HiNZ 2025: Douglas Healey - Manager, Hauora ICT

Why It Matters

Improved oral‑health data interoperability will enable better population‑level insights and more effective preventive care, directly impacting health outcomes and system efficiency. The initiative also demonstrates how collaborative governance can accelerate digital transformation across fragmented health sectors.

Key Takeaways

• NZ oral health data remains fragmented across providers.
• Interoperability requires unified standards and shared governance.
• Co‑design ensures solutions serve mobile, diverse communities.
• Massive integration project aims to record every dental visit.
• Lessons could guide international health‑tech initiatives.

Pulse Analysis

New Zealand’s oral‑health landscape is at a pivotal moment as digital health leaders confront a patchwork of legacy systems that hinder comprehensive patient records. By leveraging the momentum of Digital Health Week, Douglas Healey underscored how data silos limit clinicians’ ability to track treatment outcomes and forecast population needs. The push for a unified data architecture aligns with broader national strategies to embed health informatics across all care settings, positioning oral health as a critical component of the country’s overall digital health agenda.

At the heart of the initiative is a focus on true interoperability—standardized data formats, secure exchange protocols, and a governance framework that brings together government agencies, private providers, and community groups. Co‑design workshops are being used to ensure that solutions reflect the realities of a mobile, multicultural population, from rural iwi clinics to urban dental practices. This collaborative approach not only streamlines data capture but also builds trust among stakeholders, a prerequisite for scaling any health‑tech solution in a diverse environment.

The implications extend far beyond New Zealand’s borders. International health systems grappling with fragmented dental records can draw lessons from the NZ model, particularly the emphasis on shared governance and patient‑centric design. As the project moves toward full implementation, measurable benefits—such as reduced duplicate appointments, earlier detection of oral disease, and more accurate public‑health reporting—are expected to drive cost savings and improve outcomes. Ultimately, the success of this effort could serve as a blueprint for integrating other specialty domains into a cohesive, data‑driven health ecosystem.

Original Description

“If we're not recording them, then we're really not helping what the next session looks like and the next session.” 🦷

Douglas Healey, Manager of Hauora ICT at Te Whatu Ora, shares insights into the critical challenges of New Zealand’s oral health digital systems during Digital Health Week. During this interview at Digital Health Week in Christchurch, hosted by Health Informatics New Zealand (HiNZ), Douglas highlights the urgent need for collaboration, data interoperability, and co-design to improve oral health outcomes across the country.

How do we bring together fragmented systems, support a mobile and diverse population, and ensure all communities are included in digital health solutions? What does true interoperability in oral health look like, and how can collaborative governance drive meaningful change? Douglas outlines the massive project underway and the lessons that extend beyond borders — but what are the next steps, and could your health system benefit from the NZ approach?

Catch this conversation and many others recorded during Digital Health Week in Christchurch, hosted by Health Informatics New Zealand (HiNZ) in a special playlist available here on YouTube under our channel. as well as the Talking HealthTech Podcast on your favourite platform.

#digitalhealth #healthtech #oralhealth #interoperability #co-design