21st WONCA World Rural Health Conference, 10-13 April 2026: Read More – WONCA 2026 | Home
From Paul Walmsley, Practice Manager – Hanmer Springs Health Centre
Hanmer Springs is a small rural alpine village situated within the Hurunui District. This district is notable for being the fourth largest in New Zealand by area, comprising 8,640 square kilometres of predominantly rural land in North Canterbury. The setting provides Hanmer Springs with a distinctive character, shaped by its alpine environment and rural context. The village’s location within such a vast district underscore both its remoteness and its integral role within the wider region.
Hanmer Springs is home to a close-knit community of around 1,000 permanent residents, and each year it enjoys the vibrant energy brought by a substantial seasonal workforce and an impressive 500,000 to 600,000 visitors.
Located in the heart of Hanmer Springs, the charity trust-owned Health Centre serves as both a vital resource for residents and a crucial lifeline for visitors. This is especially true for urgent and emergency care, as Christchurch’s urgent and emergency department(s) are 135 kilometres away, which can mean up to a two-hour drive with no public transport. As a result, local resilience is not optional; it is essential.
Our unique community includes a growing number of older residents, with 23 percent of our enrolled patients aged 65 and over, along with young families, seasonal workers and visitors. There is a clear and increasing need for high-quality health care across a wide range of services, including chronic disease management, urgent and emergency care, and mental health support. The Health Centre, alongside other providers and support from the Waitaha PHO is actively meeting this need with compassion, expertise and continuity of care, reflecting a deep and ongoing commitment to the wellbeing of their community each day, whether permanent residents or visitors.
The Health Centre adopts a team-based approach, with two part-time GPs and a number of part-time nurses, some who work within an extended scope, including prescribing and nurse practitioner roles. Together, they collaborate with a range of local health and wellbeing providers, including the district nurse, local physiotherapist, a non-dispensing pharmacy depot and volunteers from the Community Transport and Meals on Wheels services.
The practice maintains strong local partnerships with our volunteer Hato Hone St John first responders, the local police, the school, and a range of community groups. One example of this collaboration is the stakeholder hui, a meeting held at the Health Centre, which brings together representatives from the local police, the school, and Together Hurunui to discuss shared priorities and strengthen community wellbeing.
Through collaboration, partnerships and engagement with the Hanmer community, it makes integrated health care truly “shaped by Hanmer, for Hanmer.”
While recognising the irreplaceable value of in-person care, the Health Centre also uses telehealth services when appropriate. A meaningful example is in end-of-life care, where the Centre involves the patient directly and works closely with external providers such as Nurse Maude and Older Persons Health, as well as the patient’s family, both locally and across New Zealand. This approach ensures compassionate and coordinated virtual support that respects the patient’s needs and wishes.
The Health Centre operates around the clock, every day of the year, providing both urgent and emergency care, including urgent and emergency after-hours services. All after-hours calls are initially directed to the Ka Ora nurse triage service, which then refers them to the Health Centre’s on-call clinician for follow-up and, if appropriate, in-person care.
Local doctors and nurses, supplemented by some ‘out-of-towners’ clinicians such as nurse practitioners, extended care paramedics and critical nurse specialists, respond solo as PRIME (Primary Response in Medical Emergencies) providers when paged by Hato Hone St John to attend 111 calls. In the last 12 months the centre has received 187 PRIME calls for Hanmer Springs and additional calls for another health centre it provides after-hour support for. The team is proud to be recognised by Health NZ as one of New Zealand’s leading ‘see and treat’ PRIME teams, thereby reducing presentations at Christchurch ED.
They respond to incidents within the village, in remote backcountry areas, or along the Lewis Pass, where radio and mobile reception are often unavailable. PRIME is a vital safety net in rural New Zealand where ambulances may be delayed, and in Hanmer’s case, the hospital is nearly two hours away. The clinical team is trained to respond to both trauma and medical emergencies at any time of the day or night. Whether it’s stabilising a crash victim on a remote roadside or supporting someone through a cardiac event at home, the PRIME responders are there, with limited backup and often in challenging conditions.
This vital work is made possible through strong collaboration with our community volunteer fire brigade, a very small group of volunteer Hato Hone St John first responders and local police to deliver coordinated and compassionate care in rural emergencies. This collaboration is especially vital during motor vehicle accidents, cardiac arrests or when establishing a safe landing zone for a helicopter to transport critically ill or injured patients to the hospital.
A community-led initiative is underway to build a permanent all-weather helipad and pathway with direct access to the Health Centre. The Hanmer Springs Community Trust, which owns the Health Centre, is spearheading the project. While major donors will contribute most of the funding, the Trust is inviting the local community to help raise $50,000 to bring this vital infrastructure to life. Once completed, the helipad will boost emergency response capability by enabling at least 20% more rescue helicopter landings. It will also allow for faster, more efficient delivery of critical medical care and reduce reliance on volunteer firefighters to illuminate temporary landing zones.
The Health Centre took a financial risk by recruiting an Extended Care Paramedic (ECP) in 2021, before legislative changes enabled ACC to formally recognise Paramedics as health care providers and reimburse treatment costs. That risk paid off when the legislation changed at the end of 2024, which now allows paramedics to be formally recognised as health care providers and PRIME responders. This update is a game-changer for rural communities like Hanmer Springs, where timely access to emergency care can be limited due to distance and resources. This not only enhances the care they can offer their local community but also ensures that paramedic services are properly compensated, allowing them to further integrate into the practice’s healthcare delivery model. The health centre has recently added another local Paramedic on a casual basis to further strengthen and support their urgent and emergency workforce.
Urgent and emergency care is a lifeline for rural communities yet it continues to be underfunded, placing pressure on staff and limiting the potential of what could be achieved with adequate support. With sustained investment, the Health Centre can enhance staff training, upgrade essential medical equipment and expand the delivery of services closer to home. Ultimately saving more lives and helping to reduce rural health inequities.
This service is a clear example of rural teams consistently delivering above and beyond, despite being financially stretched. Fortunately, they had the opportunity to contribute to Health New Zealand’s redesign of rural urgent and unplanned care, including the PRIME programme. They are hopeful that many of the innovative, community-driven solutions proposed will be appropriately funded and implemented where they are needed most.
One of the Health Centre’s proudest innovations has been the introduction of a mobile digital in-house extremity X-ray service, developed in partnership with Christchurch Hospital Radiology.
Recognising the burden patients faced in travelling long distances for basic imaging, Hanmer’s Health Centre worked with the hospital radiology team to receive training and support for their clinical staff. Christchurch Hospital radiologists continue to provide oversight and quality review of their imaging, ensuring high standards are maintained while care is delivered locally.
This partnership has not only improved access and reduced delays but also strengthened the health centre’s diagnostic capability on-site. It’s a model that shows how rural and urban services can work together to bring equity closer to home.
Rural health centres, such as Hanmer Springs, are the backbone of many New Zealand communities. Yet, they are also among the most vulnerable when it comes to staffing changes. A single GP retirement, a nurse moving away, or a locum cancelling at the last minute can disrupt care and place immense pressure on remaining staff. Succession planning is not just about preparing for the future! It is about safeguarding the continuity of care that rural communities depend on.
This is why the Health Centre takes a proactive and comprehensive approach to workforce sustainability, including:
The Integrated Model of Care allows Hanmer Springs Health Centre to deliver vital, community-shaped healthcare that enhances wellbeing, safety and resilience for both residents and visitors. By integrating general practice, urgent and emergency care, telehealth and partnerships with local services, the Centre ensures timely, compassionate, and coordinated care despite its rural isolation.
Its proactive workforce planning and investment in nurse and paramedic development strengthen continuity and sustainability, while collaboration with St John, Police, and community groups fosters a safer, more connected village.
Innovations such as the mobile digital X-ray service and the planned helipad have brought essential diagnostics and emergency response capability closer to home, reducing the need for long trips to Christchurch and improving health outcomes.
Together, these initiatives provide tangible benefits, from faster emergency responses and improved access to care, to greater health equity and community confidence in their local health system.
Current funding models, largely designed for urban settings, do not reflect the realities of providing integrated health care in rural communities. Rural practices such as Hanmer Springs face distinctive challenges, including higher costs associated with recruiting and housing staff, maintaining essential services across large geographic areas, and managing long travel distances for both clinicians and patients. These unique pressures stretch already limited budgets and can threaten the sustainability of local health services.
Technology limitations further compound these challenges. Poor connectivity and ongoing digital inequities restrict the use of telehealth and other virtual care innovations that could otherwise improve access and efficiency. Without reliable digital infrastructure, rural communities risk being left behind in the shift toward modern, connected models of care.
To achieve equitable health outcomes, we need flexible funding models that recognise the true cost and complexity of rural service delivery. This must be supported by a targeted rural workforce strategy to attract, train and retain skilled professionals, along with sustained investment in digital infrastructure to ensure that all New Zealanders, regardless of where they live, can access timely and high-quality care close to home.
Our vision for rural health in Hanmer Springs is to build on the strong foundation already in place and continue evolving to meet the changing needs of our community. Key priorities include enhancing our urgent and emergency care service to ensure timely, high-quality responses; expanding access to mental health support; strengthening outreach for both young people and older residents; continuing robust succession planning; and embracing digital innovation to improve the way care is delivered.
We aim to sustain and grow a truly integrated, community-led health service that delivers equity and wellbeing for rural people. This approach ensures that care remains local, responsive and centred on the needs of those who live, work and visit Hanmer Springs.
Rural health centres are the lifelines of their communities. With the right investment, they will continue to thrive, attract skilled professionals and deliver excellent care for generations to come.
