New Zealand Transport Minister Simeon Brown is taking over heath from Dr Shane Reti following a state change. On Sunday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the appointment of Brown to direct Health as it marks 2025 a time when healthiness is a “priority place. ” “[ I have ] heard Kiwis ’ concerns that they expect to see even more progress – ensuring they can access the care they need, when they need it. To give on that desire, I have decided Simeon Brown may be Minister of Health,” the prime minister said. ” I completely respect his decision, and I will maintain a productive change to Minister Brown,” Dr Reti, who is New Zealand’s first Polynesian health secretary, said about the Cabinet reshuffle in a Twitter post. Dr Reti may then hold portfolios in colleges and the technology sector. In a LinkedIn article, Brown said his “absolute focus” may be “ensuring fast, excellent care for all New Zealanders. “” New Zealanders rightly expect access to timely, value healthcare—whether it ’s getting the clinics they need, seeing a GP without much watches, or relying on a health system that meets their needs. My target as secretary is on ensuring these expectations are met, and addressing these issues will be my goal,” explained Brown, whose positions in transport, power, and the local authorities are then handed to other ministers. THE LARGER CONTEXTDealing with challenges in healthcare delivery, Te Whatu Ora ( Health New Zealand ) had to take out some funding for digital and data, which sector advocates fear would undermine digital transformation progress over the past few years. It started with the recall of some NZ$ 330 million in funding for digital health initiatives, including the Hira project which has since been paused. Funding for some free telehealth services was also cut. Further NZ$ 100 million was planned to be pulled from other data and digital projects. As part of cost-cutting measures, the government also contemplated letting go of a third of data and digital jobs in public health. ” The ongoing underinvestment in digital health technologies is concerning… the actions taken over the last eight months appear to undermine the progress made in the past five years,” said Digital Health Association chief executive Ryl Jensen in a statement. ” We look forward to working with Simeon Brown and the government to highlight the critical importance of digital health and advocate for solutions to address the current situation. ”