On 30 June 2026, leaders from across New Zealand and the international digital mental health community gathered in Wellington for the Wellington Digital Mental Health Roundtable, bringing together expertise from government, healthcare, research and industry to explore how digital mental health and artificial intelligence can be safely and effectively implemented at scale.

Hosted through a collaboration between Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, the Ministry of Health New Zealand, and the eMental Health International Collaborative (eMHIC), the Roundtable focused on developing practical pathways towards integrated, equitable and sustainable digital mental health services that better meet the needs of all New Zealanders.

A National Collaboration for System-Wide Change

The Roundtable brought together national and international experts to examine how New Zealand can accelerate the implementation of digital mental health while maintaining strong clinical governance, equity and public trust.

International perspectives were shared by experts including Professor Andrew Greenshaw (University of Alberta), Maureen O’Connor Abbott (Mental Health Commission of Canada), Liz Ashall-Payne (ORCHA) and Elliot Taylor (ThroughLine), alongside leading voices from across New Zealand’s digital mental health sector.

A defining feature of the discussions was New Zealand’s commitment to bicultural design and genuine lived experience co-design. Participants recognised these strengths as central to ensuring digital mental health solutions are meaningful, culturally responsive and designed around the needs of the communities they serve.

Looking Beyond Traditional Models of Care

A recurring theme throughout the day was that digital mental health is about far more than digitising existing clinical services.

Participants discussed the need to rethink how mental health care is designed and delivered, recognising that people’s mental health needs do not fit neatly within traditional business hours. Improving access requires services that are available when and where people need them, whether late at night, on weekends or in rural and remote communities.

The Roundtable explored how digital technologies can help reshape service delivery to provide more timely, flexible and person-centred support.

Preparing for the Future of AI

Artificial intelligence featured prominently throughout the discussions, with participants acknowledging that digital mental health and AI are becoming increasingly interconnected.

Rather than asking whether AI will influence mental healthcare, conversations focused on how health systems can prepare for its responsible adoption. Participants explored the importance of evidence-based implementation, appropriate governance and safety frameworks, while recognising that AI should be evaluated using realistic and proportionate standards that reflect how healthcare is delivered in practice.

The message was clear: the opportunity lies not only in embracing innovation, but in ensuring it is implemented thoughtfully and responsibly from the outset.

Collaboration Across the Sector

The Roundtable showcased the depth of expertise already driving digital mental health innovation across New Zealand.

Contributors included representatives from Health Navigator Charitable Trust, Groov, Whakarongorau Aotearoa (New Zealand Telehealth Services), ProCare, Ember Innovations, Just a Thought, Platform Trust, the Digital Health Association, Propagator, Gore Health Ltd., Asian Health Services, and other organisations working collectively to strengthen access to mental health support nationwide.

Their shared commitment reflected a common understanding that no single organisation can solve today’s mental health challenges alone. Progress depends on partnership across government, healthcare, academia, community organisations, industry and people with lived experience.

Looking Ahead

The Wellington Digital Mental Health Roundtable reinforced New Zealand’s growing leadership in digital mental health implementation.

By combining national collaboration with international expertise, and grounding innovation in bicultural partnership and lived experience, the Roundtable demonstrated how thoughtful system design can help create more equitable, accessible and sustainable mental health services.

As digital mental health and artificial intelligence continue to evolve, the conversations in Wellington highlighted a shared ambition to ensure every New Zealander can access safe, high-quality mental health support when and where they need it most.