- Hon Simeon Brown
Access to urgent healthcare on weekends will be restored in Tairāwhati this Saturday (3 May 2025) with the launch of a new service, Health Minister Simeon Brown has announced.
"Improving access to doctors and nurses is a key priority for this Government. We're taking action to make sure the people of Tairāwhiti can get the care they need - when and where they need it," Mr Brown says.
"Urgent care and after-hours services are vital for people with non-life-threatening conditions who still need prompt medical attention but cannot wait until the next day to be seen.
"This new service will both restore and expand access to urgent care on weekends and public holidays in the region, with weekday after-hours services to be added as workforce capacity allows."
The upgraded service replaces the previous arrangements between general practices with extended weekend hours and the addition of public holidays, and will be delivered from Ngāti Porou Oranga at Puhi Kaiti Medical Centre, 75 Huxley Road. It will include:
- A walk-in or phone-first service with access to a nurse, nurse practitioner, or doctor
- A local nurse-led phone line operating during the same hours as the clinic
- Health navigation services to help patients access the right care.
As always, those with medical emergencies should go directly to Gisborne Hospital's Emergency Department or call 111 for an ambulance.
"This service is also about easing pressure on Gisborne Hospital's emergency department during weekends and public holidays. It allows emergency teams to focus on life-threatening conditions, while people with less urgent needs can get timely care in the community.
"Gisborne Hospital has a relatively high number of presentations that are triaged as lower-acuity categories - four and five - compared to other hospitals across the country. Many of these patients will be better served through this new community-based urgent care option.
"I'm pleased that Health New Zealand, in partnership with the Te Rōpū Matua collective through Ngāti Porou Oranga, is able to provide the people of Tairāwhiti certainty and reassurance that after-hours care will be available now and into the future.
"This is all part of the Government's plan to ensure New Zealanders can access timely, quality healthcare," Mr Brown says.
