October 2026 (ebook to follow November 2026)
$49.99
288pp, paperback
230 x 170mm
ISBN: 978-1-98-850356-1
Across the world, organisations and public systems are under strain – facing rising demand, constrained resources and reforms that seldom deliver lasting improvement. One System tells the inside story of a rare exception.
Over more than a decade, Canterbury radically reimagined how its health system could work. The aim was simple: to act as one system, organised around people rather than institutions. This new way of working was tested under the most difficult conditions: the Canterbury earthquakes, the Christchurch mosque attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Written by two of those who led the work, One System offers a candid and practical account of enabling transformation in real conditions, under constant pressure and without the illusion of a perfect master plan. Grounded in health care but relevant far beyond it, One System is for leaders, clinicians, governors, policymakers and anyone grappling with change in a complex system.
David Meates MNZM is an internationally recognised health system leader and former Chief Executive of the Canterbury and West Coast District Health Boards. Over more than a decade, with responsibility for a workforce of 18,000 people, he led the transformation of the Canterbury Health System from a mix of fragmented services into an integrated system organised around people, shared purpose and collective responsibility. David now advises boards and leaders across sectors on governance, leadership and how to achieve lasting change in complex systems.
Carolyn Gullery is a New Zealand health system leader and strategist in service redesign and commissioning who has gained international recognition. When she was Executive Director of Planning, Funding and Decision Support for the Canterbury and West Coast District Health Boards, she was accountable for a $1.8 billion annual budget and designed the alliancing, funding and information foundations on which the transformation of the Canterbury Health System depended. Carolyn now advises health systems and organisations around the world on analytics, commissioning and integrated care.
“Many books, articles and reports have been written about the transformation of health care organisations but few by those responsible for leading this work. David Meates and Carolyn Gullery are among those few, having been at the heart of the transformation of Canterbury District Health Board in Christchurch, New Zealand. […] While it is rooted in a particular time and place, Canterbury’s story has international resonance. Health systems everywhere face the challenge of ageing populations, the changing burden of disease and constrained resources. Their central challenge is how to transform legacy systems into care that is fit for the future. This book offers hope by showing what is possible when leadership is distributed, improvement is grounded in people and relationships, and change is approached not as a project but as a continuous, shared endeavour.”
From the Foreword by Professor Sir Chris Ham. Professor Sir Chris Ham is one of the UK’s leading health policy thinkers and system leaders. Former Chief Executive of the King’s Fund, he has been a prominent advocate for integrated care, population health and system leadership.
“What makes this story remarkable is not simply the scale of the change but the way it happened: through a deep cultural transformation, from hierarchy to a connected network built on trust, empowerment, communication and shared purpose. […] This book is a rich and detailed account by two crucial participants who had both the authority and the resolve to initiate the Canterbury Way and support it over many years. […] Its principles reach well beyond Canterbury and beyond health. […] This book will naturally appeal to people interested in health systems and allied services. But its lessons extend much further, to public policy, social services and public sector management more generally.”
From the Afterword by Dr Graham Scott CB. Dr Graham Scott CB is one of New Zealand’s most influential public policy and economic reform leaders. A former Secretary to the Treasury, Chair of the New Zealand Health Funding Authority and Commissioner on the Productivity Commission, he has played a leadership role in shaping modern public sector reform, health policy and other policies.
