

“We’re now working to ensure the Australasian register is adapted for the New Zealand context and once that is complete, we will undertake a pilot study to trial the registry processes, which we hope to start in late 2026,” he says.

This is a significant step towards meeting the final safeguard needing to be satisfied, before the Surgical Mesh Round Table (SMRT) can consider if the conditions of the time-limited pause in the use of surgical mesh to treat stress urinary incontinence that was implemented in August 2023 have been met.

The conditions and pause were recommended by the SMRT, an oversight and monitoring group chaired by the Ministry of Health, to minimise harm linked to the procedure and is the result of a long-standing restorative justice process.

Other key conditions included mandatory credentialling of surgeons, a structured informed consent process that was co-designed with consumers and patient case discussion at regional stress urinary incontinence multi-disciplinary meetings. There was also a requirement for clinical staff education to ensure high-quality care. All safeguards have been fulfilled, apart from the national registry.

“This work highlights our absolute commitment to provide better and safer women’s pelvic and urinary health and is part of a robust response to issues of the past,” Dr Sullivan says. 

Source: Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora media release

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Health New Zealand has today welcomed the launch of the Rheumatic Fever Care Coordination System (RFCCS), a new national register that will improve coordination of care for people living with rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. 

The RFCCS brings together 18 existing local registers into a single, national system – providing clinicians with better access to patient information and supporting more consistent and timely care across the country. 

Deborah Woodley, Director Starting Well at Health New Zealand says the new system is a significant step forward in improving how care is delivered and monitored. 

“By consolidating multiple registers into one national platform, clinicians can more easily access the information they need to support patients, wherever they are in the country. This ensures continuity of care is maintained, reducing the risk of patients being lost to follow-up. 

“This will strengthen patient recall, improve visibility of clinical data, and support more proactive, coordinated care,” Ms Woodley says. 

Each year, between 150 and 200 people are diagnosed with rheumatic fever, and around 2,000 people receive ongoing treatment to prevent recurrence and rheumatic heart disease. Ensuring these patients receive regular preventive treatment is critical to reducing long-term complications. 

“The RFCCS supports a more connected health system, enabling services to better track and follow up patients who require ongoing care. 

“It also represents an important investment in digital health infrastructure, demonstrating how modern, integrated systems can directly support improved health outcomes. 

“I also want to acknowledge all those who have been involved in this project – rheumatic fever advocates, patients, clinicians, academics, Health New Zealand staff, and Māori and Pacific health providers and communities. Your work in getting this new system off the ground will play a vital role in supporting better outcomes for rheumatic fever patients in New Zealand.” 

Rheumatic fever disproportionately affects Māori and Pacific children and young people and improving equity of access to care remains a key priority. 

“Having a national system helps ensure patient and whānau needs are more consistently understood and communicated across services, supporting more equitable delivery of care.” 

The RFCCS is a key initiative under the Rheumatic Fever Roadmap 2023–2028 and will play an important role in strengthening prevention, monitoring, and long-term management of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease across New Zealand. 

Source: Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora media release

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SECTOR UPDATE - Bupa 

Bupa New Zealand has announced the full rollout of its AI-supported care platform Nexus AI, designed to help frontline teams deliver safer, more responsive and consistent care and services to its residents.

The technology has been introduced to support frontline decision-making, by giving Bupa’s carers and nurses faster access to information, policies and organisational knowledge in the moments it matters most.

By reducing time spent searching across multiple systems, the platform is helping teams spend more time focused on people and less time on administration.

Already, the AI-supported platform is helping employees:

• Access policies, procedures and guidance instantly
• Respond more quickly and consistently to resident needs
  
• Reduce administrative workload and duplication
  
• Spend more time focused on care, support and customer interaction
  

Bupa New Zealand Clinical and Quality Director Sandy Turnwald said that platform was designed to make every day work simpler and support better outcomes for residents.

“At Bupa we have extensive guidance and procedures covering all aspects of care, from wound dressing to requirements for resident van trips. Previously, employees needed to know where information was stored across multiple platforms. With Nexus AI, our people can simply ask a question and quickly access the relevant current information and reference documents,” she says.

“It removes barriers for our people and helps frontline teams make more informed decisions, while always maintaining human oversight and professional judgement.”

Importantly, the technology is designed to support clinical, operational and care teams, not automate care itself. Decisions remain firmly in the hands of trained employees and care professionals.

"Healthcare is human. It requires compassion, connection and professional judgement. Technology should support our people to work smarter and reduce administrative burden, so they can focus on what matters most, our residents,” says Sandy,

"AI helps reduce friction by surfacing important information faster. Ultimately, it’s about enabling safer, more connected and responsive care and service delivery," she says.

Since becoming fully operational, the platform has also improved collaboration across teams, reduced time spent resolving queries and made organisational knowledge easier to access and apply consistently.

As with any AI tool, Bupa will continue refining the platform alongside frontline employees to ensure it remains safe, practical and focused on delivering meaningful improvements in care and customer outcomes.

The rollout follows Bupa’s recent implementation of its digital Deterioration Early Warning System (DEWS) across all its care homes, a clinical decision-support system that helps care teams identify early and subtle signs that a resident’s health may be declining. 

“Like many aged residential care providers across New Zealand, the sector is facing significant challenges, including funding pressures, significant demand, and increasing complexity of care needs,” says Sandy.

“In this environment, digital solutions that simplify processes, support our people, and help teams spend more time focused on resident care are more important than ever,” added Sandy.”

Source: Bupa media release

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Budget 2026 commits more than $450 million to digital health, including $153.6 million in funding for cybersecurity over the next four years and $300 million to deliver the first three years of the Health Digital Investment Plan.

The $300 million in funding for the Health Digital Investment Plan (HDIP) will support work such as replacing ageing devices, modernising radiology systems, and upgrading core IT platforms.

The 10-year plan was announced by Health Minister Simeon Brown at Digital Health Week 2025 along with the creation of a new Centre for Digital Modernisation of Health to deliver it.

Budget documents say $100 million in funding for each of the next three years has been reprioritised from capital to operating funding for the HDIP.

Funding for cybersecurity is set aside at $34.2m in 2026/2027 then $39.8m annually for each of the following three years, “to address Health NZ’s cyber security risk profile by maintaining current protections and providing resources and specialist skills to address threats and vulnerabilities”.

The cybersecurity funding includes support for primary care and comes following a series of high profile patient data breaches over the past six months, including at digital medication management platform MediMap and at Manage My Health (MMH).

The Privacy Commissioner this week said both the patient portal provider and Health NZ have breached the Privacy Act in the case of the MMH breach.

Health Minister Simeon Brown says the government is, “taking decisive action to strengthen cyber security, safeguard patient data, and ensure frontline services can continue operating without disruption.”

The extra $153.6 million investment includes; strengthening 24/7 cyber security monitoring and response capability; expanding specialist cyber security expertise; delivering critical security upgrades across health systems; and strengthening cyber security oversight in primary care.

“This is about protecting patients and maintaining trust in our health system. New Zealanders should feel confident their health information is secure and that frontline services are resilient against cyber threats that could otherwise disrupt care,” he says.

HiNZ chief executive Alex Kemp says it is encouraging to see the government making a substantial commitment to digital health, which reflects the shift towards digital being a core enabler of care.

“The focus on both digital infrastructure and cybersecurity shows an understanding that these areas are fundamental to a modern, resilient health system,” she says.

"The key now will be the delivery to ensure this investment has real impact for those on the frontline. We have seen too many well-intentioned initiatives fall short because the implementation did not translate into practical, meaningful improvements for healthcare workers and patients.”

Chief executive of the Digital Health Association Stella Ward says the $300 million funding for HDIP is the kind of sustained commitment a 10-year programme requires. 

“A modern, connected health system can't be built on one-year allocations – and today's Budget acknowledges that. Replacing aging devices, modernising systems, and upgrading core IT platforms all support the health workforce in their daily mahi supporting patients,” she says.

Chair of General Practice New Zealand (GPNZ), Bryan Betty says the cyber security announcement aligns strongly with GPNZ’s recently released digital security position paper.

“Digital safety is patient safety. With the commitment announced today we expect to see system-wide improvements, strengthening our ability to keep sensitive patient information safe and secure,” he says.

Brown says Budget 2026 provides more than $5.8 billion in new Vote Health operating funding across the forecast period, including a $1.37 billion annual uplift to help meet frontline cost pressures and support growing demand across the health system. 

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Technology is ‘front and centre’ for Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and the new board has made the first of its decisions around investing in core systems, says recently appointed board chair Mark Darrow.

The  board has established a Digital Transformation Committee to oversee the Health Digital Investment Plan (HDIP) and has approved a technology pathway to invest in an integrated digital platform to support finance, workforce, and supply chain functions.

Darrow tells eHealthNews that there is legacy technology debt across the organisation and the report from the last board meeting shows “technology is front and centre”.

He says the new Digital Transformation Committee will include Board and external members to overview the “ambitious” 10-year HDIP and its execution, saying “we will more realistically have to break that down into smaller time periods with clear goals and outcomes”.

Human Capital Management (HCM) will be a priority to support the workforce and will include consolidation of all HR systems to improve payroll, workforce planning, time management and rostering. 

The organisation is still dealing with historic Holiday Pay issues in two hospital districts and finance systems are also a priority.

The summary of a board meeting on May 13 says “the Board considered progress with Health NZ’s digital transformation programme, including the proposed implementation of a modern, integrated digital platform to support finance, workforce, and supply chain functions. 

“After extensive rigorous planning and analysis, the Board has approved a technology path subject to conditions being met, recognising the importance of digital systems in improving service integration, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.”

Darrow says the board is finalising a short list of priorities as part of its strategy work, and “technology will be at or near the top of that list, particularly in the context of HCM. 

“I have heard the feedback about legacy systems and we need to work out where the quick wins are to support frontline staff at the same time as building the future system. 

“Health New Zealand is now pushing decision making out to regions and districts so having digital tools with the associated support as close to the frontline as possible will enable quality decisions to be made where it counts,” he says.

In a public statement about resetting the direction for Health NZ, Darrow singled out technology as one of three key priority areas for the year ahead, saying there is work to do to “improve our digital systems and tools”. 

“Getting that right will make a real difference to how people work every day,” he says.

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The Government will provide direction on technology decisions across call centre technology, cyber security, networks and mobile apps as part of a new digital mandate aimed at ending duplication across the public service. 

Myles Ward, deputy government chief digital officer, told the Digital Health Leadership Forum on May 12 that the Government Digital Delivery Agency (GDDA) will group agencies around common technology needs including customer relationship management systems, financial management systems and HR platforms. 

"It does not make sense for 46 agencies to buy exactly the same thing," Ward told the Wellington audience.  

"By investing once and reusing capability many times, we can reduce duplicated tech across the system and reshape how agencies adopt and use digital services.” 

The changes form part of the government's Digital Target State, which has been approved by Cabinet and moves away from what Ward described as "bespoke agency by agency solutions toward deliberate system design." 

He said the current approach has created a $13 billion government digital investment pipeline over the next five years. 

The GDDA will create groupings of agencies based on similarity of need to scale solutions, reduce duplication and use capacity more effectively. This approach aims to move from projects to enduring capability and from bespoke procurement to reuse as the default option. 

The target state includes plans for common technology that must be used by multiple agencies, including one government app, one digital wallet, one messaging system for customers, a system data exchange platform and an AI gateway. 

Ward said the changes represent "system discipline applied where needs are genuinely in a common way" rather than "uniformity for its own sake." 

The government is also using accelerators to reduce the size and complexity of the technology footprint across the system. Three priority accelerators are: accelerating cloud adoption, using AI to unwind technical debt, and testing the feasibility of a common desktop across government. 

Ward said this will mean rethinking traditional approaches to capital and operational expenditure to better support modern scalable services.  

He said the current public service operating model is "no longer fit for purpose”. 

"Successive reforms.. have hardwired some silos. Today, these silos show up as duplication, inefficiency, slow and cautious decision making and an aversion to risk that often works against collaboration,” he told the more than 200 attendees. 

Digital identity will be a foundation of joined-up services, allowing them to be designed around people rather than organisations as information verified by one agency will be able to be securely reused by citizens across services with their consent. 

AI will also play a key role, with the GDDA leading a coordinated AI programme focused on common tools, safe and responsible use, workforce capability and common platforms. 

The return on investment is projected to be in the billions over time, he said.  

Image: Myles Ward, deputy government chief digital officer, speaking at the Digital Health Leadership Forum on May 12

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The Medical Products Bill will create a modern regulatory framework for software used in healthcare, targeting therapeutic applications and not administrative tools, says associate minister of health Casey Costello. 

Costello spoke at the Digital Health Leadership Forum in Wellington on May 12 where she said the new legislation will regulate software and artificial intelligence only when used for therapeutic purposes such as diagnosis, treatment guidance or disease monitoring. 

General administrative and operational tools, including clinical administration systems and AI scribes, will remain outside the regulatory scope, she confirmed.

The Medical Products Bill replaces the Therapeutic Products Act, which the government repealed in 2024, and is expected to be introduced in 2026.

"Good regulation enables innovation rather than stifling it," Costello told the forum. 

"The bill will replace an outdated regulatory framework with a modern, flexible one that supports both safety and, importantly, innovation."

She told the more than 200 attendees that the framework aligns with international definitions and takes what she described as a "targeted and proportionate approach" to oversight. 

It allow for a “flexible, risk-proportionate approval pathway” designed to accommodate innovative and evolving technologies.

"It provides certainty for industry, supports exports and enables the safe uptake of digital health tools across the system," said Costello.

She also said that cyber security, privacy and data protection are key to public confidence in the health system and digital health organisations must meet appropriate standards for security, privacy and assurance.

"Innovation must go hand in hand with accountability," Costello said. 

"This is not slowing innovation, it is about making sure digital services are trusted, resilient and sustainable, especially as technology becomes more embedded in care delivery."

The Digital Health Leadership Forum was co-led by HiNZ and the Digital Health Association.

Image: Associate minister of health Casey Costello speaking at the Digital Health Leadership Forum in Wellington on May 12

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Cloud-native enterprise platforms can deliver the scalability and resilience needed to support Health New Zealand's modernisation efforts under the Health Digital Investment Plan (HDIP), says Workday’s Global Head of Healthcare Strategy John Kravitz.

The Plan aims to create a more connected health system across New Zealand, with digital modernisation identified as key to improving patient outcomes and operational efficiency.

Kravitz, a former healthcare CIO, says the Workday platform addresses the fragmentation that slows care.

"Most large health systems struggle under a patchwork of legacy systems that create bottlenecks," he says. 

"By establishing a single, authoritative source of truth, we allow the system to absorb large-scale organisational shifts seamlessly."

Kravitz points to Banner Health as an example, where consolidation reduced application volume by 50 per cent for more than 50,000 workers, saying this allows focus to be redirected back to patient outcomes while mitigating risk and reducing complexity.

Workday's unified architecture also delivers continuous innovation through two major updates annually without traditional re-implementation risks. 

"A national health system cannot afford upgrade freezes," Kravitz explains. 

"Because you cannot customise Workday, the upgrade process is expedited."

He says true resilience is built at the bedside and by automating identity lifecycle management through integrations with tools like SailPoint, the platform ensures healthcare workers have appropriate access immediately. 

Kravitz says Health NZ's connectivity goals under the HDIP mirror what health systems globally are striving for and to achieve this you need a secure open ecosystem hub. 

Workday offers an API-first architecture that flows worker data into clinical rostering and payroll systems in real-time. Rochester Regional Health used this approach to nearly triple their integration capacity to more than 130 secure connections.

Kravitz says the platform unifies workforce planning with financial data, allowing care model changes to be immediately reflected in recruitment pipelines and budgets. 

And when pay equity or regulatory shifts occur, customers can update entire structures and pay rules without writing a single line of code.

The platform also supports rapid role re-profiling as health systems shift toward hospital-at-home and community-based care models, which also form part of New Zealand’s HDIP.

Kravitz says security concerns are top of mind for health systems around the world and New Zealand is not immune as shown by a number of high-profile health system breaches in early 2026.

“Workday applies the same security standards used for government and federal agency customers globally,” he says, adding that the era of Agentic AI raises a critical question.

“How do we innovate without exposing data to the public internet? At Workday, your data never leaves the 'closed wall' of our environment,” he says.

Source: Workday media release

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Lester Levy concludes his tenure as Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora board chair at the end of this month with Mark Darrow taking over from May alongside new board members Michael Schubert and Bryan Betty.

Health NZ chief executive Dale Bramley paid tribute to Levy’s service over nearly two years, saying he has overseen system stabilisation and achieved significant improvements in patient access during his time as chair and previously as commissioner.

Bramley says Levy also achieved a turnaround in financial performance during this time, describing it as “twin feats that are seldom achieved simultaneously."

Health Minister Simeon Brown announced the new appointments, saying Darrow brings expertise in finance, audit, risk, and assurance, which will be critical to driving performance and accountability.

Michael Schubert joins the board as a professional director with experience in financial stewardship, audit and risk, and organisational change in complex, regulated environments including health.

Bryan Betty, currently chair of General Practice New Zealand, brings clinical and health system expertise, particularly in primary care. 

"Primary care is central to the performance of the health system," Betty says. 

"I am committed to ensuring it is well supported and connected, particularly across the primary–secondary interface, workforce development, the sustainability of general practice, and improving equity of outcomes."

The board changes occur as Health NZ prepares to transition to a nationally planned, locally and regionally delivered health system from 1st July 2026.

"This will shift decision-making closer to patients, communities and frontline services, helping ensure care is more responsive to local needs,” Minister Brown says.

However, the Public Service Association Te Pukenga Here Tikanga Mahi warns that board changes alone cannot address systemic funding issues, particularly in digital services.

"At the end of the day, changing the Board will not help unless the Government provides the increased funding the public health system urgently needs," says the union’s national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons.

"One priority must be digital services which a modern public health system relies on. Under this government hundreds of experienced digital experts have been lost, upgrades have stalled, and hospitals have been left with a legacy of IT outages that have forced clinicians onto whiteboards and paper forms. You can’t run a modern health system like that.”

Image: Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora board chair Lester Levy speaking at Digital Health Week 2025

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General practices in Te Waipounamu, South Island will be the first to begin onboarding to the Shared Digital Health Record from April with clinicians expected to begin accessing SDHR data from mid-2026.

The phased rollout will continue with Te Manawa Taki | Midland region, followed by Northern and Central regions. 

The SDHR is a clinical data connector, designed to securely share patient data across the healthcare system, eventually enabling healthcare providers nationwide to access and update core health information including allergies, adverse reactions, conditions, encounters, and observations.

At a February webinar hosted by HiNZ on the SDHR, Heath Tolley, portfolio group manager – digital enablers & integration at Health NZ, said recent high profile health data breaches have affected public confidence in health information sharing systems.

Consumer research by Health NZ showed one in five of those surveyed reported a significant impact on their trust in health information sharing systems. 

However, 83 percent of participants were still comfortable sharing health information through services like the shared digital health record to support their care.

The latest SDHR update says the staged roll-out ensures each region gets proper support and prevents overwhelming Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) and practices during the transition. 

Stage one of the onboarding process includes a mandatory patient notification period, during which practices must inform patients about the SDHR and give them the opportunity to opt out if they prefer their health information not to be shared. 

It is an opt-in record by default, so if patient’s do not choose to opt out, Health NZ takes a copy of patient data held in the practice's Patient Management System (PMS) during stage two.

The final stage, planned from mid-2026, will see existing regional shared electronic health records (SEHRs) begin integrating with the SDHR, enabling clinicians using those systems to access patient health information held in the national record.

The update says some onboarding processes for the SDHR, including registration, privacy and security assessments, and signing access and use agreements, will also support data collection for the Primary Care Health Target and the National Primary Care Dataset.

Practices will receive information about participating in the SDHR from their PHO before the process begins in their region. Healthcare providers can also contact shareddigitalhealthrecord@tewhatuora.govt.nz.

Watch the webinar on demand and claim your CPD certificates/CME credits.

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A collaborative procurement platform designed for primary and community healthcare providers was piloted in Auckland and is technically ready for nationwide deployment, but needs access to the Health System Catalogue.

Primely is a business-to-business marketplace that would allow primary care providers to access the same national pricing available to hospitals for medical supplies and equipment.

Jess Morgan-French, chief executive of Collaborative Aotearoa, presented the project alongside Rod Hall from Tranzsoft at Digital Health Week NZ 2025, highlighting significant cost disparities between primary and secondary care procurement. 

She said there is a fundamental pricing disparity where primary and community care providers pay between 10 to 40 percent more for identical medical supplies compared to hospitals.

Morgan-French said it was ironic that community and primary healthcare providers receive less funding than hospital systems yet pay more for essential supplies.

The Primely platform is similar to consumer e-commerce sites, allowing healthcare providers to browse multiple suppliers to choose their items.

"What is missing is we do not have access to the Te Whatu Ora Health System Catalogue (HSC) despite a lot of advocacy from a lot of different people," she said.

Hall, who has led much of the technical development, said the platform was co-designed with primary care.

It consolidates procurement from multiple suppliers into one streamlined process and is designed to extend national pricing and supply access to all healthcare providers, including remote clinics, iwi health providers and urgent care centres.

However, following a successful pilot in Auckland a copule of years ago, wider deployment depends on gaining access to the national HSC, which contains standardised product data covering more than 270,000 active clinical and non-clinical products.

Treasury-approved business case documents from the original HSC project talk about providing access beyond hospitals, including Primary Health Organisations (PHOs), non-government organisations (NGOs), community services and other healthcare providers.

The business case stated that PHOs, NGOs and community services "would be consumers of the HSC, long-term".

However, national director - procurement, supply chain and health technology management Andy Windsor, says establishing the HSC to meet the needs of Health NZ is the current priority and no decisions have been made regarding extending it beyond that.

Morgan-French said the platform addresses several current health policy objectives, including supporting distributed and community-based care, providing equity across providers and communities, and enabling primary care-led system efficiency.

Image: Jess Morgan-French, chief executive of Collaborative Aotearoa

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Labour’s health spokesperson supports the principle of long-term investment in digital health but has stopped short of backing the Government’s 10-year Health Digital Investment Plan (HDIP), citing concerns about cybersecurity and transparency.

Health Minister Simeon Brown launched the plan and announced the creation of a Centre for Digital Modernisation of Health at Digital Health Week in November 2025. 

HDIP was published alongside a notice of future procurement opportunities including an electronic health record, remote patient monitoring, national radiology solutions, a national integrated operating centre and booking and scheduling.

Asked whether Labour supports the direction of the long-term plan, health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said more detail was needed before Labour could commit to support it.

“We would like to see more detail about how the plan will invest in cybersecurity, because the plan is vague,” Verrall tells eHealthNews. 

“I have asked detailed questions during select committee hearings but not had the answers we need to confidently support it.”

Her comments come amid heightened scrutiny of cybersecurity following a recent data breach at patient portal provider Manage My Health.

Verrall said Labour supports stronger enforcement of privacy and security obligations, aligning with recent comments from the Privacy Commissioner.

“The Privacy Commissioner has called for penalties to drive compliance and we back that call,” she said. 

“We need to undo the National government’s cuts to cybersecurity capability within Health NZ to support the primary care sector.”

Asked whether Labour would keep the HDIP in place if elected, Verrall said she supported the use of long-term plans to guide investment but that transparency was critical.

“I support the principle of long-term plans to guide sustained investment. That will only happen when there is a higher level of transparency from government.”

Verrall said Labour would continue to engage with the digital health sector on future investment priorities.

“I am always open to hearing from the wider sector about what the key opportunities are,” she said.

Alongside the investment plan, the Government announced the establishment of a Centre for Digital Modernisation of Health, which will coordinate delivery of large-scale digital programmes across the sector.

Image: Labour’s health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall

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GP2GP allows the secure transfer of patient records between general practices. It plays a crucial role in ensuring continuity of care by reducing manual processes and preventing the loss of important clinical information. 

Working with PMS suppliers

We are actively working with practice management system (PMS) suppliers to ensure they roll out the latest versions of GP2GP to their practices by the middle of the year. Operating on the most up-to-date version of GP2GP helps improve the reliability of the service and reduce transfer errors.

Experiencing GP2GP issues? Contact your PMS supplier

If your practice is experiencing any GP2GP issues, please contact your PMS supplier directly for support. Contact details are below.

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Health New Zealand has confirmed the leadership structure for its Centre for Digital Modernisation of Health, appointing eight directors to oversee delivery of the 10-year Health Digital Investment Plan (HDIP) launched at Digital Health Week in November 2025.

The centre, which began operating on 1 December 2025, is a strategic imperative as the current state of health technology is a "primary blocker to achieving national health goals", the HDIP future procurement opportunities notice says.

A key initiative for 2026 involves establishing a panel for strategic implementation partners to support large-scale programme delivery, risk-sharing, and innovative funding models.

Lara Hopley has been appointed chief clinical digital modernisation officer, providing clinical leadership to ensure digital solutions support clinicians and improve care delivery.

The leadership team also includes; Lance Elder as director of enterprise architecture; Brian More as director of strategy; Ben Copsey as director of HDIP Investment; and Yvette Keys as director of change management office.

Kevin Ross has been appointed director of run ahead, identifying and evaluating emerging technologies and innovative delivery models, and Josh Tabor heads the Digital Academy, responsible for building digital capability across Health NZ. 

A centre director is being recruited, with Stephen Crombie in the interim role.

Helen Lear, who is head of centre operations, says the centre “continues to progress well through its establishment phase".

“Recent engagement sessions with Health New Zealand teams, suppliers, and government agencies have helped refine the Centre’s early ways of working and align planning for delivery of the Health Digital Investment Plan (HDIP).”

The notice of future procurement opportunities provides a comprehensive list of planned procurements for the year and will be updated as the delivery plan is refined.

The procurement list includes market sounding activities for a next-generation Digital Health Platform, encompassing Electronic Health Records and core clinical systems. 

National platforms for virtual-enabled care will support delivery of healthcare services remotely using telecommunication and information management technologies.

Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) platforms will support 'Hospital in the Home' models of care, and radiology systems procurement will address national requirements across the health system. 

Market engagement is starting for national Human Capital Management system and a panel will be established for public cloud hosting services and implementation partners to support cloud migration services. 

A National Integrated Operating Centre and Patient Flow platform will provide real-time visibility for optimising hospital operations and patient flow.

Multiple panels for specialised clinical applications will cover various categories including anaesthetics, cardiology, and laboratory systems. 

Patient engagement platforms will support patients and whānau to access health records and services, whilst national telephony and Wide Area Network solutions will provide foundational infrastructure.

The HDIP strategic implementation partners arrangement will include key delivery capability areas, which may be added to and extended as the programme progresses and requires different implementation capabilities. 

Lear says initial priorities for 2026 include completing establishment activities for the centre, including appointing a permanent director and releasing further secondment opportunities for Health New Zealand staff. 

“The centre will focus on embedding the target operating model and delivery frameworks whilst progressing planning and portfolio management for the Health Digital Investment Plan,” she tells eHealthNews.

Image: Lara Hopley, clinical digital modernisation officer, Centre for Digital Modernisation of Health

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The government plans to consolidate dozens of separate digital systems into shared platforms to reduce duplication and improve services for New Zealanders, the deputy government chief digital officer (GCDO) says.

Myles Ward told Digital Health Week 2025 that the GCDO fully supports the new Health Digital Investment Plan and is working closely with health to ensure alignment with the All-of-Government (AoG) target state. 

Ward, who is serving on the governance board for the newly announced Centre for Digital Modernisation of Health, said the GCDO will also use developments in health to support system-wide improvements across all government services.

“This plan represents a significant step forward in modernising and rationalising New Zealand's digital health infrastructure," Ward told the conference.

“By aligning investment, building connected digital infrastructure, placing citizens at the centre of design, we can create a smarter, more resilient system that delivers real value to all of New Zealand.

“In health this means better outcomes for patients, more effective support for clinicians and enabling clinicians to innovate at the front.”

He said that government agencies operate 42 different technology approaches, creating complexity and fragmentation that affects their ability to share data and deliver seamless services.

"Too many agencies continue to invest in similar technologies and systems in isolation, resulting in duplication, fragmentation and unnecessary cost," Ward said.

Forward investment intentions of $13 - $15 billion have created "quite an unaffordable situation" under this fragmented approach.

The goal is to replace this with shared platforms and move from a siloed technology environment to a connected whole-of-government digital ecosystem.

Also, development of a decentralised system where people control their own data with digital identity as the cornerstone.

“When we look at digital identity, we are going to a decentralised approach whereby someone can issue their credential or identity based on what they want to do,” he explained.

Ward said that emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, are becoming integral to how the government operates.

“We know from our recent surveys that almost every agency surveyed is now exploring AI in some form,” he told the conference. 

“The challenge that I put out there in the private sector is how you enable us to use that, how you give us the tools, how you give us the registries and how you support the training for us to be able to deliver it in the right way, as opposed to us trying to figure it out ourselves.”

Image: Deputy government chief digital officer Myles Ward speaking at Digital Health Week 2025

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A new clinical leadership model is part of a devolved operating structure that is essential to the success of Health New Zealand’s digital modernisation plan, the organisation’s board chair Lester Levy says.

Speaking at Digital Health Week 2025, Levy said the new model will require clinician involvement across all Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora decisions, from patient care to traditionally management-only areas.

Participation will be along a continuum from ‘clinically led’ to ‘clinically engaged’ to ‘clinically involved’, depending on the decision.

"Every decision that we make has some fundamental clinical impact,” Levy said.

He told attendees that for the new 10-year Health Digital Investment Plan (HDIP) to be successful there needs to be cultural shift, described as the "software of the organisation".

The plan was announced at the conference by the Minister of Health on November 25, alongside the creation of a Centre for Digital Modernisation of Health.

"We have this plan to actually reconfigure, totally revolutionise our whole data and digital system, but in order to successfully do that, we have to reconfigure and revolutionise the other software, the software that I am talking about."

The devolved operating model aims to move decision-making and resources as close to frontline action as possible, within a framework that is "nationally consistent, regionally coordinated and locally delivered”, Levy told attendees.

"It will be a bottom-up budget: these are the resources people have and they will work out how to deploy the resources in order to make the outcomes that we are looking for."

He said the cultural transformation required is a significant challenge as the current organisational culture is "a little bit of a federation" rather than one unified organisation.

Levy described the new HDIP as addressing "a very significant technical deficit and digital and data deficit" within Health NZ. For example, the organisation operates 21 separate payroll systems, making real time reporting very difficult.

The aim is to create an integrated, interoperable system enabling real-time management across all operations. 

"With artificial intelligence, with innovation, with high levels of investment, the kind of products and opportunities that are coming through have got massive productivity elasticity," he said.

Image: Health NZ board chair Lester Levy speaking at Digital Health Week 2025

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A new centre with a dedicated board and leadership team will oversee delivery of the 10-year Health Digital Investment Plan using both Health New Zealand staff and partners.

Investment in digital health infrastructure is a strategic imperative as the current state of health technology is a "primary blocker to achieving national health goals", a notice of future procurement opportunities says.

Health New Zealand is establishing the centre to drive delivery of the 10-year Health Digital Investment Plan (HDIP), launched by the Minister of Health at Digital Health Week 2025.

Darren Douglass, acting chief information technology officer, told the conference the centre represents "a new and innovative way of doing things, not just for Health New Zealand, but for New Zealand government agencies”.

He said the Centre for Digital Modernisation will serve as "the engine room that powers the Health Digital Investment Plan," managing everything from strategy and architecture to investment, design, delivery and change management.

It will include an AI Innovation group and a digital academy to build capability across the health workforce.

"The Centre will also provide transparency with clear reporting on progress, risks and dependencies across the entire plan," Douglass said.

He described the HDIP as "the first national digital plan of its kind for our health system," and a “a key part of the national health reform agenda”.

"We need a clear, actionable path to investing in, stabilising, modernising and advancing the health system," Douglass told attendees. 

The plan’s seven focus areas are; digitally enabled models of care, intelligence and insights,; clinical and operational experience, people and whānau experience, corporate experience, technology foundations and data and interoperability.

It was published alongside a notice of future procurement opportunities, which outlines upcoming investment in; an electronic health record (HER), remote patient monitoring, national radiology solutions, a national integrated operating centre and booking and scheduling.

Also, public cloud infrastructure, human capital management and enterprise resource planning, patient engagement solutions, and a national Wide Area Network.

“This procurement will be delivered in partnership with the GCDO, who have a system leadership role for All of Government (AoG) digital procurement,” the GETS notice says.

Deputy government chief digital officer Myles Ward, who also spoke at Digital Health Week, sits on the Centre’s new board.

Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says the plan risks failure unless the government changes course on its cuts to the workforce and funding needed to deliver it.

"The Minister is right that our health system needs digital transformation, but you can't deliver on that promise this while drastically cutting the workforce responsible for implementing it and not investing in the workers," said  Fitzsimons.

"Data and digital staff are currently in mediation because they are not being offered a fair cost of living increase. On Friday they'll be striking from 1-5pm because this Government refuses to properly value the workers it claims are critical to modernising our health system.”

Image: Darren Douglass, CITO, speaking at Digital Health Week 2025

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The Health Minister has launched a 10-year Health Digital Investment Plan, signalling investments in a single Electronic Medical Record, remote patient monitoring, radiology and cybersecurity.

Speaking at Digital Health Week in Christchurch on 25 November, Simeon Brown also announced the creation of a Centre for Digital Modernisation of Health to deliver the plan.

The centre is a collaboration between Health New Zealand and delivery partners that brings together global innovation capabilities, artificial intelligence expertise and process engineering to coordinate large-scale digital transformation programmes.

Brown said 65 per cent of hospitals in Aotearoa still use paper-based notes and 85 per cent of digital systems cannot share information properly.

"Right now Health New Zealand has around 6,000 data and digital systems, that is one for every 15 staff members," he told conference attendees. 

"That is the result of years of underinvestment, quick fixes instead of proper planning, which drives significant inefficiency across our health system."

The Minister said that investments will be made in a single Electronic Medical Record system across the health sector, enabling medical information to flow seamlessly and securely between GPs, specialists, and hospitals. 

Also, funding for remote patient monitoring to support earlier discharge, a national radiology system to prioritise urgent cases, and stronger cybersecurity to protect patient information.
Health New Zealand will release a procurement notice on GETS alongside the announcement regarding its investment plans.

"This is a completely new approach for Health New Zealand, tackling the kind of large, complex programmes that have failed in the past when governments have tried to do them alone," Brown said.

The centre will design investment cases for government consideration and drive delivery. It will include an AI Innovation group and a digital academy to build capability across the health workforce.

The 10-year investment pipeline will be delivered in three phases: stabilising critical systems so clinicians can rely on their tools, modernising platforms to improve efficiency, and enabling innovative care models that put patients first, he said.

Initial investments will focus on basic technology infrastructure, including faster network connectivity, properly functioning devices, single login systems to replace multiple passwords, and improved data security and cyber protection.

The organisation is already upgrading Wi-Fi and increasing device capability and availability to support the digital tools.

"This is not a plan written by consultants in Wellington, it has been written by doctors, nurses and allied health professionals who have told us what is needed to deliver better care," he said.

"We need to build a system which is focused on patients, on outcomes accountability, and we need to make sure we have the right technology to allow us to do that.”

Image: Health Minister Simeon Brown speaking at Digital Health Week NZ

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Technology developed during the Covid-19 pandemic has been extended to support the measles outbreak response and will expand to cover around 70 notifiable diseases in 2026.

At the core is the Notifiable Disease Management System (NDMS), alongside the Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR), Book My Vaccine, My Health Record, targeted text and email campaigns, public facing websites and a new integration which flags immunisation status in hospital clinical portals.

The NDMS evolved from the National Contact Tracing Solution and manages measles and Covid-19 cases through a platform accessible to public health teams nationwide.

Laboratory integration developed during the pandemic means the New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (formerly ESR) receives all measles notifications and sends them directly into the NDMS.

Ed Falloon, director applications and products, digital services, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora says the system will expand to cover around 70 notifiable diseases next year.

“We have been working for some time now to ensure we have the technology to support outbreaks of disease in an end-to-end process," Falloon tells eHealthNews.

"Our aim is to bring all the other notifiable diseases on board in one delivery next year.”

More than 330 public health users logged into NDMS on November 11, showing its wide use across the country as part of responding to the current measles outbreak.

"It allows public health teams to be able to share the load across public health and people to be able to access data immediately, rather than go to a central team for information," Falloon explains.

My Health Record allows people to view their immunisation records and Book My Vaccine means people can book a vaccination online.

He says real-time vaccination record access for hospitals is enabled through an API integration connecting the AIR to hospital clinical portals. This allows clinicians to view patient vaccination history directly within their existing systems. 

It is currently live in the northern region, Te Manawa Taki and Te Waipounamu with rollout to other districts underway.

Health NZ has also enabled contact tracers to view people’s vaccination status in NDMS. 

Te Whatu Ora site - info.health.nz - recently won the best plain language website award for the public sector and has recorded hundreds of thousands of views since late September when the measles outbreak began.

Hear Ed Falloon speak at Digital Health Week NZ this November 24-27 in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Register today.

Image: Ed Falloon, director applications and products, digital services, Health NZ

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The Shared Digital Health Record service is being piloted with four early adopter general practices, with further roll-out to primary care planned from the start of 2026.

The pilot runs until January next year and is initially focused on collecting information from the patient record on allergies and intolerances, conditions and observations.

In the future the SDHR will also incorporate existing national data services for medicines, from the Medicines Data Repository, and immunisations, via the Aotearoa Immunisation Register.

Once launched, healthcare providers will be able to use their existing shared electronic health record system or clinical portal to access core patient information nationwide.

Heath Tolley, portfolio group manager, digital enablers and integration, says future developments will involve collecting information on patient encounters and clinical notes, but there is more work to be done in this space.

SDHR is an opt-out record: patients are automatically included, or they can choose to mark specific records as confidential, opt-out at a practice level, or request a national opt-out through Health NZ.

Tolley says recent focus group research shows many Kiwis either think this kind of sharing already exists or are supportive of it for direct patient care.

Practices must let patients know about the service and provide a minimum three-week opt-out period before beginning data collection and Health NZ has created information posters and brochures which are being trialled by the early adopter GPs.

Tolley says early feedback from pilot practices has been positive and is helping Health NZ with its messaging for different regions, which have different levels of information sharing already in place.

The national rollout to practices from early next year will be led by Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) and will involve Health NZ signing information sharing agreements with around 800 practice owners, covering the country's 1,200 - 1,300 general practices.

The aim is for a critical mass of adoption by June 2026 to allow the SDHR to go live through existing regional shared record systems such as HealthOne, Your Health Summary and indici SEHR.

"The focus is on building up the data set so there is critical mass of patient data available.

"The last thing we want is to release the service and a clinician go to access a patient’s shared record, but find there is nothing there."

Tolley says the service will be particularly useful for emergency and after-hours care providers, including telehealth, as they often do not have access to shared record systems.

He says the team has been working with practice management system vendors, to technically prepare for direct data sharing from their systems.

Hear more from Heath Tolley about the SDHR on Tuesday 25 November at Digital Health Week in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Check out the programme online and register today. 

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SECTOR UPDATE - Hon Judith Collins KC

A new platform to make it easier for Government agencies to issue secure digital credentials will be developed by New Zealand-based company MATTR, Digitising Government and Public Service Minister Judith Collins announced today. 

“This platform will be a shared service for government agencies and will be managed by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). It will allow agencies, such as Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and DIA, to issue digital credentials into the Government App which is currently being developed,” Ms Collins says.   

“There are many everyday tasks and activities that require you to share your personal details, such as date of birth or passport number. Often you’ll need to turn up in person or provide certified copies of physical documents, all of which takes time and can put your information at risk.  

“Government-accredited digital identity services will allow you to easily present credentials in a way that is safer, trusted and more secure. No one will be required to use digital identity services, but the Government App will make it convenient for those who choose to. 

“MBIE will be among the first agencies to use the new platform and as part of an initial trial will use it to issue New Zealand Business Number digital credentials. This business-friendly initiative will make it easier for company directors to prove their identity and authority when interacting with government and private sector services.  

“Building a single platform will reduce costs across the public sector, and ensure all agencies meet the same high standards for privacy and security. It will reduce paperwork and back-office administration.  

“This shared approach means government agencies can deliver better value for money and a faster, more consistent experience for everyone.   

“This is exactly the type of shared service we want to see more of throughout government agencies, as we work to get the best bang for buck for taxpayer dollars."

Source: Hon Judith Collins KC media release

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Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is developing a digital system that will allow disabled people to record their healthcare access requirements and enable the health system to collect disability data for the first time.

The Patient Profile National Health Index (PPNHI) project aims to address the lack of disability data in New Zealand's health system and the need for healthcare providers to understand people’s access needs before appointments.

"We have never as a system collected any kind of identifier within our health data that would say this person is disabled," says Leo Goldie-Anderson, chief advisor disability, Health NZ. 

"This means we essentially do not have disability data in the health system.” 

The NHI is a unique number assigned to everyone who uses health and disability services in New Zealand.

The new solution would create a digital interface where people can record their own access requirements.

"It could be things like "you have to send me a text message because I cannot answer the phone, I need a sign language interpreter, I need a quiet space to wait, or I need assistance to move around," Goldie-Anderson explains, adding that common accessibility barriers often prevent disabled people from accessing healthcare services.

Rachel Noble, head of disability, health, Health NZ, says that at the moment, the challenge of navigating the health system falls on disabled people themselves.

"PPNHI will give us not only visibility in being counted in the data, but what it also means is that our experiences with the health system should be more like everyone else's,” she tells eHealthNews.

Health NZ has completed two of four planned phases. The first was a technical proof of concept, while the second involved discovery and scoping work to finalise the approach to collecting both access profile information and administrative disability data.

The access profile questions have gone through initial testing with health system staff and community members.

For administrative data, the Health NZ team has worked with Statistics New Zealand, the Ministry of Health and Whaikaha to ensure an approach that meets best practice standards and various agency requirements.

"When we get this off the ground, it is going to become the only source of this kind of data in New Zealand," Goldie-Anderson says, in light of changes to the census from 2030.

People will not have to prove they are disabled to access the profile feature, which will be available to anyone who needs make access requests.

Noble says the project must work alongside a broader disability model of care.

"That is about building the capacity, adapting policies and processes and practices to ensure that the health services people are delivering will accommodate disabled people coming in,” she says.

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