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Otago Daily Times
11-07-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
‘Dunedin-centric' health services decried
Miles Anderson. Photo: ODT files A National Party MP has suggested transferring 100 mental health workers from Dunedin to Central Otago to address a lack of services in the regions. Waitaki MP Miles Anderson also suggested too much was being spent on the new Dunedin hospital project and some of that money should have been directed at the growing Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes districts. He was speaking after Associate Health Minister and Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey faced tough questions from residents during a visit to Wānaka as part of a rural health roadshow two weeks ago. Mr Anderson, speaking while visiting Wānaka which is part of the Waitaki electorate, acknowledged the town lacked good mental health facilities. He said there were inequities between the resources in Dunedin and the rest of the region. "Those employed in the mental health side of things — Dunedin has 300-plus staff, and only another 100 are spread throughout the entire Otago/Southland area, so Wānaka have very few. "So, for it to be equitable, 100 need to be taken out of Dunedin and put into other areas." He also said the significant resources going into the $1.88 billion new Dunedin hospital project should have been shared more widely across the region. "There is always going to be a need for a Dunedin hospital. "When they planned the Dunedin hospital they didn't give much thought to the outlying areas of North Otago and Central Otago. It has been Dunedin-centric." "The Dunedin hospital makes sense with the med school and specialists, but if they thought about it, did it really need to be as big? "They could have put a hospital somewhere central with services." Mr Anderson said the government was aware of the inequities, including the fact 70% of those in New Zealand who lived more than two hours from a hospital with specialist care were living in the Upper Clutha-Central Otago area. A recent report by health advocacy group Health Action Wānaka highlighted these deficiencies and pointed out additional barriers such as high travel costs for residents needing healthcare elsewhere in the region. The government has responded by asking Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora for a strategic plan by December.
Otago Daily Times
03-07-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Population growth ‘has got ahead of public services': minister
Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey visits Wanaka this week as part of a nationwide rural health tour. PHOTO: ODT IMAGES Wānaka's exponential growth over the last decade is working against it and the government is playing catchup. On Tuesday associate health minister and minister for mental health Matt Doocey landed in Wānaka as part of a nationwide rural health roadshow, where he faced sticky questions from a packed audience of around 300 concerned locals. Wānaka's population has surged past 18,000 this year — more than double the figure recorded in the 2018 census. However, the town's health infrastructure has struggled to keep pace, leading to widespread gaps in care, particularly in mental health, maternity, and aged care services. "The population has got ahead of public services, and we need to ensure investment is going in," Doocey said. "So rather than being behind the curve, we get you in front of the curve and that means getting you the services you need." A recent report by health advocacy group Health Action Wānaka highlighted these deficiencies and pointed out additional barriers such as high travel costs for residents needing to access healthcare elsewhere in the region. The group's spokeswoman Monique Mayze emphasised the urgency of bringing essential services closer to home. "Rural communities are doing poorly in what is preventable," Mr Doocey acknowledged. "So how do we bring these services closer to home?" The government has responded by pledging $3 million over four years to improve mental health access in rural communities, alongside a $4 million investment into the Rural Wellbeing Fund. Despite these promises, locals and advocates remain concerned the funding is insufficient given the rapid population growth and mounting healthcare demands. Mr Doocey promised the government would develop a detailed "roadmap" and timeline for service improvements by December, stressing this would not be a "strategy that sits on the shelf." Mr Doocey said he had not been aware of all the issues the growing area faced. "I can hand on heart say I have not heard of this issue around the country, so you do scratch your head and it beggers things aren't right are they?" "Do we need to continue to spend in health, yes. But we have to make sure we are spending it in the right place to make a difference. The Government is investing $164 million over four years on after after-hours care nationwide, with the aim of getting 98% of Kiwis to be able to access those services within one hour's drive of their home. Meanwhile, Health Minister Simeon Brown is advocating for more regional autonomy, aiming to return decision-making powers to local health boards rather than maintaining the centralised system implemented by the previous government. On the same day as Doocey's visit, members of Health Action Wānaka met with Minister Brown in Auckland to present their concerns. Although no immediate commitments were made, Brown promised to consider the group's input when shaping future healthcare plans. Spokeswoman for the group Monique Mayze left the meeting feeling encouraged that they were heard but added they will be keeping a close watch on the next steps taken by the government. "The minister was really receptive to what we had to say," she said. "He'd obviously been well-briefed on what we came to talk about." The group had requested a meeting with Mr Brown around three months ago prior to publishing a health report exposing urgent unmet health needs in the region. Members of Health Action Wānaka went into the meeting prepared with three "quick wins" including the introduction of telehealth psychiatric consultations, publicly funded blood collection within the next two years and funded radiology services. "He's agreed with all of the three quick wins that he's going to discuss them further with Health New Zealand and come back to us with a plan," she said.
RNZ News
01-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Wānaka residents grill government ministers over healthcare shortfalls
About 300 people squeezed into the Lake Wānaka Centre . Photo: Katie Todd Wānaka residents have pressed government ministers and health chiefs for answers on why they are paying for blood tests, travelling to Dunedin for basic scans and waiting months for children to see psychiatrists, at a packed public meeting in the Otago town. About 300 people squeezed into the Lake Wānaka Centre for the third stop on a rural health roadshow with Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey, Minister for Rural Communities Mark Patterson and representatives from Health NZ. Local residents and health providers waited with raised hands for a turn on the microphone - demanding commitment to the needs of their communities, and "actual, physical, on the frontline, where-the-people-are funding." Residents had been encouraged to speak up by advocacy group Health Action Wānaka, which has been calling for urgent improvements to health services in the Upper Clutha. Earlier this year, it released a report that showed significant service shortfalls, systemic barriers and inequity in accessing healthcare. Spokesperson Monique Mayze said it was time for officials to enact meaningful, positive change. "The ministers need to hear from people how the decisions the make are affecting lives. We've heard so many stories from people in our community over the past 12 months about the terrible inequity they've faced, the challenges they've had when trying to access health services and having to travel vast distances to access healthcare that should be available locally," she said. "The time has come for action. We've had enough words now." Matt Doocey pledged that Health NZ would carry out an assessment of the Upper Clutha and Queenstown Lakes health inequities and create a plan to address them by the end of the year. Matt Doocey speaks at the roadshow. Photo: Katie Todd "Just going and saying 'we want to put a lot of money into this' and spraying it around, will not work. We want to have very clear plans that show we understand what the problems are in your community, and then you will know what we've listened to," he said. Ahead of the public session, Health Action Wānaka also had a private meeting with the officials, and handed a three part-wishlist to Health Minister Simeon Brown in Auckland. They were seeking commitment to three "quick wins" - publicly funded blood collection service in Wānaka within two years, psychiatric consultations via telehealth within one year and better local access to publicly funded radiology. Group spokesperson Trish Fraser said ministers appeared receptive to their ideas, which she described as a positive outcome. "We have done a lot of work with our research, our report. And [health officials] are taking seriously our work, which is great. But we want to see things really time for action." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
07-06-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Health needs to be put to ministers
Wānaka's most vocal health advocacy group will be demanding more publicly funded services for the region in upcoming meetings with health ministers. Health Action Wānaka have secured a private meeting with the Minister of Health Simeon Brown on July 1 in Auckland, in addition to a meeting with Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey on the same day, during his visit to Wānaka for the Rural Health Roadshow. The group published a health report two months ago exposing urgent unmet health needs in the region and criticising the lack of strategic health planning to meet the Upper Clutha's rapid population growth. Before publishing the report, Health Action Wānaka wrote to Mr Brown sharing their findings and requesting a meeting which they were offered a day after the report went public. As part of the report, they worked with healthcare providers and interviewed locals who have faced inequity when trying to access services. The report exposed gaps across a range of services including mental health, maternity care and aged care, while also highlighting key barriers, such as travel costs, for locals trying to access healthcare in the region. Four members of the group's steering committee are set to travel to Auckland next month for a meeting with Mr Brown, while the remaining member and two representatives from youth mental health NGO, ADL will meet Mr Doocey. Health Action Wānaka spokesperson Monique Mayze said in a statement that they wanted to leave both meetings feeling confident the ministers were considering their recommendations. Part of the group's proposal are three "quick wins" which will include the introduction of telehealth psychiatric consultations, publicly funded blood collection within the next two years and funded radiology services. Ms Mayze said that with the strong evidence they have collected, the ministers will be held directly accountable to the local community for what they choose to do with the information. "Sometimes you have to be the squeaky wheel to get stuff done," she said. "And that's what we will continue to be until our community gets access to the publicly funded health services it needs". The group announced both meetings on their social media and called for community involvement as they plan the specific questions they want to ask during the meetings. They are also urging the community to attend the public questions and answers event with Mr Doocey as a way of showing solidarity in the fight for a more equitable healthcare system. "We need hundreds of locals to turn up," Ms Mayze said. " ... to send a message to Minister Doocey and Minister Brown that something has to be done about the health services inequity in our community." The group's meeting with Mr Doocey will take place before the public event and will be attended by one member of Health Action Wānaka and two representatives from ADL. Ms Mayze said the representatives from ADL will be able to give Mr Doocey insights into the reality of mental health services in the region. This will also help make a strong case for the group's proposal to introduce psychiatric telehealth services for NGOs like ADL. The public event will be held on July 1 at the Lake Wanaka Centre, from 12pm to 1.30pm, as part of the Rural Health Roadshow.
