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Waikato IT outage leaves hospital staff using pen and paper for more than 11 hours

23 July; 2026

A network connectivity failure at Waikato Hospital on 22 July meant staff were unable to access clinical systems for more than 11 hours after both the primary and failover systems failed simultaneously, forcing health workers across the Waikato district to use pen and paper.

INFRASTRUCTURE

New Dunedin Hospital outpatient building nears opening as digital-first facility

21 July; 2026

New Zealand's New Dunedin Hospital outpatient building is approaching completion, with the project team preparing to welcome its first patients after years of planning, construction, and digital infrastructure work.

INFRASTRUCTURE

$3.3m funding for AI-enabled mental health and addiction triage and referral tool

15 July; 2026

More than $3.3 million in government funding has been announced to develop an AI-enabled triage and referral tool to help connect people contacting mental health and addiction helplines with the best service for their needs.

AI & ANALYTICS

Government's Digital Reset Plan identifies major hurdles for health sector tech delivery

14 July; 2026

A rapid review of digital delivery across government singles out Health New Zealand as facing “major hurdles in delivering tech and service innovation – despite the huge productivity opportunity in health spending”.

NATIONAL SYSTEMS & STRATEGY

Pacific health provider cuts nurse travel time in half with AI-powered RPM tool

13 July; 2026

A Wellington-based Pacific health provider has halved nurse travel time after deploying an AI-powered remote monitoring tool that allows patients to submit their vitals, food logs and health updates from home through WhatsApp.

DIGITAL PATIENT

Features

Kiwis increasingly turn to AI for health advice, but trust remains low

10 June; 2026

Feature - eHealthNews editor Rebecca McBeth
One in five New Zealanders now turns to artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude as their first port of call for health information but trust in AI-generated health advice remains low at just 28 percent, according to Stuff's inaugural Health of the Nation study.

DIGITAL PATIENT

Analytics and near real-time data drive transformation at Health NZ

26 May; 2026

Industry Innovation Article - Acumen BI
Health New Zealand has consolidated multiple systems inherited from over 20 supporting subsidiaries, District Health Boards and the Ministry of Health covering clinical, finance, payroll, supply chain, procurement and asset management data.

AI & ANALYTICS

Views

My View - Building AI you can trust

23 July; 2026

Fellow of HiNZ Kate Rhind writes that before we trust AI to guide people through the system, we should be able to say precisely what good looks like, and prove our tools meet it.

AI & ANALYTICS

My View - Health service implications of draft Digital Accessibility Standard

17 July; 2026

The Government’s new draft Digital Accessibility Standard will broaden the focus beyond websites to encompass all digital technology. This is a significant shift that will have implications across the health sector, writes Chandra Harrison, managing director, Access Advisors.

INFORMATION GOVERNANCE