NZ Launch of Major Telehealth Platform Set to Free Up Thousands of GP Consultations

The New Zealand launch of one of Australia’s largest telehealth platform providers is expected to play a meaningful role in easing pressure on the country’s overstretched general practice system by shifting thousands of non-urgent consultations online.

The expansion comes at a time when GP shortages are becoming more acute across the country, with workforce data pointing to a widening gap between patient demand and the availability of primary care services.

Telehealth platform arrives as GP shortages deepen

New Zealand currently has just 74 general practitioners per 100,000 people, according to research from the Royal New Zealand College of GPs. This compares unfavourably with Australia, which has 116 GPs per 100,000, and Canada, which sits at 122.

The College has warned that without intervention the situation is likely to worsen. Projections show the GP-to-population ratio could fall to 70 per 100,000 by 2031, placing further strain on community practices already operating at capacity.

Against this backdrop, the New Zealand launch of Sydney-based digital healthcare provider Moshy is designed to divert a significant volume of non-urgent care away from physical clinics and into a scalable telehealth platform model.

How the Moshy telehealth platform works

Moshy operates one of Australia’s fastest-growing digital healthcare platforms, supported by a team of 40 doctors and specialists with the capacity to deliver around 50,000 consultations each year.

In Australia, the platform provides online access to expert care across weight management, skin conditions, sexual health and hair loss. More than 150,000 patients have already used the service, generating hundreds of thousands of consultations that would otherwise have flowed through traditional GP clinics.

For its initial New Zealand rollout, Moshy has established a locally based team of five practitioners supported by 17 ancillary staff. The first phase will focus on GP consultations to support weight loss, with plans to expand into dermatology, travel medicine and general health services over the coming year.

Thousands of GP appointments expected to be diverted

Each patient typically consults multiple times a year. Based on projected uptake, the telehealth platform is expected to divert up to 17,000 in-person GP appointments annually.

This redirection of routine and non-urgent care is intended to free up appointment capacity within bricks-and-mortar practices, improving access for patients with acute or complex conditions who require face-to-face assessment.

Health system efficiency remains a core concern, and digital-first care models are increasingly viewed as a practical way to extract immediate gains without waiting years for additional doctors to be trained.

Addressing access barriers for underserved communities

The service is also positioned to address long-standing access issues identified by public health researchers. According to data from Massey University’s Environmental Health Intelligence New Zealand (EHINZ), nearly 159,000 New Zealanders missed GP care last year due to lack of transport.

Māori, Pasifika, disabled and low-income communities were disproportionately affected, highlighting how physical access continues to shape health outcomes.

Dr Kieran Dang, Moshy’s chief medical officer, says telehealth removes many of these structural barriers.

“Access to telehealth is ‘postcode agnostic’ and removes geographic barriers to care for a wide range of underserved patient cohorts,” says Dr Dang.

“We started the platform to address unmet needs and conditions that are stigmatised, dismissed or overlooked in busy practices.

“We’re not here to replace GPs. We’re here to work alongside them, specialising in areas where we can provide fast, effective care and free up primary care resources.

“In Australia, we’ve delivered hundreds of thousands of consultations and that’s a huge amount of pressure taken off bricks-and-mortar clinics.

“The demand in rural and regional areas has surprised us. These communities are underserved, and telehealth is giving them access they have never had,” he says.

Digital care models offer immediate relief

Dr Dang says one of the biggest challenges facing New Zealand’s health system is the mismatch between rising demand and the limited supply of general practitioners.

“Training new GPs takes years, and the current pipeline cannot keep pace with the population’s escalating health needs, however, digital models of care can potentially provide immediate relief.

“We’re not pretending telehealth is a silver bullet, but it can dramatically reduce pressure on face-to-face services by taking care of common, non-urgent consultations.

“When we collect detailed health histories and patient information in advance, our clinicians can use their time more efficiently. Patients avoid long waitlists for the specific issues they want to chat to us about.

“Longer wait times and the growing financial and opportunity costs of seeing a doctor mean many patients arrive with a list of multiple medical concerns. When this pattern is repeated across patients, the extra time needed to address several issues in each visit compounds, extending appointment lengths, reducing overall availability and adding significant pressure to an already stretched system.

“We expect we will also see patients who are wanting greater privacy with issues they may be too embarrassed to raise with their regular GP, especially in small or rural communities,” says Dr Dang.

Locally registered clinicians delivering care

Dr Anasuya Vishvanath, Moshy NZ clinical lead, says the service will be staffed exclusively by locally registered doctors and nurses.

“Telehealth can take pressure off GPs by handling common, less time-sensitive medical concerns. This gives us more time to deal with serious or complex cases.

“Our model lets us offer a wraparound service without needing to refer out.

“Many of our patients are women juggling families and jobs. A digital consult that fits their schedule makes healthcare more accessible.”

National media coverage and sector impact

The New Zealand launch of the telehealth platform has attracted national media attention, reflecting growing interest in scalable healthcare solutions.

Impact PR perspective

The healthcare sector is undergoing rapid structural change as workforce shortages, demographic shifts and rising patient expectations collide. Telehealth platforms represent one of the most pragmatic responses currently available, delivering immediate capacity gains without undermining traditional care models.

At Impact PR, we work with health and technology companies navigating complex regulatory environments, public trust considerations and national media scrutiny. Successfully positioning innovation in healthcare requires credibility, data-led storytelling and a clear articulation of how new models complement existing systems.

As one of the top PR agencies new zealand organisations turn to for strategic health communications, Impact PR specialises in translating technical healthcare innovation into clear narratives that resonate with policymakers, clinicians and the public.

From digital health platforms to biotech and medical research, our work ensures emerging solutions are understood in context and seen as part of a broader system-wide response rather than a disruptive threat.