In 2025, New Zealand’s digital health transformation will depend on fostering partnerships, adopting interoperable systems, and empowering a digitally skilled workforce. National collaboration and international benchmarking will be critical to success. Resilience and innovation are not just concepts but imperatives for advancing New Zealand's healthcare system. By investing in these principles, the country can build a robust, adaptive, and patient-centric digital health system, setting a global example of healthcare excellence.

AI scribes present a transformative opportunity for NZ's healthcare system. By relieving clinicians of administrative burdens, these tools can mitigate burnout and enhance workforce dynamics, contributing to a more resilient and effective healthcare system.

AI represents a pivotal opportunity for NZ's healthcare workforce to address evolving demands while ensuring patient-centred care. By investing in AI-driven solutions, fostering digital literacy, and supporting ongoing research, we can position ourselves as a leader in integrating technology into healthcare, setting the stage for a future where human expertise and AI innovation work hand in hand.

New Zealand’s healthcare system is internationally recognised for its strong care processes and administrative efficiency, ranking fourth out of ten countries in the Commonwealth Fund’s 2024 comparative analysis. However, issues such as inequity and access barriers highlight persistent challenges. Addressing these complex and systemic issues may require the strategic insight and innovative approaches offered by dedicated think tanks.

New Zealand's healthcare system is poised for transformation through enhanced data sharing among patients and providers. This shift aims to streamline patient care, improve outcomes, and empower both individuals and healthcare professionals with seamless access to health information. To achieve and sustain effective health information and data sharing, we need to look at a variety of strategies. The development and implementation of robust interoperability standards are crucial.

New Zealand is well positioned to leverage artificial intelligence in healthcare, provided it establishes a modern, effective regulatory framework that can balance innovation with patient safety. A clear and adaptive regulatory landscape is increasingly necessary, as AI tools are rapidly being integrated into healthcare settings worldwide, offering opportunities for enhanced diagnostics, personalised medicine, and streamlined clinical workflows.

New Zealand’s digital health sector has shown tremendous growth in recent years. However, the question remains whether it has fully capitalised on international opportunities. Although the sector has made significant strides, particularly in exports and technological innovation, challenges remain in scaling these successes globally. In 2023, the sector generated $2.62 billion, a 2.4% increase from 2022. A majority of this growth is export-driven, with 89% of the sector's revenue coming from offshore markets, particularly the United States, which alone accounted for $1 billion.

While NZ has made strides in promoting a culture of safety, significant changes are needed to enhance the effectiveness of its harm reporting systems. Strengthening data integration, increasing transparency, and introducing a centralised oversight body could help ensure that the health system learns from past incidents and better protects patients from avoidable harm.

Ensuring that the quality of care is maintained, workforce pressures are mitigated, and government accountability is preserved will be key to any successful expansion of private sector roles. Careful planning and regulation are necessary to balance these opportunities and challenges.

To fully realise the benefits of RPM, it is crucial to address the technological, infrastructural, and equity challenges that currently hinder its widespread adoption. By understanding and mitigating these barriers, we can use RPM to improve health outcomes, particularly for its most vulnerable populations.

Automation in New Zealand’s healthcare sector offers a promising avenue to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and enhance patient care. By leveraging technologies like AI and RPA, healthcare providers can streamline back-office operations, allowing staff to focus on delivering higher-quality care. However, these advancements must be implemented thoughtfully to mitigate risks and ensure equitable access to improved healthcare services.

While simply increasing staff numbers is not the answer, there is a need for a more strategic approach to workforce management. This includes improving staff retention through better morale and support systems, addressing the training pipeline to ensure a continuous flow of skilled workers, and integrating digital tools to streamline the workload. Furthermore, innovative approaches like task-shifting, where non-medical staff are trained to take on certain roles, could help alleviate the pressure on highly skilled professionals.

CHHs have the potential to revolutionise healthcare delivery in New Zealand by shifting the focus from overburdened hospitals to locally-driven, holistic care. By responding to the unique needs of local communities, CHHs can address health inequities, improve access to care, and reduce healthcare costs. With the right governmental support and community buy-in, CHHs could be a cornerstone in solving New Zealand’s national healthcare challenges. They are not just a local solution; they are a national imperative.

By taking a system-wide perspective, leveraging data, enhancing coordination, and investing in capacity building, New Zealand can create a more efficient and effective healthcare system that meets the needs of its population. The pathway to optimisation is not easy, but with strategic planning and a commitment to continuous improvement, it is certainly achievable.

The integration of retail and healthcare could offer a viable solution to some of the pressing healthcare challenges. However, for Aotearoa, a cautious but proactive approach is warranted.

The success of New Zealand's digital health strategy will hinge on its ability to integrate these solutions into the broader healthcare system, aligning them with national health priorities and ensuring they are accessible to all citizens, regardless of location.

Data migration in healthcare is a complex process that involves transferring sensitive patient information from one system to another. This is critical for ensuring continuity of care, especially during transitions such as Electronic Health Record upgrades or changes in Practice Management Systems. In NZ, the adoption of a universal data migration standard has become increasingly pertinent, given the nation's push towards a more integrated and interoperable healthcare system.

By leveraging technologies and fostering a collaborative approach among stakeholders, we can achieve a fully integrated health information system. This will not only improve patient outcomes but also create a more efficient and effective healthcare system that is responsive to the needs of all New Zealanders.

New Zealand faces significant challenges in achieving health equity, particularly for Māori children and those from low socio-economic areas. There are several measures that we can deploy to enhance performance concerning the digital determinants of health.

New Zealand’s healthcare system is currently facing significant challenges, particularly due to the dual pressures of public and private healthcare demands. Recent studies and reports highlight the strain on public healthcare resources exacerbated by the private health sector's activities.