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21st WONCA World Rural Health Conference, 10-13 April 2026: Read More – WONCA 2026 | Home

Te Whare Taumata o Ngā Hōhipere Taiwhenua

Rural Hospitals
Become a member

Te Whare Taumata o Ngā Hōhipere Taiwhenua is the highly valued leader of the rural hospital sector in Aotearoa. 

About Us

Rural Hospitals work closely with rural general practices, allied health, and other clinical and social support services to improve the health and wellbeing of the rural communities we live and work with. We also work closely with other rural hospitals, often sharing staffing, information, and systems that enhance the way we provide services. We bring an informed and united rural hospital perspective to Hauora Taiwhenua. Through Hauora Taiwhenua, we endeavour to influence government policy and the implementation of Government Health Reforms – particularly those that will enable us to contribute to equitable health outcomes for our rural communities.

For our Rural Hospitals Locum Service – click here

Below is a snapshot of the Rural Hospitals in Aotearoa New Zealand. You can click on each hospital to learn more about them and the services they provide.

 

About our Rural Hospitals

Kaikōura Health (Te Hā o Te Ora)

 

Hauora Hokianga

 

 

Dunstan Hospital

 

Gore Hospital

 

Kaitaia Hospital

 

Hawera Hospital

Executive Committee

Robin Rutter-Baumann

Chair

Jen Thomas

Deputy Chair

Dr Sarah Clarke

National Clinical Director Primary and Community Care

Rachael Luckie

Sonya Smith

Pip Zammit

Margareth Broodkoorn

Margareth (Ngāpuhi and Dutch whakapapa) is the Ahorangi / Chief Executive of Hauora Hokianga – a hauora Māori provider in the west coast far North.   Born in the Hokianga she fulfilled a lifelong dream in 2021 to return home to serve the people of Hokianga.

With a nursing career spanning nearly 40  years, Margareth has held various leadership, management and governance roles within clinical practice, academic and policy environments.

Margareth’s roles prior to returning home included being the Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Northland DHB  and representing nursing at a national level as the Chief Nurse with the Ministry of Health.

With rural health close to her heart and home, the reality of rurality is a mantra she promotes to ensure there is a continued focus on addressing inequities and improving health outcomes for rural communities.

She is honoured to be the Chair of Te Rōpū Ārahi and board member of Hauora Taiwhenua where she believes her years of experience as a Registered Nurse, leadership and management roles, and passion for Māori and rural health will be well utilised.

Relevant news

Webinar: The Potential Role of Physician Associates in Rural

Watch an insightful webinar exploring the role that Physician Associates (PA's) could make as part of primary care teams in New Zealand's rural healthcare system. Shelly kicks off the session by discussing the Physician Associate role, including their training, registration process and professional responsibilities. Following this Scott and Karl share their experiences using Physician Associates in rural general practice and hospitals, highlighting contributions to improving healthcare delivery in their rural communities. Following the presentation, there is a Q&A session where attendees have their questions answered.

Webinar: Navigating Assisted Dying in Rural Communities

The EOLC Act 2019 is the legal framework for AD in New Zealand. On Nov 7 2021, AD became a part of the health and disability system. Hear from Michael Nestmann - Health New Zealand - Manager Autonomy Team, Living Well National Commissioning and Dr Jo Scott-Jones - Pinnacle Health - Clinical Director, and Rural GP

Rural Hospital Summit 2023 – What’s happened since then?

Te Whatu Ora leaders' presentation about their plans for a Rural Hospital Sustainability Project was well received but as far as we know, has not gained the traction we'd hoped for - most likely as the Hospital and Specialist services team are carrying a massive workload. However, this is no consolation for the NGO rural hospitals and rural general practices who provide medical services in their co-located Te Whatu Ora hospital. A letter from them to Margie Apa, asked her to urgently address the financial and clinical risks they face because their funding does not allow them to achieve pay parity for their clinical staff.