21st WONCA World Rural Health Conference, 10-13 April 2026: Read More – WONCA 2026 | Home
Te Whare Taumata o te Matauranga Pūtaiao Hangarau contribute an informed and united rural allied health perspective to Hauora Taiwhenua.
In our work, we support and implement actions that contribute to the sustainability of rural allied health, scientific and technical professionals, and their teams.
We advocate for the recruitment, training and education of the rural allied health, scientific and technical health workforce.
We also advocate for sustainable funding and working conditions for the rural allied health, scientific and technical health workforce.
Webinar Series:
The Rural Technical, Scientific and Allied Health Chapter of Hauora Taiwhenua has launched a new webinar series tailored for the technical, scientific and allied health workforce working in rural communities across Aotearoa.
This series is designed to shine a spotlight on the vital roles these professions provide in our health system, providing a space to share expertise, innovation, and experiences specific to rural settings. Whether you’re a medical laboratory scientist, pharmacist, physiotherapist, social worker, occupational therapist, or part of the many other professions under the allied health umbrella, this series is for you. Also welcome are health leaders and service providers who want to learn more about the scientific, technical and allied health professions; what their scopes of practice are and how they can be used to deliver high quality services for rural communities.
Our inaugural session brought together passionate rural health professionals who heard from Dr Martin Chadwick, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer at Ministry of Health who discussed the challenges and opportunities unique to technical and allied health practice in smaller communities.
Want to be the first to hear about the next webinar?
Join the Rural Technical, Scientific and Allied Health Chapter of Hauora Taiwhenua! Being part of the chapter means staying in the loop with upcoming webinars, networking with others in your field, and having a voice in rural health advocacy. Contact Ingrid Busby, GM Membership Services at Ingrid.busby@htrhn.org.nz to join today.
With over 30 years in healthcare and a clinical background in physiotherapy, including more than 20 years in rural practice, I am passionate about delivering equitable health services to rural communities. Currently, my focus is on allied health workforce redesign to mitigate clinical risk, while maintaining a small clinical workload to stay grounded in the realities of patient care. My goal is to help create a health system that truly works for the people it serves, and advocate for recognition of the specialised nature of the allied health professional skills needed to deliver care in rural settings.
Nateele is an experienced physiotherapist with nearly three decades of practice across hospitals and private clinics in the UK and New Zealand, including work with professional rugby teams. She holds a Master’s in Health Practice, a Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership and Management, and has completed Level 3 Tikanga Māori training.
A strong advocate for collaborative leadership, Nateele empowers teams to achieve their full potential. Over the past 16 years at Bay of Islands Hospital, she has progressed from Senior Physiotherapist to Team Leader, Physiotherapy Professional Leader for Te Tai Tokerau, and now serves as Associate Chief Allied Health, Scientific and Technical for Te Tai Tokerau.
Passionate about rural health, Nateele values the diversity of work, the unique complexities it presents, and—most importantly—the sense of community it fosters.
Sarah Walker is an experienced physiotherapist working in rural Central Otago. For a number of years Sarah has practiced clinically across inpatient, outpatient, and community settings and led the co-ordination of MoH funded physiotherapy services across Central Otago.
Recently, Sarah has shifted into the clinical-academic world after receiving a Health Research Council Clinical Research Training Fellowship. In her joint appointment, Sarah continues her clinical work through Central Otago Health Services Ltd at Dunstan Hospital, whilst completing her PhD through the University of Otago. Sarah’s research is centered around defining what it is to be an allied health professional in rural New Zealand. Her research currently focuses around the role allied health professionals have in rural areas, and seeks to explore the scope of practice held by these rural clinicians. This research contributes knowledge to support the development of specific training for health care professionals, to ensure that rural communities are provided with a skilled and relevant health workforce to meet their needs.
On behalf of Physiotherapy New Zealand (PNZ) I am delighted to support the development of the allied health and scientific chapter of Hauora Taiwhenua. We know that the health professionals working in rural and remote locations have much to teach their urban peers about transdisciplinary care and working at the top of scope, whilst never forgetting their professional roots. With New Zealand on the verge of its biggest health transformation in a generation and the inclusion of rural communities as a priority population in the Pae Ora Act it is fitting to have a cross-profession approach to improving health outcomes.
-Sandra Kirby, CEO Physiotherapy New Zealand
Allied Health Professions encompasses a broad group of professionals who work with and alongside our nursing and medical colleagues. In a rural environment, access to care is even more critical, reinforcing the need to operate as a network or as a team. Looking to the future, this is the potential, to enhance how the pharmacist liaises more with the physiotherapist and the GP as care is coordinated to better meet the need of the person in their context. No one professional group holds the answer, rather it is by enhancing the ‘how’ of working together. By acknowledging Allied Health as part of the care network, there is the opportunity for these workforces to become a ‘multiplier’ to the care that can be provided to our rural and remote communities.
-Dr Martin Chadwick, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer
