Telehealth service provider Whakarongorau Aotearoa is the latest company to sign up for Microsoft's upcoming cloud region in New Zealand.
Whakarongorau Aotearoa will become an anchor tenant of the upcoming region which will involve migrating its core Spectrum Telehealth System into a single cloud-native platform, as reported by Reseller News.
The move is hoped to enable Whakarongorau Aotearoa to scale as necessary while housing data securely in New Zealand. The company will be using Microsoft's global cloud technologies across its systems and processes.
“With the new hyperscale cloud region, we’re not only scaling our services but transforming the way we provide care into the future,” said Mike Mulvaney, CIO of Whakarongorau. “This agreement with Microsoft will allow us to deliver secure, seamless services across digital and AI platforms, ensuring we meet New Zealanders’ needs wherever they are.”
Whakarongorau provides more than 35 health and mental health services and was used by one in four people in New Zealand across the fiscal year 2024.
Following the establishment of a cloud platform, Whakarongorau will focus on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) tools into its service - including real-time transcription and sentiment analysis.
“This is more than a technology change; it’s a fundamental shift in how telehealth is delivered in Aotearoa,” said Mulvaney. “With flexible, scalable technology powered by Microsoft Azure, we are driving innovation with emerging technologies to make informed, proactive decisions that lead to better health outcomes.”
Other organizations to have selected Microsoft's upcoming cloud region in New Zealand include Fonterra, Auckland Transport, Te Tumu Paeroa, CCL, BNZ, ASB, PwC, and the Accident Compensation Corporation.
Microsoft first announced plans to develop a data center region in New Zealand in May 2020, receiving approval in September of that year. In 2022, the company revealed that the cloud region would be powered by 100 percent renewable energy, later signing a 51MW geothermal PPA with Contact Energy. The region is expected to be operational in late 2024.
