Alexander (Sandy) Milne

I am girding my loins in preparation for a role in removing any threat to our full on-site Eastern Bay Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) service.

We must not let the Tauranga health crowd hijack yet another vital service for Eastern Bay patients, especially women.

If we all rise to oppose this now, we will win. If we do not rise up, it will take 10 times the effort to reverse the downgrade.

I have already begun my effort to support women and I invite every concerned bloke here to ask himself what he can do to help.

In response to the claim that there has been little or no interest in the vacancies here, I have already emailed executive directors of the Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, offering to arrange free flights to Whakatāne for experienced O&G doctors to check us out.  

I worked as a lab scientist in the Obstetric Medicine Research Unit there prior to my departure to New Zealand 60 years ago, and New Zealand remains one of the most desirable workplaces in the world.

I had hoped to see two or more pages of readers’ letters on this matter in my January 3 Beacon, because several local leaders had copied me messages of their intent.  

I will do my best to arrange that Rona Wilding’s lonely short letter demanding an explanation gets the attention and respect it deserves.

I invite our full Whakatāne District Council to support Rona and other like-minded residents, like former paediatrician Dr Chris Moyes who wrote so eloquently on this in a recent Beacon.

Apathy is the enemy of our women getting a fair go.

Our top citizen should be leading or co-leading this important battle, and we should assume that centralisation of O&G in Tauranga is the plan, regardless of the smoke and mirrors being put out by protagonists of the downgrade.

I believe that our communities could rely on Mayor Victor Luca to step up in a leadership role once again in supporting Rona Wilding and retired Whakatāne Hospital paediatrician Dr Moyes, whose recent Beacon letter should be a wake-up call for all of us.

I call on every councillor to support our mayor on this occasion, and not doubt his intent or motives as they did on December 19 during Council’s “Extraordinary” meeting to consider water schemes.

That council meeting was indeed extraordinary.

Dr Luca was advising councillors and the rest of us via the web that he wished to establish an advisory group that he referred to as the “Mayor’s Taskforce for Water”.

The group would comprise community-minded individuals with expertise in water engineering and related disciplines to provide council with free advice on the water issues and problems.

More specifically, these folk would contribute their expertise with the aim of getting better value for ratepayer dollars.

Dr Luca’s initiative was just what we need right now, and yet it was met with distrust and scepticism by most councillors who spoke.

He was subjected to subtly hostile interrogation from too many councillors questioning his motives.

Councillor Gavin Dennis even accusing him of bias, a wacky suggestion from a councillor who advocates for Matatā sewerage reticulation at almost every council meeting and wants Whakatāne ratepayers to fork out $40 to $60 million for a scheme for 250 houses in a tiny community.

One after the other, some old-guard councillors questioned our mayor’s motives, instead of focusing on the benefits from tapping the talents of our wisest residents who seem keen to do their bit for our community in these difficult times.

Dr Luca was also questioned on who would chair the “Brains Trust”, by councillors who seemed to resent him showing leadership.

Who else should chair the group, if not the man who keeps leading; our mayor?

Two or three councillors doubted the need for advice from expert volunteers. Several mumbled that they could go along with the idea provided that the planned group didn’t come up with new ideas. What a bunch.

I was disappointed that our deputy mayor Lesley Immink did not say a word in support of Dr Luca.

I was particularly disturbed to hear the opinions of Māori councillors who were insisting that mataurangi Māori should be recognised as a science and given equal consideration on such matters.

Several Māori councillors, plus an off-site European councillor, climbed aboard that waka.

Matauranga is a traditional knowledge system of Māori and undoubtedly has its place, but it is not modern science.

I politely invite the councillors to refer me to a scientific publication in Māori on the engineering challenges being considered.

I remind them all that in the health field I have been a supporter of Māori for 54 years and been successfully collaborating with or been friends with Māori leaders all that time.  

It is timely to mention that Dame Tariana Turia, who died recently, invited me to her Beehive office when she heard that I was in the building, and that my late friend Sir Paul Reeves (former Governor General), was the first and most active patron of the Whakatāne-based Hepatitis Foundation.  

Then there was Professors Eru Pomare and Garth Cooper, MP Koro Wetere, and many other Māori leaders who did real good. I met them often. Not one of them mentioned matauranga Māori. They knew better.