Pinnacle Health

18/05/2026

Happy World family doctor day! Our clinical director Dr Jo Scott-Jones greets all family doctors on behalf of Pinnacle, sharing an important message in line with this year's theme: Compassionate care in a digital world.

Dr Jo highlights that while we openly embrace how digital tools can help ease some tasks related to patient care, there is no way they can't replace the human touch brought by GP's into whole experience—knowing a family, reaching out and touching somebody as they share a difficult diagnosis, understanding the importance of silence and just being with the patient.

Compassion is a craft, and we celebrate and recognise you for carrying it into your practice. Thank you for your mahi!

18/05/2026

Pinnacle is hosting a Hauora Day on World Smokefree May, and we'd love for you and your whānau to come!

📅 30 May, Sat | 10am-2pm
📍 Settlement Centre Waikato, Boundary Road, Claudelands, Hamilton

Avail of free health checks and immunisation, enjoy live music and free kai, face painting for your tamariki, and more.

See you!

World Smokefree May 2026 ✨

Come along to our community event and connect with local health providers, learn about smokefree support, and see what services are available for you and your whānau.

Lots of kids entertainment such as Bouncy castles 🏰 , face painting 🎨, special visit from Princesses 👸 and a Kapa Haka performance 👀

We’d love to see you there!

11/05/2026

Happy International Nurses Day! Behind every healthier future is an empowered nurse, making a difference right in the heart of our whānau and communities.

Primary care nursing is about connection and trust. It’s the kōrero that reassures, the listening ear, the timely check that prevents something more serious, the walking alongside those living with long term conditions. It’s about seeing the whole person and understanding what matters most in their lives.

This International Nurses Day, we recognise the vital role of primary care nurses across Aotearoa, but particularly those across the Pinnacle network. Your mahi makes a difference every single day. When nurses are empowered, our whānau are stronger, and our communities are healthier. We are proud of all the empowered nurses we have in the Pinnacle whānau.

Thank you always for your mahi.

Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives.

07/05/2026

What is primary care without credibility built on relationships?

"Primary care is built on relationships: with practices, with communities, with iwi, with clinicians, and with the wider system. Those relationships are not a side issue. They are part of how the work gets done. It is easy to present yourself as the answer. It is much harder to earn trust, keep relationships intact, and do the unglamorous work of helping practices through real problems over time. That record matters."

In this blog, our chief executive Justin Butcher highlights the importance of earned trust and nurturing meaninful relationships in primary care. He reminds practices to look beyond what seems appealing on the surface and notes that primary care needs leadership that stays steady under pressure and knows how to work with practices, communities and the wider system.

Full article: https://www.pinnaclepractices.co.nz/news/credibility-is-built-on-relationships/

30/04/2026

As World Immunisation Week 2026 wraps up, we want to acknowledge the mahi happening every day across our network.

Behind every immunisation rate is a lot of steady parts—from maintaining the cold chain to upskilling and training, immunising in practice, running clinics, following up, reporting, and reaching out to whānau—it all adds up.

It’s often unseen work but it makes a real difference.

General practices remain the most important and influential aspect of immunisation coverage. Thank you to our practices for your commitment not just this week, but every day, to protecting your communities.

28/04/2026

As we continue to observe World Immunisation Week, we're sharing some behind-the-scenes clips from Pinnacle's immunisation services teams across Te Manawa Taki. We start with our Waikato team who's written a poem capturing their mahi to ensure that every whānau is protected. 💉

To all dedicated immunisation pros out there, we appreciate you.

Special thanks to the featured team: Catherine Tobin, Suzanne Stevenson, Sepa Vaha'i, Kate Landon, John Terry, Vanessa Goninon, and Jackie Passfield.

24/04/2026

What does it really mean to champion meaningful reforms in primary health rather than just doing things for the optics?

"If we are serious about improving access and sustainability, we need to stay focused on what actually helps general practice and the wider system work better. That includes the current advice to the health minister on the future of PHOs, the discussion about national targets, and the wider question of what kind of primary care system Aotearoa New Zealand needs next. Anyone can promise a better model, but the real test is whether they understand the pressures, the relationships, and the day-to-day realities well enough to make it work."

In his latest blog, Pinnacle CEO Justin Butcher discusses that fresh thinking has a place in primary care. New ideas matter. Challenge can be healthy. But primary care is too important to be reduced to branding, slogans, or simplistic claims about what should replace what.

Read his blog here: https://www.pinnaclepractices.co.nz/news/primary-care-needs-more-than-a-new-story/

21/04/2026

At Pinnacle, sustainability is becoming an increasingly important part of how we operate, both as an organisation and as individuals. Our sustainability committee has been formed to guide our efforts, identify opportunities to reduce our environmental impact, and help create a more sustainable workplace for everyone.

Our efforts will be guided by a three-year roadmap. This begins with building strong foundations, such as establishing governance and understanding our carbon footprint, before moving into staff engagement, operational changes, and longer-term impact. Over time, this will evolve into embedding sustainability into how we work every day.

This Earth Day, we recommit ourselves to this long journey ahead. As a primary health organisation, we believe that sustainability is closely linked to health and wellbeing and aligns with our commitment to supporting better outcomes for our communities and the environment.

Kia hauora te katoa, kia puāwai te katoa (Everyone healthy, everyone thriving).

21/04/2026

How does the Pinnacle board remain clinically led and equity focused?

"It's really important for me to advocate for Māori and Pacific communities just because of who I am. I am of Samoan heritage. I was raised by a solo mother in South Auckland, and access to a doctor, especially for the chronic conditions I had was quite hard. There were many barriers. So I think being present in the board table with who I am and my heritage—it just highlights to others from my community that it is possible to be in leadership roles and that our voice is important."

Vui Dr Tamatoa Blaiklock, a general practice member of the Pinnacle board, shares his motivation for stepping into governance, why it matters to represent Māori and Pasifika communities in the boardroom, how Pinnacle remains equity focused, and how the board remains clinically led.

Listen in parts on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3CGGmoFiu0E?si=w4biI5Z2t3nKUGPf

00:00 Intro
00:12 What motivated you to join the Pinnacle board as a GP?
00:47 Why is it important for you to advocate for Māori and Pasifika communities?
02:12 What's the importance of stepping into governance as a GP?
02:38 What does GP voice look like at the board table?
03:15 How is Pinnacle clinically led in board decisions?
03:53 How do GPs influence outcomes rather than just being consulted?
04:21 How does the board keep equity front and centre?
04:58 Final thoughts

Hamilton East Medical Centre