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This paper reports on the implementation of electronic referrals (eReferrals) from community to public secondary services in New Zealand, with a focus on contrast and comparison of the knowledge engineering processes of two distinct regional projects with respect to eReferrals in the colorectal domain. The study data was gathered from project documentation, visits to key sites, analysis of electronic transactional records and stakeholder interviews. Both regional projects demonstrated effective processes of engaging hospital and general practice clinicians in developing investigation-specific eReferral forms: one with an iterative approach, and the other with a structured process. These negotiation processes among the participating clinicians have been effective in presenting, integrating and transferring specialised and locally contextualized knowledge. The resulting structured colorectal eReferral forms have shown sustained uptake and acceptance in both regions. The knowledge embedded in the forms clarifies referring criteria and collects appropriate information for referral triage. Involving both specialists and general practitioners in the form development and refinement has been identified as a key to success in both cases. In conclusion, it is critical to facilitate a negotiation process among secondary and community clinicians in order to achieve acceptable eReferral forms.