Rural Health Roadshow Reaches Te Kūiti to Strengthen Access to Local Care

The Government’s Rural Health Roadshow made its tenth stop in Te Kūiti today, with Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey, who holds the Rural Health portfolio, and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Patterson meeting with locals to discuss health priorities and challenges in rural areas.

Listening to Rural Communities

Since its launch in Levin, the Roadshow has travelled across the country, stopping in communities including Wairoa, Wānaka, Ōamaru, Hanmer Springs, Gore, Tūrangi, Kaitaia, and Hāwera. Minister Doocey emphasized that these events provide a valuable platform to hear directly from rural New Zealanders.

“Te Kūiti is the tenth roadshow stop,” he said. “These roadshows are an opportunity for me to hear direct feedback from rural communities about what’s working well and where the barriers may be. It is also a great opportunity to hear how well the Rural Health Strategy is being implemented.”

Rural Urgent Care Prototypes

Te Kūiti is also home to one of six rural urgent care prototypes being piloted across New Zealand in 2025. These prototypes are designed to test practical improvements in healthcare delivery tailored to rural and remote settings.

Initiatives include:

• Improved access to diagnostics such as X-rays and lab services.

• On-call pharmacy support for urgent prescriptions.

• Digital health tools to provide back-up for rural clinicians working in isolated areas.

If successful, these models could be scaled up nationwide, ensuring that rural populations have access to the same level of urgent care services as urban centres.

Budget 2025 Investment

The 2025 Budget allocated $164 million over four years to strengthen urgent and after-hours care services nationwide. This funding ensures that 98 per cent of New Zealanders will be able to access urgent or after-hours healthcare within one hour’s drive of their home.

The investment is particularly targeted at more than 70 rural and remote communities, enabling:

• Extended after-hours services.

• 24/7 on-call in-person clinical support for emergencies.

• Better access to diagnostics and essential medicines.

Minister Patterson noted the importance of equitable access:

“All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality care, and this Government is committed to improving health and mental health outcomes, including for the one in five people living in rural communities.”

Strengthening Rural Health Outcomes

The ministers highlighted that health challenges in rural areas often differ from urban settings due to geography, workforce shortages, and travel distances. By investing in urgent care prototypes, digital tools, and after-hours services, the Government aims to close these gaps.

Minister Patterson added:

“I’m looking forward to meeting with people in Te Kūiti and hearing firsthand about their experiences with healthcare in their community. It’s important we understand both the challenges and the opportunities so we can work together to improve access and outcomes in the rural setting.”

Looking Ahead

The Roadshow will continue its journey to other rural towns, gathering input from healthcare providers, community leaders, and residents. This feedback will be fed into the ongoing implementation of the Rural Health Strategy, ensuring that funding and policy decisions reflect real-world needs.

For Te Kūiti and other communities, today’s visit marked not only an acknowledgement of their unique challenges but also a commitment to deliver practical improvements that will strengthen rural health services for years to come.