Full Breakdown
Minister Calls for Expanded AI Adoption at Pharmac
6/26/2026, 10:22:04 PM
Core Request and Rationale
Health Minister David Seymour sent a formal letter to Pharmac chairwoman Paula Bennett urging the agency to broaden its use of artificial intelligence (AI) across core functions. Seymour argued that AI can accelerate data processing, improve decision-making speed, and free staff to focus on “the human touch,” thereby making the organization more humane.
Existing AI Use at Pharmac
Pharmac’s AI activities are presently confined to Microsoft’s Co-Pilot platform, for which the agency holds 20 licences. The tool is employed to draft documents and analyse data, but its application remains limited to these tasks.
Key Stakeholders
- David Seymour – Minister of Health, initiator of the AI expansion request.
- Paula Bennett – Chairwoman of Pharmac, recipient of the minister’s letter.
- Maria Robertson – Corporate Services Director at Pharmac, responsible for AI implementation oversight.
- Microsoft Co-Pilot – The AI software currently in use.
Quantitative Snapshot
- 20 Co-Pilot licences in operation.
- AI tools are used without patient-identifiable data.
- No additional AI systems beyond Co-Pilot have been reported.
Official Positions and Responses
Seymour emphasized that AI is still in its infancy but essential for New Zealand to remain a rapid adopter of emerging technology. He highlighted AI’s potential in “horizon-scanning” to evaluate new medicines against national health data, suggesting that AI could replace manual processing that has long been required.
Pharmac’s corporate services director Maria Robertson affirmed that the agency’s approach is to “start small and build over time,” focusing on practical uses such as personal productivity, knowledge retrieval, analytics, forecasting and operational decision support. She also confirmed that patient-identifiable information is excluded from current AI tools.
Criticism and Concerns
Seymour acknowledged that AI adoption has generated “fear and anxiety” among some staff, attributing this reaction to unfamiliarity with powerful new technology. The concern centers on potential misunderstandings rather than explicit opposition to the initiative.
Data Gaps and Uncertainties
Public sources do not detail specific AI projects beyond the existing Co-Pilot deployment, nor do they provide timelines for expanded use. Metrics on anticipated efficiency gains or cost-benefit analyses have not been disclosed.
Verbatim Quotes
- “They can do an awful lot of work to crunch down that data and store it and manipulate it and come to recommendations faster with the use of AI than they can without it,” — David Seymour, Minister of Health
- “It always creates fear and anxiety when something unfamiliar and seemingly powerful comes along.” — David Seymour, Minister of Health
- “This may well make Pharmac a more humane organisation because the nerd work, for want of a better term, can be done by machines, while the human touch is there to be given by the people.” — David Seymour, Minister of Health
- “ In a statement, Pharmac corporate services director Maria Robertson said patient-identifiable data was not used within Pharmac’s AI tools.” — Maria Robertson, Corporate Services Director, Pharmac
- “For example, how to use it to further improve personal productivity, knowledge retrieval, analytics, forecasting and operational decision support.” — Maria Robertson, Corporate Services Director, Pharmac
Outlook and Next Steps
Seymour expects Pharmac to integrate AI more extensively, particularly in horizon-scanning and operational decision support. Robertson’s incremental strategy suggests future expansion will be measured and privacy-focused, though concrete milestones remain unspecified.
