New Zealand Health IT Cluster Inc.
www.healthit.org.nz
Media release
7 October 2013
America’s Cup delivers wins for NZ Health Technologies Industry
America’s Cup events in San Francisco and Washington DC showcasing New Zealand health technologies delivered significant
wins for the industry in the highly competitive US market, NZ Health IT Cluster Chief Executive Dougal McKechnie said
today.
“Emirates Team New Zealand is tremendously well respected and admired on both the West and East coasts of the US so the
opportunity to connect the leaders of our health technologies sector with investors, partners and health industry
leaders around the America’s Cup Regatta was too good to miss,” Dougal McKechnie said.
“Our universities, research institutions, medical device and health IT companies work closely with the health system in
New Zealand to find innovative solutions to solve healthcare challenges. That leads to rich collaboration between
clinicians, healthcare providers, and the research, policy and commercial sectors, giving us a natural advantage when
approaching a healthcare market as large and diverse as that of the US.”
The New Zealand health technologies industry exports to over 30 health systems around the world and generates around
$NZ800 million in export revenues per annum.
Dougal McKechnie said the New Zealand Health Technologies Showcase held in San Francisco presented 15 leading companies
in health IT and medical devices, and a number of prestigious research organisations, to the leaders of around 100
companies and organisations in the Californian healthcare sector.
The event was jointly organised by the Medical Technology Association of New Zealand and the New Zealand Health IT
Cluster, with the significant support and input from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
“The Washington DC programme had a different focus on Military healthcare and provided unprecedented access to
influential decision makers and experts in the US military health system which is a potentially significant and largely
untapped market for us,” Angela Pantano of the Medical Technology Association of New Zealand said.
Angela Pantano said both East coast and West coast aspects of the mission have been a year in development and would not
have been possible without the work of both organisations and the extraordinary work of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
and their connections in both California and Washington.
“The venture was a resounding success and the good will toward the participating companies and organisations, and toward
New Zealand, was really quite astonishing, delivering business opportunities beyond our expectations,” Dougal McKechnie
said.
ENDS
Note for editors:
The New Zealand Health IT industry comprises around 200 local and off-shore companies and organisations involved in health IT, comprising
software and solution developers, consultants, health policy makers, health funders, infrastructure companies,
healthcare providers, and academic institutions.
The Medical Technology Association of New Zealand (MTANZ) is the leading industry body representing medical technology manufacturers, importers and distributors of medical
devices in New Zealand. MTANZ supports New Zealand researchers and manufacturers in developing medical devices for
international markets.
Participating companies (San Francisco): Pacific Edge, Molemap, Atlantis Healthcare, Mesynthes, Otago University, Fisher
and Paykel Healthcare, Uniservices, Nexus6, Zephyr Technologies, Stretchsense, Callaghan Innovation, ARANZ Medical, HSA
Global, Orion Health, McKesson.
Participating companies (Washington DC): Pacific Edge, Molemap, Otago University, Uniservices, Zephyr Technologies,
Stretchsense, Callaghan Innovation, HSA Global, Orion Health.