Dr Jesse Whitehead, senior research fellow at Waikato's Te Ngira Institute for Population Research team, is spearheading a cross-cultural initiative between Japan and Aotearoa, designing and building resilient, equitable health systems. Photo: Supplied / Jesse Whitehead
A health researcher spearheading a cross-cultural initiative between Japan and Aotearoa said both countries can learn from each other.
A University of Waikato team is in the middle of a two-year project with Hiroshima University. Senior research fellow at Waikato's Te Ngira Institute for Population Research, Dr Jesse Whitehead, said the project's overall purpose was designing and building resilient equitable health systems.
"We have three focuses, one is around improving equitable access to healthcare, climate resilience and being prepared for disasters, and demographic change by aging and immigration."
Both countries had "similar risk profiles ... they are both on the ring of fire, and vulnerable to earthquakes, typhoons and tsunamis".
In late 2024, the Waikato research team visited Japan for on-the-ground insights into healthcare delivery and emergency response.
Whitehead said one standout lesson covered Japan's Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) system which mobilises doctors, nurses, and emergency responders directly to disaster sites rather than waiting for patients to reach hospitals - speeding up treatment and saving lives.
"The level of preparedness is remarkable," Whitehead said.
"Doctors and firefighters arrive on-scene together, enabling immediate triage and reducing preventable deaths. It's a system New Zealand can learn a lot from."
The University of Waikato team is part of a two-year project with Hiroshima University, designing and building resilient, equitable health systems. Photo: Supplied / Jesse Whitehead
Whitehead and his colleagues were also interested in the provincial scholarship system used to ensure a pipeline of doctors for rural areas.
"Each prefecture or region offered two students a scholarship to cover all costs for their medical degree, in return for a commitment to working locally. It's an interesting model that works in their context."
In a reciprocal exchange, researchers from Hiroshima University visited Waikato in early 2025 to explore New Zealand's approaches to healthcare. They were particularly interested in chronic pain management, the role of general practitioners, and the culturally grounded principles that guide care delivery.
Each could learn from the other's population changes, he added.
"Japan is now a super-aged society, with well over 21 percent of its population aged 65 and over - a milestone New Zealand is expected to hit by the early 2030s."
Conversely, Japan could benefit from New Zealand's approach to immigration as a solution to its workload crises in the face of its ageing population.
Whitehead said Japan was also one of few countries where doctors are trained in both Eastern and Western medicine, with traditional Japanese medicines playing a role in emergencies.
"In the 2011 tsunami, the easiest thing for people to access was traditional medicine because they didn't need a prescription. It alleviates some of the immediate symptoms they were facing as well as stress, which is often the biggest health challenge people face after such an event."
This had parallels with the potential of Rongoā Māori, the traditional Māori healing system, in Aotearoa, he added.
Japan's rural communities used traditional hubs called Kouminkan, which were a place to meet and socialise.
"New Zealand can be a bit disconnected so it would be great to get public resources for people to come together like that," Whitehead said.
"However marae already play an important role in disaster response, as evacuation places, and Japan could learn from that."
'What's a waiting list?'
Whitehead said he was not sure if Japan's health system was "better per se, but it is different" compared to New Zealand's.
It has a mandatory health scheme, similar to Britain's National Health Service, which means 80 percent of any medical or health costs are covered because they are funded directly from wages.
"So they were quite shocked at some of our access issues we have here.
"The first meeting I said, 'What are your waiting lists like in Japan?' They said, 'What's a waiting list?'
"It's a totally different system. Having said that, their ageing population means there are probably future issues coming. How do you actually deliver those health services - and who pays for them?"
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