Upper Clutha residents are being encouraged to book to attend a free rural health roadshow in Wānaka next week (Tuesday July 1).

The roadshow, which is being organised by the Ministry of Health, will include a Q&A session with associate health minister Matt Doocey. The event will also be attended by Mark Patterson, minister for rural communities.

Health Action Wānaka (HAW), the group formed to advocate for improved access to health services in the Upper Clutha, says it hopes to pack out the Lake Wānaka Centre for the event “to show the minister just how important it is to our community that we have equitable access to healthcare”.

Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board chair Simon Telfer told the Wānaka App the community owes it to HAW “to show up in numbers in support of their mahi”.

Members of Health Action Wānaka’s steering group are hoping for a large turnout for the event next Tuesday. PHOTO: Supplied

“As a group of volunteers they have put in countless hours to advance the health needs of the Upper Clutha. This event will continue the momentum they have created,” he said.

Following a packed town hall meeting on health in March last year, Simon said, a large turnout at Tuesday’s event “will continue to send a clear message to the government and to health officials that the health inequities for those living in Wānaka and surrounds can not continue”.  

“Decisionmakers need to see that we are real people with real challenges and I hope the question and answer session will get that message across loud and clear,” he said.

Queenstown Lakes District Council deputy mayor Quentin Smith said locals don’t often get the chance to directly engage with government ministers so the roadshow provides a useful opportunity to support the call for better access to health services.  

“I fully support the work of the HAW to advocate for a strategic approach to healthcare in our community and the appropriate investments of government in services and facilities to service our community,” he said.

“I expect it will be very well attended and [am] hopeful but not confident of hearing some solutions to our well documented challenges.”

The event will take place on Tuesday (July 1) from 12pm-1.30pm at the Lake Wānaka Centre.

Interested locals must register with the Ministry of Health ([email protected]) to attend the free roadshow, to ensure there is space for everyone. More than 250 locals have already registered, which led the ministry to move the location from the Wānaka Community Hub to the larger Lake Wānaka Centre.

Prior to the community Q&A event, HAW’s Trish Fraser will attend a private meeting with the ministers, joined by members of the youth mental health services NGO ADL.

Earlier the same morning four HAW members will also meet with health minister Simeon Brown in Auckland. This meeting follows the release of HAW’s community health needs report in April, which revealed significant healthcare deficits, systemic barriers, and a lack of strategic planning in one of the fastest-growing communities in the country.

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