increase font size
Rural health issues will be brought to the Beehive this week.
Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand (RHANZ) is gathering in Wellington for the inaugural RuralFest conference tomorrow (May4) and Thursday.
RHANZ, which is made up of 42 membership organisations, will discuss and determine the top health and well-being issues facing rural communities.
Rural GP Dr Jo Scott-Jones says RuralFest is a flagship event for RHANZ, who represent a united voice from across multiple rural sector organisations.
"We're aiming to identify the key 'common ground' issues that all member organisations think are important for the health and well-being of rural New Zealand," he says.
"This is important because the health of people living and working in rural New Zealand is a vital part of our economy and essential if we are going to double the value of exports by 2025.
"We will aim to provide solutions rather than just identify problems and are grateful for the opportunity to take these key messages into the offices of parliamentarians.
"At RuralFest, we will determine around five priorities for the health and well-being of those in rural communities - and then take those issues to parliament to discuss with key politicians."
Dr Scott-Jones says rural residents have notoriously suffered from inequality in healthcare - usually because rural communities often have poor access to resources and key health professionals.
"We're here to promote the highest quality and efficient health and disability service for all rural people and their families," he said.
Research lending to the production of dairy products that benefit the elderly and improves the overall wellbeing of all people is a key focus of Fonterra's Research and Development centre, based in Palmerston North.
The Government wants to make sure that rural communities get a level of service that people who live in cities often complacently expect.
OPINION: Federated Farmers' latest farmer confidence survey results won’t surprise too many people.
Over 1,000 Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers in the Hawke’s Bay have now been immunised against measles.
Hato Hone St John is urging Kiwis to have a safe summer this year.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.
