8 June 2023
Al
[FYI request #22318 email] Tēnā koe Al
Official information request HNZ00015219
Thank you for your email on 30 March 2023, asking for the following which has been
considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
In early 2021 a wearable tech option for border workers was launched that had a pilot/trial
conducted with Datamine - detailed in this media release:
https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/border-trial-app-detect-covid-19-
early
Could I please request:
- the cost of the trial
- any documents or emails that show how the trial started or was proposed to MoH (how it
came to be and how it evolved to start the trial)
-any documents or emails that show the outcome of the trial - Datamine proposed in their
final report the wearable tech be rolled out to all border workers - I'd like to see any
communications or considerations on that being both assessed and costed.
The Ministry of Health was informed about, and was looking for opportunities to improve, our
COVID-19 response which was modelled on the Swiss Cheese response model (more information
can be found here:
The Swiss Cheese Model of Pandemic Defense - The New York Times
(nytimes.com).
Discussions were held with Datamine, and eventually lead to an agreement to test the eLarm
application for user experience and explore the benefits of use. This was test was done with the
border workforce. The Ministry of Health paid $50,000 for the trial including all software, hardware,
analysis and reporting.
The decision to roll out this trial was made in addition to the progressive roll out of the COVID-19
vaccination. Although feedback from the trail showed that people liked the idea, it also lacked
engagement. Some participants also raised that they felt like they were doing enough for the
country and adding another technology (24/7 monitoring) on top of the then current testing regime,
vaccinations, and social isolation with border roles would be difficult and too onerous to monitor.
Market penetration of wearables was low, so investing in wider rollout would have had significant
hardware requirements and costs.
Please note, the additional information you have requested (HR:20210178) is not related to your
current request and is therefore refused as out of scope. However, if you would still like to request
this information you are welcome to make a separate request.
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[Health New Zealand request email].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Te Whatu Ora may
proactively release a copy of this response on our website. All requester data, including your name
and contact details, will be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Jon Herries
Group Manager
Emerging Health Technology & Innovation
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Te Whatu Ora, PO Box 793,
Wellington 6140, New Zealand
