What’s Next for Digital Health?

At HINZ Digital Health Week 2025, leaders from across New Zealand’s health sector came together to share one consistent message: the future of healthcare isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing it better, together.

From general practice and policymaking to digital strategy and patient advocacy, their reflections point to a new phase for digital health in Aotearoa, one grounded in interoperability, shared standards, and a clearer focus on what really matters.

Fix the foundation: data and interoperability.

If there’s one theme that cuts across every perspective, it’s this: we can’t build better systems on broken foundations. Data needs to flow seamlessly and securely across the ecosystem; only then can innovation truly take root.

“Some of the big opportunities for technology and Health New Zealand lie in the data and interoperability space… making sure we’re using modern APIs and have high-quality data.”
—  Dr. Jonathan Hoogerbrug, General Practitioner (GP) and Clinical Informatics Director at Health New Zealand

“There are huge opportunities in actually getting the basics right. If something works, it works, and it can be scaled across multiple environments.”
— Stella Ward, CEO at Digital Health Association (DHA)

Modern, standards-based integration isn’t a “nice to have”; it’s the essential enabler of every improvement that follows.

Focus beats noise: do fewer things, but do them better.

In a sector often distracted by shiny tools and pilot projects, several voices called for a mindset shift: less is more.

“My one wish for digital health is that we take a ‘less is more’ attitude and focus on one thing at a time.”
— Ray Delany, Founder of CIO Studio.

The message is clear: it’s time to stop reinventing the wheel and start scaling what already works. The opportunity is not in novelty, but in execution and alignment.

Design around the patient: a unified experience.

Despite major advancements, the digital experience for patients remains fragmented. Healthcare journeys still involve repeated questions, disconnected systems, and limited visibility across care providers.

“The biggest opportunity is enabling the patient to digitally manage multiple providers through a single kind of journey in a single interface.”
— Harry Hawke, CEO & Managing Director, Webtools

“A continuous health record… accessible at any point of the health system, at any age or stage of life… in live time.”
— Gillian Robinson-Gibb, Founder and CEO at Hercules Health.

Designing for patients means more than giving them a login. It means connecting the dots, so care can follow them, not the other way around.

Let more voices lead the way.

True transformation means listening to a broader range of voices, not just those in formal leadership roles. It means bringing lived experience and frontline expertise into every conversation.

“I have two wishes, the first is to make sure that the patient and whānau stories, their pūrākau, their voice, drives and amplify what we do. And the second is, It wouldn’t just be the medical voice. It would also be allied health, scientific and technical, and the nursing and midwifery voice.”
— Rowena Woolgar, Director at Arise Consulting

This is about creating inclusive systems, shaped by the communities they serve, and the teams who deliver care every day.

A call for cohesion: collaborate and execute.

Despite the challenges, optimism remains high. The sector knows what needs to change; the next step is to align and act.

“My wish for the sector is that we actually work together and stop being so siloed.”
— Heather Phillips, Head of Corporate Affairs, Awanui Group

“To collaborate. To communicate. To be clear about our vision… and to execute on that vision.”
— Stella Ward

There’s no shortage of insight or innovation in Aotearoa. The opportunity now is to connect through shared goals, standards, and responsibility.

Missed the reflections from HINZ 2025? Discover what clinicians and leaders had to say about 25 years of transformation in Aotearoa’s health system: