Every day, more than 5,000 people across Aotearoa rely on Whakarongorau Aotearoa for critical health and wellbeing support. From Healthline to mental health services, the organisation provides a digital front door for New Zealanders seeking timely, trusted care. Now, thanks to a strategic cloud migration led by Valentia Technologies, that care is more secure, scalable, and future-ready than ever.
Building Resilience Behind the Scenes
As demand for virtual care continues to rise, the need for reliable and responsive digital infrastructure has never been greater. Whakarongorau Aotearoa supports over two million contacts each year, and during peak periods—such as winter flu season—services like Healthline can help more than 100,000 people in a single month, diverting thousands from emergency departments.
To ensure this essential service remains robust and responsive, Whakarongorau partnered with Valentia Technologies to deliver a full-scale infrastructure transformation. The result: a successful migration of national telehealth systems to the Microsoft Azure NZ North Region, delivered with no disruption to the 24/7 services that so many New Zealanders depend on.
A Partnership Rooted in Trust and Shared Purpose
Valentia led the programme end to end as Whakarongorau’s strategic cloud transformation partner. From early-stage planning to go-live, the work was shaped by strong collaboration, shared accountability, and a deep commitment to maintaining continuity of care.
“Our teams worked side by side from day one—through design, build, and cutover,” said Malik Rizwan, spokesperson for Valentia Technologies. “This partnership ensured continuity for users and laid a strong foundation for what comes next.”
The multidisciplinary team brought together experts from both organisations, including security specialists, infrastructure architects, DevOps engineers, developers, testers, business analysts, and project managers. Together, they co-designed a secure and scalable Azure blueprint tailored for health-critical workloads.
Seamless Transition, Continuous Care
Because of the close collaboration between Valentia and Whakarongorau, callers never experienced a pause in service. The migration was executed with precision and care, ensuring uninterrupted support for individuals seeking help—day or night.
“This modernisation means we are better equipped to meet New Zealanders where they are—with faster, more reliable access to care,” said Anna Campbell, Chief Support Services Officer, Whakarongorau Aotearoa. “Valentia’s commitment, technical leadership, and consistent communication helped us stay aligned and focused throughout the programme.”
Laying the Groundwork for What Comes Next
Operating in a modern cloud environment now allows Whakarongorau Aotearoa to move faster on its broader digital roadmap. New developments include AI-powered automation, improved triage and scheduling tools, expanded engagement via digital channels like SMS and social media, and stronger interoperability across systems.
Importantly, the shift enables Whakarongorau to continue personalising services, increasing access, and improving outcomes for diverse communities across Aotearoa.
Lessons That Transcend Sectors
The migration also provides valuable lessons for other public service and healthcare organisations:
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Co-design and collaboration: Early alignment between technical and business teams helped shape a solution built for both current needs and future growth.
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Cross-disciplinary teamwork: Success depended on integrated collaboration between engineers, security leads, analysts, and project managers—a model that can be applied to other complex transformations.
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Best practices in cloud migration: The structured, security-first approach enabled a seamless transition of critical services without disruption.
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Operational continuity: Service users experienced no downtime, a key lesson for any organisation delivering essential services during digital transformation.
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Security and compliance: With health data at the core, every decision prioritised safety, privacy, and regulatory alignment.
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Feedback-driven improvement: Real-time feedback and post-migration performance tracking are now shaping continuous enhancements across the service.
A Shared Vision for Accessible Care
Ultimately, the success of this programme is not just about infrastructure—it is about people. It reflects the shared commitment of Valentia and Whakarongorau Aotearoa to deliver more equitable, accessible, and resilient care for every person in Aotearoa.
“Every step of this journey has been about improving access to care and building systems that support people when they need it most,” said Malik Rizwan. “We are just getting started.”
