In this episode, Technology Partner Tom Maasland is joined by Special Counsel Liz Rowe, a specialist in retirement villages and aged care, to discuss the rapid rise of age tech and why it matters so much for New Zealand.
[00:54] Tom and Liz consider how New Zealand and the wider world are facing significant demographic shifts, with rapidly aging populations placing pressure on healthcare, housing and workforce systems that were not designed with this in mind, making age tech an essential part of future planning.
[02:47] They discuss how age tech is moving beyond a niche area of health tech into a recognised standalone sector, with growing global investment and policy focus as governments and industries search for scalable solutions to support their ageing populations.
[03:41] Liz talks about what age tech looks like in everyday use and how many technologies are already embedded in daily life, including wearables for fall detection and health monitoring, telehealth platforms, and voice assistants that support medication reminders and emergency alerts, improving safety and accessibility of care.
[04:45] They discuss how an ageing workforce is also in itself creating pressure on the health system and how age tech can help alleviate some of those pressures.
[06:35] Liz talks about advanced technologies already in use overseas such as transfer robots, mobility-support exoskeletons and smart monitoring systems, all designed to enable people to age safely at home while reducing strain on caregivers.
[09:29] Tom and Liz, discuss the key challenges to adoption, including high costs, resistance to change, inequality in access, privacy and consent concerns. They then canvas some potential solutions such as subsidies, regulatory sandboxes, in addition to a coordinated all-of-government approach.
Information in this episode is accurate as at the date of recording, 28 May 2026.
Please contact Tom Maasland, Liz Rowe or our Corporate team if you need legal advice and guidance on any of the topics discussed in the episode.
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