Dr Emma Stanley testing a patient this week. Photo / George Novak
Dr Emma Stanley testing a patient this week. Photo / George Novak
Tauranga's iwi groups are taking a lead role in supporting the city in the fight against Covid-19.
Through the set-up of mobile Covid-19 testing services as well as psycho-social support within Tauranga communities, Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāi Te Rangi are helping the Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation reachmembers of the community that may get missed in other circumstances.
During lockdown Ngāi Te Rangi bought an ambulance to be used as a mobile clinic. Originally eyed as a women's health unit that would visit communities, it has since been used to help provide Covid-19 tests to all members of the community.
Ngāi Te Rangi Settlement Trust chief executive Paora Stanley said the service had been operating for about six weeks, for about four hours a day, at least twice a week.
Last week, they saw a boost in testing numbers and last weekend, they were operating for the first time during a weekend.
Dr Emma Stanley at a mobile Covid-19 testing station. Photo / George Novak
He said the service was not just for iwi members and would operate as needed to support all members of the Tauranga community, with Dr Emma Stanley from Epic Health in Tauranga as the main doctor.
He also said the iwi ran a separate mobile GP service which visited areas such as Arataki, Welcome Bay, Merivale, Katikati and the CBD to provide health care to vulnerable people.
Practice manager Wendy Sharplin said they had been averaging five to 10 tests a day over the last six weeks but since there had been new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand the number of tests had been increasing. On Sunday alone, they tested 25 people.
With so many Port of Tauranga workers needing to be tested, she expected the coming weeks to be even busier.
Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation chief executive Lindsey Webber said they were thankful to their iwi partners, Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāi Te Rangi, for taking a lead role in the set-up of a number of mobile testing services within their communities.
"We have been really thankful for the leadership of the mana whenua [indigenous people]," Webber said.
Dr Emma Stanley with a patient at a mobile Covid-19 testing station in Tauranga. Photo / George Novak
"It is important that Māori communities are supported to access testing in an environment that they are comfortable in. This could be through a mobile unit or on marae and made available as, and when they are needed."
Webber said both Ngāi te Rangi and Ngāti Ranginui iwi were also providing support for Port of Tauranga testing through the deployment of staff to help whānau required to undergo testing.
Bay of Plenty District Health Board incident controller Dr Joe Bourne said ensuring equity was a health board priority, in particular for rural and vulnerable communities.
"Not only in our Covid-19 response but our approach to providing care in general."
In the Eastern Bay of Plenty, some mobile pop-up testing centres had already been set-up by Te Puna Ora o Mataatua. In the Western Bay of Plenty, the kaupapa Māori mobile testing unit – Pahi Tahi which services rural and vulnerable communities would also begin operating again this week.
