New Zealand’s rural communities continue to face an old problem - one that has outgrown the workarounds. The 2023/24 NZ Health Survey found that visits to GPs continue their downward trend nationally, with emergency department attendance rising from 15.0 to 17.8 percent of adults in a single year.1 That shift - from managed primary care to unplanned acute care - carries a direct cost implication, because the two settings are not equivalent in price. For rural communities, th

For many people, Northern Coromandel is a place of deep connection – to land, sea and community. From Papa Aroha on the west coast, up to Port Jackson and Port Charles and down to Tuateawa on the east, residents and visitors value the beauty and independence of this remote rural region. But behind the postcard images sits a more complex story: high deprivation, an ageing population, low incomes, limited housing and long distances to essential services. In 2017, a detailed fea

An update from The Colville Project Trust on 2025 progress and plans for 2026