Reflections from NZPSHA 2025

30 Sep 2025

Leadership, Partnerships and the Future of Care

HardyGroup was proud to exhibit at the New Zealand Private Surgical Hospitals Association (NZPSHA) Conference in Auckland this month. It was a privilege to connect with delegates across the sector — people doing such important work, all with a shared focus on strengthening leadership in our industry. One of the highlights at our stand was offering complimentary professional headshots with a photographer. This created a relaxed way to connect with delegates, while giving them something of lasting value for their professional presence online. It sparked some great kōrero about careers, leadership, and the importance of investing in how we show up as professionals.

The programme itself brought together a range of perspectives that spoke directly to the challenges and opportunities facing health leaders today. Dr Jonathan Hoogerbrug emphasised the evolving demands on medical leadership, particularly in balancing people, process and technology to enable sustainable change. Giselle McLachlan highlighted the vital role governance plays in setting direction and building constructive board cultures. Amanda Williamson offered a thought-provoking perspective on the rise of artificial intelligence, urging leaders to prepare for change while ensuring ethical and safe adoption. (Her AI tips, I have already started to practice personally.) And Health Minister Simeon Brown’s announcement of long-term partnership agreements between Health New Zealand and private hospitals signalled a major policy shift that will shape how organisations plan, invest and collaborate over the next decade.

Taken together, the conference reinforced the importance of leadership that can operate at multiple levels: clinical and operational, strategic and governance, innovative and collaborative. Whether it is guiding teams through technological change, strengthening boards, or navigating new public-private partnerships, the sector needs leaders with courage, adaptability and a system-wide view.

We left the conference energised by the conversations we had and the strong alignment between these themes and our purpose: developing leaders, supporting boards, and connecting the right people to the right roles. We look forward to continuing these conversations and helping the sector build the leadership capacity it needs for the future.

If you would like to learn more about HardyGroup and our mission of finding and growing great leaders, or you’d simply like to connect about the opportunities and challenges we’re all navigating in health, please feel free to reach out by email, book a meeting, or connect with me on LinkedIn.

David Price is the National Manager of HG New Zealand. He is an internationally experienced senior leader and healthcare innovator known for pioneering system design, co-design, and patient experience reform across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.