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 belief....clearly 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.
