The Ōpōtiki Hato Hone St John Wakaora Health Shuttle team has put the call out for more voluntary drivers.

The organisation’s wheelchair-capable van operates almost every day, running people in the Ōpōtiki district to and from medical services in the local area, as well as Whakatāne, Papamoa, Mt Maunganui and Tauranga. The door-to-door service includes a phone call the day before the trip to coordinate pick up times with clients and check they will be ready for their ride in the van.

Eight volunteers are on the schedule staffing the koha-based ride share service, which operates with two people rostered on for the driving on each run. When the service began five-and-a-half years ago, there were more volunteers but now more drivers are needed to operate a five-day-a-week service.

All drivers need medical clearance, a clean drivers' licence and a police check. They complete a comprehensive First Aid course, including the use of a defibrillator and complete an Advanced Driving Assessment.

Volunteer drivers can choose how many days a month they are able to go on the roster. Some like to do regular days and others are free on various days. While reliability is very important, there is flexibility, so if a driver is unwell or has a sudden commitment on a given day one of the others will step in to help out. This is where a few more drivers would be excellent. Most of the volunteers are retired residents of our town.

“Our clients are very grateful because otherwise many would have great difficulty attending their appointments,” team leader Dirkje (Dee) de Vries-Wood said.

“Many of our clients are elderly and they don’t like driving in Tauranga city so being picked up from home and delivered back there at the end of the day is just what they need.  Often their close family members are all working and cannot afford to take days off, so our service is very much appreciated."

“We’ve had clients who have not been out of Ōpōtiki, or further afield than Whakatāne for years. We’ve seen them pointing out things, asking questions and being really animated. Sometimes it's like a tiki tour for them and they enjoy seeing the sights.

“They often tell us how grateful they are to have been able to catch a ride to a medical appointment they otherwise would not have been able to attend. Many say how brave we are driving in the city because they can’t do it any longer, especially with all the new motorways and road layouts – we hear it all the time.

"It can take days or weeks to see a doctor and months to see a specialist so when you get an appointment you really want to attend it. This is where our Health Shuttle service can be a godsend."

Mrs de Vries-Wood lists a wide range of healthcare appointments served by the service, spanning radiology, physiotherapy, dentistry, hearing aid clinics, artificial limb fitting, cancer centres and eye clinics.

“If it’s anything to do with health, you name it, we take you to it. We've even taken people to the Whakatāne Pool after water therapy exercise was prescribed for them.

At present, Ōpōtiki’s Hato Hone St John Health Shuttle is the only one in the region fitted with a wheelchair hoist. Because of this it is occasionally called on to service a wider area beyond the town itself.

Despite her full-time job, volunteer Millie Gerrard drives the van on her day off.

“It’s been an eye-opener to see the needs in our community. You quickly discover that not everyone owns a reliable car. Many living here lack a registered and warranted vehicle capable of driving to Whakatāne or Tauranga. Even if they had such a vehicle, some couldn’t afford the price of fuel.

“It’s been rewarding and humbling to meet with and help people who need this service. They become friends. They trust us and we don’t let them down. I enjoy what I do here to help our community.”

Meanwhile, Ōpōtiki Mayor David Moore said it was important to support all the services providing transport to medical appointments out of town.

“It can be very difficult for some elderly and those in need to access hospital and other appointments, even when they have whānau here to help them. It’s even more difficult for those who have no whānau. Those who live rurally, or on the Coast, face even more challenges. The volunteers who staff these services make an enormous contribution to our community.”

If you like driving and would like to join the friendly Ōpōtiki team please call 0800 824 325 and follow the prompts for the Eastern Bay. The Health Shuttle Administrator will give you the relevant information to start the process of joining us. Even if you can only volunteer a few days a month we would love to have you on board.