When a major cyber breach occurs, like the one involving Manage My Health in the closing days of 2025, the public debate follows a familiar pattern. Everyone has something to say, even though very little reliable information is available at the time.

The hype cycle around artificial intelligence has reached full saturation, and nowhere is that more evident than in global health. To the outside world, it can look like we are in the middle of a speculative gold rush: ballooning valuations, convoluted financing structures reminiscent of pre-GFC exuberance, and a relentless push to secure every last chip on the planet.

When we first released our eBook, A Practical Guide to AI Adoption for Health Leaders in New Zealand, AI in healthcare was already gathering momentum, but it still felt a bit new and often misunderstood. Since then, a lot has happened. Some AI releases have been genuinely impressive; others have fallen short. The hype has softened, scepticism has grown in some quarters, but beneath the noise one trend is undeniable: AI in healthcare is not slowing down. It's accelerating.

Digital Health Week, hosted by Health Informatics New Zealand (HINZ) at Te Pae in Christchurch, opened with a set of keynotes that offered both a clear-eyed assessment of the current state of New Zealand’s health technology and an outline of a long-term plan to improve it.

In this episode of The CIO Studio Podcast, CIO Studio’s Ray Delany sits down with Rod Hall, founder of Tranzsoft and long-time innovator in supply chain digitisation and primary care procurement.

I’ve been following Radically and Edwin Dando for a while now, so it was a real privilege to attend the Adaptive Conference at the Marriott in Auckland this week. The conference was all about exploring how to lead, scale and build organisations that thrive in a rapidly evolving and complex world. And it did not disappoint.

The narrative surrounding Artificial Intelligence often feels polarised: a dizzying "back-and-forth tennis rally between hype and disillusionment". On one side, we hear about major tech companies pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into sprawling data centres and chasing "super-intelligence". On the other, we see reports of underwhelming new products and organisations spending $US30-40 billion on generative AI with little to no return.

In this episode of The CIO Studio Podcast, CIO Studio’s Ray Delany sits down with Jess Morgan-French, CEO of Collaborative Aotearoa and a leader with deep experience in health system collaboration and community care.

The potential of AI in healthcare is real: faster triage, earlier diagnoses, better use of stretched resources. But so are the risks. When used without care, AI can embed bias, reduce transparency, or even compromise patient trust. That's why good governance is not a barrier to innovation, it's the foundation of it.

At the TUANZ Tech Summit on 10 September 2025, two keynote speakers, educator Frances Valentine and the Prime Minister's Science Advisor Dr John Roche, delivered what felt less like speeches and more like a national call to arms. Listening to them back-to-back was to experience a one-two punch of exhilarating possibility and sobering reality.

It's a question that often sits just beneath the surface: "Is AI coming for my job?" For clinicians, that fear is understandable. The media often paints AI as a substitute for expertise, an all-knowing machine that might one day replace human decision-making.

In this episode of The CIO Studio Podcast, CIO Studio’s Ray Delany sits down with Jess Morgan-French, CEO of Collaborative Aotearoa and a leader with deep experience in health system collaboration and community care.

Ask any clinician what's eating into their day, and you'll likely get the same answer: admin. Clinical notes. Letters. Repeat forms. Reporting. And unfortunately, the admin often continues at home, after hours. One estimate suggests doctors spend up to 40% of their time documenting care. That's not time spent with patients, or taking a breath between appointments. But that's starting to change.

Mention artificial intelligence in healthcare and most people picture diagnostics, predictive models, or robotic surgery. But here in New Zealand and Australia, the real success stories often begin somewhere much simpler - the back office.

There’s no denying it - AI is exciting. Every week brings a new vendor demo, a breakthrough story, a shiny solution. And for busy healthcare leaders, it’s tempting to leap toward the tool that promises quick wins.

AI is transforming healthcare in New Zealand and Australia. From smarter workflows to improved patient care, see how providers are using AI to get real results—and what to consider before you start.

Repromed, one of New Zealand's leading fertility clinics, helps clients fulfil their dreams of parenthood.

Meetings: the modern workplace’s favourite way to avoid doing real work. If yours feel like time-wasting marathons, you’re not alone. Here’s how to make them actually useful or skip them altogether.

Reflections on the Collaborative Care Aotearoa Conference, 2025

In a time of real challenge for Aotearoa’s health sector, Ngā Hononga Ora 2025 delivered. This two-day hui brought together bold ideas, deep connection and values-led leadership in service of a more equitable, whānau-centred future.