Tāmaki Health launches New Zealand's first AI Health Coach in primary care
Auckland, New Zealand_ One of New Zealand's largest privately owned healthcare providers, Tāmaki Health, has become the country's first primary care organisation to integrate an AI Health Coach into routine patient care, following promising early results showing the technology can improve patients' confidence and capability to manage their own health by up to 75%.
Health Coaches and Health Improvement Practitioners have become one of the most innovative additions to New Zealand's primary healthcare workforce, helping patients make lasting lifestyle and behaviour changes while reducing pressure on GPs. At Tāmaki Health, these roles have demonstrated their ability to improve management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, reduce unnecessary clinic visits and improve health outcomes across all ages and ethnicities.
AI Health Coach has been developed to extend the reach of this proven model - enabling more people to access practical coaching, encouragement and accountability while ensuring clinicians remain focused on patients who need them most.
The rollout represents the first integration of an AI Health Coach within New Zealand primary healthcare, combining AI with Tāmaki Health's established Health Coach service to give patients practical support before, between and after appointments.
A new ‘digital front door’ for primary care
Importantly, the AI Health Coach acts as a 24/7 digital front door, enabling people to begin a health coaching conversation immediately, even before a clinic appointment has been made. For patients who need additional support, the system seamlessly refers them into Tāmaki Health's human Health Coach and clinical teams, creating a hybrid model of care that combines AI with clinicians rather than replacing them. The approach is also expected to improve access, extend the reach of preventative care and support ongoing outcome measurement.
Tāmaki Health Chief Digital Officer Sam Ranchhod says the organisation has spent many years investing in innovative models of primary care and AI Health Coach represents one of the next evolutions. "Primary healthcare cannot simply rely on adding more appointments to meet growing demand. We need new ways to support people earlier, help them stay engaged between appointments and make it easier to access care when they need it."
Dr David Codyre, Clinical Director, Wellness Support Team at Tāmaki Health and Board Member and member of the clinical advisory group at Groov adds that “Most health improvement happens outside the consultation room. The AI Health Coach gives people practical, evidence-based support to turn advice into action, build confidence and sustain healthier behaviours between appointments, while ensuring they can be directed back to human care whenever needed.”
How it works
The AI Health Coach is designed to support lifestyle and behaviour change - the everyday habits that underpin many chronic health conditions in New Zealand. Healthcare professionals and patients will work collaboratively with the AI Health Coach to create personalised action plans, build confidence and develop healthier habits. Conditions AI Health Coach can help with include diabetes, gout, weight loss and anxiety, amongst others. Where physical symptoms, mental distress or requests for additional support are identified, patients are directed back into Tāmaki Health's clinical teams through established referral pathways.
Built on safe, proven AI technology
The AI Health Coach is powered by Groov, the New Zealand digital health company behind Ask Groov - the country's first Health New Zealand-endorsed AI-powered wellbeing guide for adults. Ask Groov has facilitated more than 13,500 AI wellbeing conversations since launch, providing the clinical, safety and operational foundations that enabled the AI Health Coach to be safely developed for primary healthcare. Unlike general-purpose AI systems, the platform has been purpose-built for healthcare using clinically reviewed content, defined escalation pathways and strong privacy, security and governance controls. It has undergone Privacy Impact Assessments, security testing and ISO 27001 certification, with no unsafe AI responses identified during normal use.
Early results deliver meaningful impact
The launch follows encouraging early results from more than 4,500 AI Health Coaching conversations. Users reported an average 32% increase in their confidence and capability to manage their health and wellbeing after a single coaching session. This rises to 75% in month two and users rate the experience 8.5 out of 10 for helpfulness. Improving access to practical, preventative support is particularly important for Māori and Pasifika communities, who continue to experience a disproportionate burden of chronic disease.
Groov Chief Executive Matt Krogstad says the partnership demonstrates how AI can help scale proven models of care safely and responsibly.
"What's exciting isn't simply that we've built an AI Health Coach. It’s that we’re taking a largely brick and mortar delivery model into the AI age with proactive, personalised health for New Zealanders. Many New Zealanders don't necessarily need intensive interventions. They need practical guidance, encouragement and accountability to help them make positive changes before issues become bigger problems. AI gives us an opportunity to provide that support at a scale that has never previously been possible,” explains Krogstad.
Built on New Zealand's primary mental health model
The AI Health Coach has been modelled on New Zealand's Integrated Primary Mental Health and Addiction (IPMHA) programme, adapting evidence-based health coaching principles into a digital experience that supports behaviour change while maintaining clear clinical governance and escalation pathways.
The platform was co-designed with patients and developed alongside Tāmaki Health clinicians and Health Coaches who give ongoing input into conversation design, escalation pathways, action planning and patient experience.
As the pilot rolls out across selected Tāmaki Health clinics, both organisations will evaluate its impact on patient engagement, access, health outcomes and the future role AI can play in supporting primary healthcare delivery across New Zealand.
