After 25 years of digital transformation, Aotearoa New Zealand’s healthcare system continues to evolve at a pace, fueled by technological innovation, clinician insight, and a growing commitment to patient-centred care. At HINZ Digital Health Week 2025, we heard frontline voices reflect on the lessons of the past and the direction of the future. Their stories reveal a shared belief: good digital care is less about the technology and more about improving health for people.

Digital health then and now: A clinician’s view

Over the years, the impact of digital technologies on clinical workflows has been profound. From the introduction of the internet and electronic health records to the adoption of e-prescribing and AI scribes, healthcare professionals have had to constantly adapt to new tools and ways of working.

Stella Ward, CEO at Digital Health Association (DHA), reflects:

“The internet was an amazing piece of technology… it enabled so much in terms of patient experience, and also research, search, and research at your fingertips.”

But the most enduring lesson isn’t about any specific technology. It’s about change itself.

“Technology comes and goes. But the main constant is people and how people react and interact with technology.” – Ray Delany, Founder of CIO Studio.

COVID-19 as a digital catalyst

The pandemic fast-tracked the adoption of key technologies, including e-prescribing, remote care, and AI-assisted documentation, among them. What might have taken years to implement happened in months.

This period showed what’s possible when urgency meets digital readiness. It also demonstrated the need for systems that are intuitive, adaptable, and integrated, bringing together fragmented information to support continuity of care.

What is good digital care in New Zealand?

Good digital health is invisible. Throughout the video, a powerful theme emerges: digital care is most effective when patients barely notice it.

“Good digital care for the patient is something they’re not aware of… where they’re still getting that human connection… At the end of the day, digital has to become invisible” – Gillian Robinson-Gibb, Founder and CEO at Hercules Health.

What does this look like in practice?

  • A system that supports, not replaces, the patient-clinician relationship.
  • Digital experiences that are seamless, equitable, and intuitive.
  • Technologies that are invisible to the patient, yet invaluable to the clinician.

It reflects a growing vision across the health sector, where digital maturity isn’t just about technology, but about empowering people, simplifying care, and turning data into meaningful action.

The future of digital health: invisible, intuitive, integrated

As Orion Health continues to support health systems across New Zealand and around the world, we’re helping shift digital from front-of-mind to behind-the-scenes, ensuring clinicians can focus on care, not clicking.

Solutions like the Digital Care Record and Digital Front Door are already enabling this future by:

  • Aggregating patient data into a single view for care teams
  • Empowering patients with access to their care plans, health data, and tasks
  • Reducing administrative burden with digitised forms, messaging, and workflows

Whether it’s enabling cancer diagnosis through digital pathology or streamlining admissions for surgical care, the goal is the same: make digital health feel human.

A relationship-centred future

Perhaps the most powerful insight, and one summarised by Dr. Jonathan Hoogerbrug, General Practitioner (GP) and Clinical Informatics Director at Health New Zealand, is:

“Good digital care looks like a relationship between patients, whānau, and healthcare providers.”

After 25 years of digital evolution, that vision remains unchanged. Technology should enable stronger relationships, not replace them. And as we look ahead, the healthcare experience of tomorrow will be built on the same values that have always mattered: trust, connection, and compassion.

Looking ahead? Check out our companion blog from HINZ 2025 on what’s next for digital health in Aotearoa, from interoperability to patient-led design:

The Next Phase of Digital Health: Focused, Connected, and Patient-Led