30 January 2024
Liam Murphy
[email address]
Ref: HNZ00035008
Tēnā koe Liam
Thank you for your email of 20 November 2023 to Manatū Hauora Ministry of Health (the Ministry)
regarding Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand's Partnership with HealthAlliance and Equity in
Digital Healthcare. Your email was forwarded to Te Whatu Ora to address your original request
made under the Official Information Act (the Act) 1982.
Te Whatu Ora is responding to your request as a correspondence response.
“I am writing under the Official Information Act, keen to understand more about the evolving
landscape of healthcare in New Zealand, especially in relation to Health New Zealand's
collaboration with healthAlliance and the strides towards digital equity in health services.
Health New Zealand and healthAlliance Partnership:
1. Could you elaborate on the current dynamics of the partnership between Health New
Zealand and healthAlliance? Specifically, how does this collaboration enhance healthcare
delivery and resource management?
2. In what ways does this partnership address the unique health needs of diverse
communities across New Zealand?
Digital Equity in Healthcare:
3. What specific strategies are in place to ensure equitable access to digital healthcare
services, particularly for marginalised or rural communities?
4. How is the Ministry addressing the digital divide that might prevent equitable access to
health technologies?
Adapting to Emerging Technologies:
5. With the rapid advancements in AI and mobile-first technologies, how is the Ministry
ensuring that these tools are being leveraged to improve healthcare delivery while
maintaining equitable access?
6. Are there specific initiatives aimed at integrating these technologies in a way that
resonates with young people from diverse cultural backgrounds?
Monitoring and Evaluation:
7. How does the Ministry monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies and
technological integrations in reducing health inequities?”
As you may be aware, on 27 June 2022, HealthAlliance was absorbed into Te Whatu Ora - Health
New Zealand by the Health Sector Transfers (District Health Board Shared Services Agencies to
Health New Zealand) Order 2022. As such, services provided by the former HealthAlliance are
now amalgamated with all other services that were previously provided by former District Health
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
PO Box 793 Wellington 6140
New Zealand
Boards, for instance, shared-services, agencies, and services transferred from the Ministry (i.e., 29
components combined to form Te Whatu Ora).
The last annual report for HealthAlliance which provides information on services that were provided
and have transferred to Te Whatu Ora was for the year ended 30 June 2021. This information is
available online at the following li
nk: parliament.nz/resource/en-
NZ/PAP_121088/a687e04a565e268666236e6e54b28b86483063fa. Thank you again for taking the time to write.
Nāku noa, nā
Rosalie Percival
Chief Financial Officer
