Our CEO Dr Grant Davidson and Kaumātua & Board Member Peter Jackson presented to the Select Committee on the Pae Ora Amendment Bill, sharing the rural health perspective directly with the review panel.

If you weren’t able to join live, we’ve please find the link below so you can watch the highlights without going through the full recording.

Watch the presentation below:

We have reviewed the current Amendment Bill, utilising the Rural-Proofing principles, to develop the recommendations contained in this submission.

Our submission identifies clauses within the Amendment Bill that either:
a) We agree with and recommend are adopted without change; or
b) We disagree with and would accept with changes that we have submitted; or
c) We disagree with and recommend should be deleted.

All our comments are written with the express purpose of designing Health legislation that will positively impact the health outcomes of all of New Zealanders, including the 20% that live in rural and remote regions.

Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network Opposes the Regulatory Standards Bill in its current form. While we support the overall intent of the Bill to improve legislative transparency and accountability, we are deeply concerned that the Regulatory Standards Bill, in its current form, will undermine the ability of future governments to enact necessary public health regulations—particularly those that benefit rural communities, Māori, and other vulnerable populations.

We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with our members to ensure a rural perspective is
included in the Proposed Future Operating Model for the Air Ambulance Service. This service is
crucial for rural health outcomes, and we value your engagement to ensure aeromedical
services continue to provide high-quality, patient-centered care across New Zealand.

The impact of the future operating model must be evidenced by improvements in patient
outcomes, with a reduction in morbidity and mortality of rural communities.

OUR COMMITMENT TO TE TIRITI O WAITANGI:
Hauora Taiwhenua acknowledges that the Treaty of Waitangi comprises two documents: an
English language version and a Te Reo Māori version. We have entered a Kawenata with
kaumātua group Te Rōpū Ārahi which outlines a shared commitment to elimination of health
disparities, especially for rural Māori through honouring the Articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. As
the vast majority of the more than 500 Iwi Rangatira (Chiefs) signed the Te Reo Māori version,
with only 39 signing the English language version, we will be referring to the Te Reo Māori
version, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, throughout our submission. This is because the protections and
rights offered by the Crown under this version are most at risk through this Bill.

Our biggest concern – Pae Ora Healthy Futures Bill: Rural as a priority population

The Ministry of Health’s Draft Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2025-2029 plan fails to
acknowledge the significantly higher suicide rates in rural regions – 1.4 times higher than in
urban areas. This issue is even more pronounced among Māori and those in the farming
industry. Rural men aged 15-44 are 64% more likely to take their own lives compared to their
urban counterparts.

There has been inadequate consultation with the rural health sector and communities they care
for in the development of this document. Consequently, the Draft Plan omits to acknowledge
existing rurally relevant suicide prevention programmes that, in most cases, has funding
subsidised by the generosity of iwi providers, rural general practice or hospitals, and community
groups. New initiatives proposed in the Draft Plan are unsupported by evidence of their
effectiveness in rural populations

Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network’s Rural Health Snapshot 2024 provides stark evidence of the significantly poorer health outcomes of the 25% of our Māori population who live rurally.

Health research and data provides evidence that the Government’s implementation of the Pae Ora
Healthy Futures Bill, 2022, has yet to authentically prioritise the poorer health status of rural Māori.
The Hauora Māori Strategy 2025 is an opportunity for this to be addressed

Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission on changes to ACC regulations for Chinese Medicine, Paramedics and Audiometrists. Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network has a vision of healthy and thriving rural communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. We strongly support the proposed changes as they will contribute to achieving this vision.

The need for clinical services is unprecedented, with a growing older population with more complex health needs and an existing workforce which is struggling to cope currently, and certainly cannot in the future. These needs are exacerbated in rural communities where the immense pressure placed on the rural health workforce to meet that need is well-documented.

Our vision for the rural women of Aotearoa New Zealand
Rural women enjoy a vibrant and healthy life, regardless of their age, ethnicity, or where they live.
Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network calls for the Women’s Health Strategy to set a bold path that reimagines and supports innovative approaches, and targets resources towards achieving equitable access to the health services that women who live in rural areas need.

Understanding who rural women are
New Zealand’s total population of 4,699,000 is around 50% female. The rural population is 888,654 or 19% of the total population. Rural women make up 49% of the rural population, and only 9% of our total population. The University of Otago Geographic Classification for Health 2018 (GCH) analysis of Usually Resident Population data from the 2018 census provides information about New Zealand’s rural, women population.