National PRIME Committee

I grew up in Whakatane in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, which was a much smaller town then it is now. I went to the local high school, and I love living in small communities. I spent much of my adult life living on the Coast Road, just north of Greymouth. When I was there, I worked first at Grey Hospital, then as a GP in Greymouth. As well as working as a GP, I had the privilege of being Chief Medical Officer at West Coast DHB from 2009-2014 - the first GP to be a full CMO. This role led me to be very aware of the pressures on rural health services, and the othering of non-urban places and services in the health scene in NZ in general back then.

The first publication of the Revision of Rural Health New Zealand Snapshot in 2024 was carried out in a relatively short time period with major assistance from Otago and Auckland Universities. It represented the collation of various sources of key rural health research, along with the then recent establishment of the GCH which gave geo-spatial data upon which to filter health data. The resultant “Snapshot” has been widely utilised and valued by various groups, including Hauora Taiwhenua, advocating on behalf of rural communities for better resourcing of rural health initiatives in order to close health gaps between rural and urban populations.

One hundred years after its doors first opened, Te Kūiti Hospital remains a cornerstone of health and wellbeing for the King Country – a place where generations have been cared for, trained, and supported. The centenary celebration brought together community members, staff, leaders, and the Health Minister to honour a legacy built on service, resilience, and local innovation.