We spoke a lot about Tasmanian politics and culture. A few months into the move, he gained employment at a certain Southern brewery and evolved into a proud Hobartian.

I argued Launceston was the better city. He gently disagreed.

"You know," he said, "People in Hobart think of Launceston the way people from Launceston think about Devonport."

"Devonport!" I shrieked. "That's disgusting!"

Growing up in Tasmania means growing up with an ingrained disdain for the state's other regions.

Working for a publication with a focus on the North has only cemented this for me. It does often seem that the North misses out in favour of the South, but research has pointed its finger at the state's media for deepening unhelpful parochial attitudes.

Chest-beating parochialism undoubtedly kneecaps a state that cannot afford to be kneecapped. Tasmania simply does not have the money to sponsor two football teams or run 29 councils or have politicians catching charter flights across the state.

Health Minister Michael Ferguson has taken up a noble fight in his attempt to draw together the three regional health bureaucracies into a single state-wide service.

"The Hodgman Liberal Government is creating one statewide health system for everyone and putting an end to the days of regional bureaucracies and parochialism in health," Mr Ferguson declared in June.

(Not before adding: "Notwithstanding this, as it happens, there is an even representation of governing council members from each region, with three from the North-West, three from the North, and three from the South, including the chairman."')

The transition was made on July 1 and most health services staff will tell you the difference was not immediately noticeable.

But there are changes to come. The White Paper outlined the direction of the Tasmanian Health Service and the implementation plan, released last month, gave direction for the 53 projects that would make up the reforms.

As with any wide-scale changes, there have been difficulties. Still the THS does not have a permanent head, several months into its existence. Premier Will Hodgman announced last year the creation of a single service would generate $21 million in savings over four years, but business cases for each of the outlined projects have not yet been completed, meaning the government can not yet explain exactly how those savings will be made.

The Launceston General Hospital and Royal Hobart Hospital struggled with a difficult, demanding winter, and North-West residents rightfully fear losing services from their two hospitals.

But like it or love it, all three of us - the South, the North and the North-West - are going to become very well-acquainted in the future as patients and their supports travel from region to region to receive whatever treatment they need.

Eradicating duplication can only be a good thing and, if done properly, the reforms make sense.

But you'll never change my mind on some things. Launceston is still the best of the bunch.