Far North news in brief: Health app, double fatality and tree wananga

GP Dr Andrew Miller, a patient portal ambassador, encourages people to ask their GP or community healthcare provider about registering to access their hospital documents online.

Hospital documents online

Far North folk with an active Manage My Health portal account will soon be able to go online to view their hospital documents from the end of August.

The documents will include referral notifications, clinic letters and discharge summaries.

Patient portals are an easy, convenient and secure way for people to access personal health information – anytime, anywhere – via a website or mobile app.

Around 75,000 Northlanders have a Manage My Health account. Over the coming weeks, all will be sent an email notifying them that they can access hospital documents issued from the end of August, if they receive hospital care in Whangārei, Dargaville, Bay of Islands or Kaitaia.

For more information, including how to register with the Manage My Health hospital patient portal, visit www.northlanddhb.org.nz

Two die near Kaikohe

Two people have died after a crash in the Far North, near Tautoro.

The single-vehicle crash was reported around 10.15pm on Tuesday on State Highway 15, where the car had collided with a tree.

Emergency services attended but both occupants had died at the scene.

The Serious Crash Unit examined the scene. Police will continue to investigate the circumstances of the crash and the deaths will be referred to the Coroner.

Native tree wananga

There’s a native tree wananga to Ahipara this weekend, with 20 spaces at a Māori landowners’ hui, for anyone wanting to participate in a manuka research project.

Students into science are also welcome to get laboratory experience.

There’s no funding for the event so organiser Reuben Porter Taipari is hosting it at his own whare. People should take gumboots and a plate.

It will be on Sunday from noon. To attend email Taipari at wharemaori@gmail.com.

Enrol to vote

Far North voters who haven’t received an enrolment update pack in the mail need to act now to make sure they are enrolled and ready to vote in the October general election.

More than 3.4 million personalised enrolment packs have been sent to voters to check they are correctly enrolled.

“If you haven’t received an enrolment update pack it means you’re not enrolled or need to update your details,” said Electoral Commission deputy chief executive of operations, Anusha Guler.

Enrolling, or updating details, is easy and only takes five minutes online at vote.nz using a New Zealand driver licence, New Zealand passport or RealMe verified identity. People can also call 0800 36 76 56 to ask for an enrolment form to be sent to them.