Healthpoint and Whakarongorau Aotearoa formalise their partnership

Healthpoint and Whakarongorau Aotearoa // New Zealand Telehealth Services have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalising a long-standing relationship and setting a shared direction for how the two organisations will continue to support whānau to find the right care, at the right time, in an increasingly complex health system.

While the partnership spans more than a decade, the MoU provides a clear framework for future collaboration – strengthening how navigation, triage and trusted information work together across health and social services.

A partnership grounded in stewardship, not ownership

The relationship between Healthpoint and Whakarongorau has developed across national telehealth, after-hours care, mental health, sexual harm services and crisis response.

The MoU affirms a shared approach: not as owners of pathways, but as trusted stewards within a wider health and social services ecosystem – supporting access, navigation and accurate information across the system.

As Healthpoint Chief Executive Officer Kate Rhind notes, health systems can become harder to navigate as new services and tools are added. This partnership is intentionally working toward the opposite future – one where people encounter clearer information, fewer obstacles and less repetition as they move through care.

Whether someone begins with an online search, a call to Healthline about an unwell tamaiti, a text to 1737, or a webchat, they are supported by a system that is increasingly joined-up.

Any door is the right door

At the heart of the partnership is a simple principle: any door is the right door.
The MoU recognises that people seek support in different ways – through telehealth, digital tools, community services or frontline providers. Together, Healthpoint and Whakarongorau will continue to prioritise interoperability, openness and choice, ensuring navigation pathways remain adaptable and responsive to local and national needs.

The agreement also reflects a values-led commitment to equity, cultural safety and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, recognising that whānau experience the health system in different ways and that access must be designed to meet people where they are.

Strengthening integration across the sector

At a time when health system integration and trusted navigation are increasingly critical, the MoU provides clarity and continuity for partners across the sector.

For Whakarongorau Aotearoa, which delivers more than 30 national telehealth services including Healthline, 1737 Need to talk?, and Safe to talk, the agreement honours what has already been built and signals a commitment to strengthening the relationship with intent.

For Healthpoint, whose national directory connects more than one million visitors each month to over 11,000 services, the partnership reinforces its role as a trusted, independent source of validated service information that underpins navigation across digital and frontline care.

Together, the organisations act as kaitiaki – holding information and relationships with care, independence and integrity – and enabling collaboration across government, community, iwi and sector partners.

Looking ahead

The MoU complements existing operational and contractual arrangements and creates space for ongoing discovery, reflection and responsible innovation across health and social services.

It marks a moment to acknowledge what has quietly been working well for more than a decade – and to look ahead with shared intent.

As the health system continues to evolve, Healthpoint and Whakarongorau Aotearoa remain committed to strengthening access, equity and connection across Aotearoa – ensuring that wherever people begin, they are supported by a system that is clearer, more connected and more human.