Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

'A serious concern': Local leaders say Raetihi's main GP has resigned

Ethan Griffiths
By Ethan Griffiths
Multimedia journalist·Whanganui Chronicle·
14 Nov, 2021 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Local Ruapehu leaders say Raetihi's main full-time GP has resigned in recent weeks. Photo / NZME

Local Ruapehu leaders say Raetihi's main full-time GP has resigned in recent weeks. Photo / NZME

Raetihi's full-time GP has resigned, according to leaders in the area, and it is not clear how locals will be able to get medical services in the town.

The Whanganui Regional Health Network, which oversees the Raetihi practice, would not confirm the resignation.

WRHN chief executive Judith McDonald has declined requests for comment about how the network will continue to offer GP services to the town.

The Ruapehu town also has one of the lowest vaccination uptakes in the Whanganui DHB area and the country.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The GP, whom the Chronicle has chosen not to name, resigned in recent weeks, according to Ruapehu Mayor Don Cameron.

Cameron said the doctor is one of the few medical professionals in the town, and services the majority of the Raetihi population.

John Chapman, an elected Waiouru/Waimarino Community Board Member who lives in Raetihi, also said the GP had resigned.

"It's very common knowledge among the town - it's no secret that [the GP] is gone."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Graham Dyer, the Whanganui DHB's acting-chief executive, also would not comment.

"I know there were conversations going on, but it is really a thing for the Whanganui Regional Health Network."

Discover more

New Zealand|education

Leading principal expects more than half of Whanganui schools to lose unjabbed staff

12 Nov 04:00 PM

Stan Walker taking part in vaccination campaign

10 Nov 10:45 PM
New Zealand

Pride Whanganui hosting vaccine clinic

11 Nov 04:00 PM
New Zealand

More than 50 unjabbed Whanganui DHB staff face stand-down

12 Nov 04:00 PM

Rangitīkei MP Ian McKelvie, whose electorate covers the Ruapehu District, said he had also heard of the resignation.

McKelvie said the town of around 1,000 residents has had issues in the past when it came to attracting a GP.

"It certainly is a very serious concern for them, and I know in the past the Whanganui DHB have had to send people up from Whanganui on a daily basis to serve that community," McKelvie said.

"It's very important for them to have a doctor there, and it's also so isolated being so far away from other centres."

Concerns for town's vax rate

According to the latest vaccination figures broken down by suburb, Raetihi has some of the lowest vaccination uptake in the country, with less than half of the town fully vaccinated.

Only 48.5 per cent of the population is fully protected in Raetihi, while 11km up the road in Ohakune that figure is at 71 per cent.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

John Chapman said the town is also home to a significant anti-vaccination sentiment.

Raetihi-based Waiouru/Waimarino Community Board Member John Chapman says the loss of the town's GP is a real concern amongst the community. Photo / NZME
Raetihi-based Waiouru/Waimarino Community Board Member John Chapman says the loss of the town's GP is a real concern amongst the community. Photo / NZME

"There is a very serious anti-vax movement in the town. I don't think you're going to change it, it is what it is.

"There has been an anti-vax movement in Raetihi for many years, so it's no surprise that the Covid vaccination has had a reluctant take-up. It's misinformation that people get, the usual Facebook thing."

Don Cameron said the biggest difficulty in the wider Ruapehu district had been the isolation of a number of rural residents.

"When they come to town, to be honest, they're not reading the paper. They get their groceries, get their farm supplies then move away. It's those people who are now being targeted."

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Ucol disestablishes 43 roles

Whanganui Chronicle

NZ Opera School appoints general manager to support future growth

Whanganui Chronicle

Extra $7m for Lake Alice torture redress pool after more people eligible than expected


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Ucol disestablishes 43 roles
Whanganui Chronicle

Ucol disestablishes 43 roles

Affected staff could be re-employed in alternative roles or one of 18 new roles.

17 Jul 06:00 PM
NZ Opera School appoints general manager to support future growth
Whanganui Chronicle

NZ Opera School appoints general manager to support future growth

17 Jul 05:00 PM
Extra $7m for Lake Alice torture redress pool after more people eligible than expected
Whanganui Chronicle

Extra $7m for Lake Alice torture redress pool after more people eligible than expected

17 Jul 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP