Tend Welcomes PHO Approval but Calls Time on Outdated System

Tend Health has been approved to become its own Primary Health Organisation (PHO), enabling the company to contract directly with Te Whatu Ora and better serve its rapidly growing enrolled population across New Zealand.

Tend’s integrated network now supports over 80,000 enrolled patients through a single patient record and a unified digital infrastructure, with up to 100,000 more expected to join in the next 12 months. Our model is purpose-built to deliver consistent, high-quality care at scale.

This milestone reflects years of focused investment in our clinics and digital infrastructure. We’ve built a powerful platform that enables seamless virtual and in-person care, driven by a single patient record and real-time health data.

By embedding measurable outcomes, smarter decision support, and enhanced continuity of care, we’re already delivering services well beyond the traditional PHO remit, making care more proactive, equitable, and effective for the communities we serve.

Becoming our own PHO marks a significant milestone in Tend’s mission to provide accessible, modern, and patient-centred healthcare. It enables us to streamline funding flows, reduce unnecessary administrative layers, and deliver more coordinated, efficient care across the communities we serve.

“We welcome this step and see it as a natural extension of the work we’re already doing to deliver more integrated, accessible, and patient-centred primary care. We're proud to be trusted to take a more direct role in shaping the future of healthcare” said Cecilia Robinson, Co-CEO of Tend. “But the job is far from done. The current PHO model is outdated, fragmented, and increasingly disconnected from the needs of modern general practice. It’s time to flip the power dynamic, primary care providers should have the choice to commission PHOs for support, not the other way around.”

This position echoes the findings of the 2020 Health and Disability System Review, which recommended enabling general practices to contract directly with the government, a shift that would streamline funding and improve accountability across the sector.

“We believe in a future where all general practices, regardless of size or structure, can contract directly with Te Whatu Ora,” Robinson said. “That’s how we’ll drive more funding to the frontline, support equity and innovation, and ultimately improve the health care experience for every New Zealander. Until that happens, we’re working within a dysfunctional system well past its use-by date.”

Tend acknowledges the support and collaboration of Te Whatu Ora in reaching this milestone and remains committed to working alongside Te Whatu Ora and other sector partners to modernise New Zealand’s primary care system, putting patients, not bureaucracy, at the centre.

Further details:

When will this come into effect?
The current practices which we have given notice on will transition by 1 July 2025.

How many patients will experience the benefit of this new PHO?
Initially, around 80,000 enrolled Tend patients will be transitioned, with an estimated additional 100,000 patients expected to move across over the following 12 months.

How does this benefit patients?
Tend patients benefit from a more coordinated, seamless healthcare experience, with services delivered through a single patient record and unified digital infrastructure. This enables continuity of care, easier access to after-hours, 24/7 support, faster referrals, and a more personalised care approach based on comprehensive health data.

How does this benefit clinicians?
Clinicians gain access to a centralised, integrated digital system that reduces administrative burden and improves clinical workflows. It also enhances data-driven decision-making, supports team-based care, and gives clinicians better visibility of a patient’s health journey across the network.

You say that Tend already operates as a PHO, can you give examples of this?
Yes, Tend already delivers many core PHO functions including:

• Enrolment and capitation management
• After-hours clinical care coordination
• Health promotion and education via digital and in-person channels
• Clinical governance and quality improvement initiatives
• Population health programmes, including screening and immunisation outreach
• Data reporting to Te Whatu Ora

What type of after-hours services does Tend provide?
Tend provides 24/7 access to care through a mix of online consultations, phone triage, and extended in-person hours at select clinics.