Immunisation rates continue to lag in Tairāwhiti, but the region performs relatively well in other health areas. Photo / NZME
Immunisation remains a concern in Tairāwhiti, with the region ranking 17th out of 20 health districts, but it is placed between second and ninth for four other Government health targets.
The Health Target results for the quarter ending June 2025 show 74.5% of 2-year-olds in Tairāwhiti were fully immunised. This compares with a national average of 82.2% and a 2030 target of 95%.
However, Tairāwhiti ranked second in faster cancer treatment; second in shorter stays in the Emergency Department (ED); seventh in shorter waiting times for elective treatment; and ninth in First Specialist Assessment (FSA).
Nicola Barrington, group director of operations for Health NZ Tairāwhiti, said the region was performing above the national average in most areas.
“There is, of course, a lot more work to do to get better outcomes for parents and families in the district.”
Immunisation remained a priority, and she was pleased that immunisation rates for 2-year-olds had increased from 68.1% in the previous quarter (to March) to 74.5% in the June quarter.
“We’ll continue to deliver outreach and other immunisation services according to the need of the community (in-home, clinics, events, etc) and work closely with health providers across Tairāwhiti, improve systems through the Aotearoa Immunisation Register, address vaccine hesitancy and increase our vaccinator workforce.”
Barrington said close collaboration with Waikato Hospital, where Gisborne cancer patients often received treatment, had helped Tairāwhiti meet the faster cancer treatment target for 2030, which is that 90% of patients receive cancer management within 31 days of the decision to treat.
The Tairāwhiti result was 93.3%, compared to a national average of 86.3%.
Barrington said Tairāwhiti had a dedicated team of medical practitioners, including cancer nurse co-ordinators and a medical oncology nurse practitioner.
“This means we can service a number of cancer treatments locally.
“When patients need care at other hospitals, the team work with supporting services to ensure that surgeries and appointments are facilitated within the target time frames as much as possible.
“Strong local uptake of the National Bowel Screening Programme, which identifies cancer markers earlier, means we are often able to treat patients before they need more intensive cancer treatments.”
She said Gisborne Hospital continued to perform among the top hospitals for the shorter stays in ED target, with 92.8% of patients admitted, treated or discharged within six hours. That exceeded the national average of 73.9% and was not far from the 2030 target of 95%.
“This has been supported by our Integrated Operations Centre and the opening of the Wellness, Health Access and Intervention Unit, which is a dedicated area for lower-acuity patients that helps free up space in ED.”
In the June quarter, 70.2% of Tairāwhiti patients waited less than four months for elective treatment. That compares to a national average of 63.9% and a 2030 target of 95%.
Barrington said Tairāwhiti had partnered with private providers in Hawke’s Bay for ear, nose and throat services, and Gisborne for additional orthopaedics capacity to reduce waiting lists.
There were many factors contributing to waiting times, including:
In Tairāwhiti, 63.4 of patients waited less than four months for a First Specialist Assessment. The national average is 62% and the 2030 target is 95%.
Barrington said there had been a slight drop in Tairāwhiti’s FSA since the same quarter in 2024, but patients were accessing their appointments, diagnostics and treatments earlier than they had been.
“There is continuous planning to ensure we are meeting the demands of our community and the services that we provide. We are concentrating our efforts on ensuring that long-waiting patients are provided an appointment.
“With every new patient that is seen for FSA and then moved to a treatment list, the demand also increases for follow-up appointments.”
“We are still committed to the 95% target.”
Patients waiting for their FSA who were concerned that their condition had changed should contact their GP, she said.
The East Coast MP, National’s Dana Kirkpatrick, said the Health Target results showed positive progress, with child immunisation rates climbing and wait times for targeted treatments decreasing.
The results followed the restoration of urgent care and after-hours services in May, delivered by Ngāti Porou Oranga at Puhi Kaiti Medical Centre in Kaiti.
“These results are extremely encouraging and demonstrate our Government’s ongoing commitment to reducing risk and improving outcomes for patients across the core health system,” Kirkpatrick said.
“We know there is still a lot to do to get healthcare to where our people need it to be, and I’m focused on seeing this work through.”
Gisborne-based Labour list MP Jo Luxton said healthcare was more expensive because of decisions made by National, which had pushed some GP appointment costs close to $100.
“Without a GP, we know families aren’t receiving the healthcare they need until it becomes an emergency.
“In districts like ours, we have remote communities with higher needs, but the Government has done nothing to make healthcare more accessible.
“All we see are low immunisation rates, expensive and busy doctors, and the removal of free prescriptions.
“National are not making the lives of our people better; they’re making it worse.”