Abstract
Electronic medical records provide rich datasets for health researchers. Uniformity of software, consistency of data recording and coding allows for better quality data and, therefore, better research. Electronic medical records open up new research possibilities. New Zealand (NZ) legislation and government policy promote data sharing across agencies for research purposes. Research using electronic records is theoretically acceptable to patients and clinicians. NZ general practitioners (GPs) were world pioneers in the use of electronic medical records, and these records have been used for research purposes for many years.