A Kaitaia GP's plans to develop a remote diagnosis and treatment service for far-flung Northland communities has received a $30,000 boost.
The grant, to 2014 New Zealander of the Year Lance O'Sullivan's company, Navilluso Medical Ltd (NML), is the first for 2015 from Top Energy's Business Development Fund.
The company runs a community-based health service called Moko (Manawa Ora, Korokoro Ora), which uses a team of healthcare professionals to visit schools around Kaitaia.
It has also developed an iPad application that can be used in schools by trained adults to assess children's health. The assessments are sent via the internet to a clinical team at NML who determine whether a treatment plan is required. Treatments are then delivered to the parents or whanau. NML plans to expand the scheme beyond Kaitaia, beyond Northland and even beyond New Zealand.
"We believe this model of care could create the opportunity to have a telemedicine clinic based in Kaitaia serving the needs of the country and even further abroad," Dr O'Sullivan said.
"Potentially we could develop an entire industry that is new to the district and to the region. That could result in new IT and clinical jobs. There's no reason Kaitaia couldn't become the Silicon Valley of New Zealand tele-healthcare."
Top Energy chief executive Russell Shaw said NML's remote diagnosis service was precisely the sort of economic development initiative that Top Energy's Business Development Fund was set up to foster.
The fund was launched in 2014 to replace the Tall Poppy Business Awards and aims to encourage and promote economic growth in the Far North. Grants of up to $30,000 are awarded twice a year for business ideas or initiatives that could grow or diversify the district's economy.
Fourteen companies applied for the latest grant. The shortlisted applicants had to give a detailed presentation to a panel of judges including Top Energy managers and business consultants Jim Makaweo (Makana Confections founder) and John Halse (formerly of Enterprise Northland).
NML employs 21 doctors, nurses, health promoters and community health workers. As well as Moko, it operates a GP clinic at Kaitaia Hospital.
-Application forms for the second grant of 2015 will be available on the Top Energy website from early August.