"In crisis" is the best way to describe the health situation in the Ōpōtiki district according to Toi Rāwhiti project manager and Māori health advocate Jodi Porter.

“We are in a real crisis – we are disadvantaged because of where we live,” she said.

“We are disadvantaged because we don't have access, we don't have quality, we don't have timeliness, we don't have the workforce or the infrastructure to support and improve the health outcomes for our people.”

Being rural and in a high-deprivation area put Ōpōtiki residents in a bad situation that was only worsening.

“And because of the increase of disinvestment across the health sector, our people are subsidising the savings of the government because we're the ones who have to travel further,” Ms Porter said.

“We're the ones who have to accept we have reduced after-hours care, that we have GP practices with closed enrolments.

“We're the ones who have to accommodate and navigate this closed and broken system in order to receive the care that we have every right to have access to, but is not afforded to us.”

She said Toi Rawhiti was in crisis while the government was more focused on its reduction strategy to increase savings or reduce costs.

Ms Porter points out many people have been “screaming” that these reductions will result in “human life costs”.

“Whether that's through late diagnosis or mistreatment or mismanaged care, our people suffer.”

As taxpayers, Ōpōtiki residents should have the right to quality health care they could access locally.

“Regarding the reduction of hours at the Medical Hub, we are lodging a formal complaint to Te Whatu Ora – and we're wanting to escalate that complaint further to the Ombudsman, to the Human Rights Commission and to the Health Quality and Safety Commission – to highlight what is happening in our community,” Ms Porter said.

“There was an independent review that was completed in October 2023 that said the after-hours service is necessary for our people – our people are using it more and more because other parts of the system are broken.

“But instead, it will be reduced to two hours – this is problematic because it will create a bottleneck of people,  which will put pressure on the minimal workforce that we would have to service that contract.”