Adam Henley, left, Annette Milligan, Matt Peacey, Paul Devine, Debbie Frost, Nick Baker and Kelly Mahuika were the team that developed the Well Child application for mobile devices.

Kiwi parents can now keep track of their child's health progress and get notified of their vital appointments thanks to a new smart-phone app, the first of its kind in New Zealand.

The Well Child app has been developed by the Nelson Marlborough District Board with funding from the Ministry of Health and is designed to be used along with the Well Child Tamariki Ora My Health book.

Paediatrician Dr Nick Baker said the app will help families keep their kids well by connecting with the right services.

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He said when he began working at the district health board 23 years ago, one of the first things he did was draw a diagram of all the services babies and children need at different ages and the new app presented that information in an accessible way.

"Keeping up to date with issues like immunisation and dental care is vital to prevent diseases and stop problems for the future," he said.

"The services, although free, are quite complex and busy families often have trouble keeping track of when things are due."

Nelson Marlborough District Health Board service manager for women, child and youth Jane Kinsey said the Well Child app had been developed as part of the Ministry of Health funded Maternal and Child Health Integration Project.

"NMDHB was one of three DHBs in the country that were successful in receiving Ministry support to develop systems and processes that demonstrate how maternal and child health services can be better integrated and coordinated," she said.

The app was a collaboration between a Nelson software company, midwives, consumers and health care providers across the district working on behalf of the Top of The South Health Alliance.

Kinsey said the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board was excited to share the new Well Child app with whanau from around the region, as well as throughout the country.

"It's a big change from the small, but precious little Plunket book our parents tucked away as a memento," she said.

* The Well Child app is available as a free download from either iTunes or the Google play store.

* An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the app replaced the Plunket book. The Well Child app is a new option for parents and is not associated with Plunket.