A 200m-long health "declaration" will be the focus of a health hīkoi making its way to Dunedin.
Organiser Malcolm Mulholland said the event, which would begin outside the Dental School building at 3.30pm on Monday, would be an opportunity to showcase the "Buller Declaration".
The wide-ranging declaration says the New Zealand health system is in a state of crisis; the government must address this crisis; and rural, Maori and low-income families are disproportionately affected by this crisis.
So far, it has collected tens of thousands of signatures nationwide, after starting life as a petition in Buller last year to address issues with the town’s health services.
Mr Mulholland said the "success" of the petition was largely due to the fact that health services were crumbling all over the country.
"In terms of primary care, there are certain areas where it’s very difficult to access a GP and that’s not just about getting on to the books of a GP, but also being seen in a timely fashion.
"And then I think that has a flow-on effect to why our EDs are becoming full to overflowing.
"There’s definitely consistency in that message. I think at the heart of it, there’s a lack of staff; whether it be GPs, midwives, nurses, doctors or specialists.
"That’s having a flow-on effect now where people just aren’t receiving timely care as they should."
The declaration grew out of public outcry in the West Coast town over leaked Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora plans to cull its after-hours medical and GP services, culminating in a 1000-strong hīkoi in the town of fewer than 5000.
Mr Mulholland launched the declaration at the same time the 35,000-strong march for the new Dunedin hospital took place in September last year.
"I hope that the Buller Declaration will be a reaffirmation of what the public wants in their public health system, which is a public health system that is resourced enough to take care of patients in a timely fashion.
"I think there’s also another argument around a lack of infrastructure, especially when you’re talking about the likes of Dunedin and other places. So, the two have to go hand in hand."
The health hīkoi, which is also supported by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO), will make its way north and eventually present the Buller Declaration to Parliament on November 18.
NZNO president Anne Daniels said there needed to be "comprehensive workforce planning" to address staffing shortages, and the concept of health needed to be shifted "on its head" from a strictly medical model to a prevention and early intervention model.
"Health and wellbeing starts with good housing and a good public health system."
