Why New Zealand is easing system ICT expansion

New Zealand’s public health agency, Te Whatu Ora, has outlined plans to streamline and improve the country’s healthcare data and IT systems. Currently, the system comprises a “patchwork” of over 4,000 applications, most of which are nearing the end of their lifespan. The agency plans to reduce and integrate these systems, increasing their resilience and security through cloud migration. They also aim to boost their data collection and security, and explore AI and genomics. Since 2021, the government has invested nearly a billion dollars into digital health infrastructure.