Health NZ - Taranaki

22/12/2025

21/12/2025

Just a quick reminder - all Taranaki buses are FREE on Tuesday 23 & Wednesday 24 December totally FREE 👏🎉

Hop on for last-minute shopping, festive errands, or to visit whānau in town 🚍

No fares, no Bee Card, no parking hassle - just Christmas made easy 🎄🎉🎁🎉

21/12/2025

✈️ Travelling locally this summer?

Before the Christmas close-down, make sure you:
✅ Check your immunity status: If you were born after 1 Jan 1969 and haven’t had two MMR doses, you could be at risk.
✅ Plan ahead: It can take two weeks to develop immunity after a dose of the MMR vaccination and two MMR doses (after the age of 12 months) at least a month apart is required for full immunity.
✅ Collect your prescriptions
✅ Pack your meds, first aid kit, sunscreen and water
✅ Check your GP’s holiday hours

If your GP clinic is closed, you can book an Online GP appointment anytime, day or night, through Online GP Care.

📞 Save Healthline’s number - 0800 611 116 - as your first option if you’re unsure what to do about a health issue while away from home.
Stay prepared and enjoy your summer safely!

19/12/2025

"I was a butcher for 30 years... the quiet bloke who worked out the back and kept to himself. I was like that at school too. I didn’t speak much.

Then one day a mate said to me, if you struggle engaging with people, practise with kids. So I did. At first it was about teaching touch rugby, but it didn’t take long to realise it wasn’t really about the sport at all. The sport became a vessel to talk through their anxieties... pressures and confidence issues. Stuff they didn’t always have words for. So instead of asking, “How’d you play?”, I started asking, “How are you?” That changed everything.

They opened up... they grew, and somewhere along the way, I realised it was changing me too. It felt like two-way therapy. I was helping them find their confidence, and they were teaching me how to listen. How to read people. How to sit with emotion instead of stepping away from it.

Down the line, my daughter found her way into health and started working at the hospital. Seeing her there planted a seed. Then a role came up supporting Māori patients, helping people navigate the hospital system. I didn’t think I belonged there, I still saw myself as just a butcher. But I was encouraged to apply for the role, and others seemed to see potential in me.

When I stepped into the hospital, it felt like I’d found my way back home, like everything before it had been leading here. Over time, I stopped thinking in terms of patients and more about tangata and their whānau. Health isn’t just what’s happening in the body. It’s also what’s happening around you. A lot of my job is just being there, listening, advocating, walking side by side through fear, grief, or confusion. I’m not here to fix people. I’m here to offer manaakitanga and help them feel seen in a system where it’s easy to disappear.

It took three decades... but I’m proud I’ve stopped hiding out the back and stepped forward for my people."

Joe, Pou Hāpai, Ngāti Kāuwhata, Taranaki Base Hospital

19/12/2025

Enjoy a healthy summer! Before you head away, make sure you tick these off so you can kick back and relax:
✅ Complete any health appointments
💊 Check prescriptions and pack extra medication
🥾 Pack what you need to stay well, especially for remote areas
🩹 Include a first aid kit with thermometer and pain relief
🧴 Don’t forget sunscreen
🌞 Save Healthline’s number: 0800 611 116 (free advice, 24/7)
✈️ Travelling around NZ or overseas? Check measles immunity and get vaccinated if you’re at risk: http://spr.ly/6187743uB
Find more tips at: info.health.nz

18/12/2025

Don't forget, we have a team of ladies from Inner Wheel New Plymouth North busy every day in Centre City gift wrapping to raise money for local maternity care.

They will be open until 7pm on Thursday and Friday this week, so plenty of time to pop in after work. Or if that doesn't suit you, they will be there right up until 3pm on Christmas Eve!

For a full list of times, visit thf.org.nz/gift-wrapping

17/12/2025

16/12/2025

💜 Honouring McKenzie Rowlands – A special day in the Children’s Ward 💜

Yesterday family and friends of McKenzie (Mack) Rowlands, a much-loved patient and remarkable young woman, came together with Gabby’s Starlit Hope Foundation to spread Christmas joy throughout Taranaki Base Hospital’s TSB Bank Children’s Ward.

McKenzie was an inspiring member of East End Surf Club and gave a lot back to the community. So, it was fitting that, her family and biggest supporters brought some Christmas cheer to patients in a place where McKenzie spent so much time.

Today her legacy shone with the donation of through two special gifts:
✨ A painting of McKenzie on a diving board looking down at the students she was instructing for the ward.

✨ A mini replica MRI machine, designed to help children understand what to expect during an MRI. This incredible tool, all the way from Germany, will ease fears and make the experience less daunting. It even moves and makes the same distinctive sound as a real MRI machine!

This gift was made possible thanks to McKenzie’s generosity - she donated her university savings to Gabby’s Starlit Hope Foundation.

A heartfelt thank you to her family, friends, East End Surf Club, and Gabby’s Starlit Hope.

14/12/2025

Heading to Samoa for Christmas or a holiday? Make sure you’re protected from measles.

Ensure you and your āiga have your measles immunisations before you fly and take proof of vaccination (digital is fine).

You can get this from your usual doctor or Pacific health provider, through Manage My Health or call the Vaccine Helpline on 0800 466 863.

Feeling unwell with fever or rash? Don’t travel, get medical advice first.

Keep measles out of Samoa. Keep your āiga safe.

14/12/2025

We’ve all felt like this cat. 😿
If you're doing the "I don't need to p*e" dance, and think you might have a urinary tract infection (UTI), remember that you might not need to visit your doctor.

In New Zealand, certified pharmacists can give antibiotics for UTIs without a prescription for women, in certain situations and in limited amounts.

Talk to your pharmacist about this private and confidential service.
They can check you in a private room and, if it's safe, give you the antibiotics you need right away.
✅ No waiting. ✅ Private and professional. ✅ Take care of it before it gets worse.
Note: There is usually a consultation fee, and there are certain rules (like age and symptoms). If you have a fever or back pain, see a doctor right away.

Men and children with urinary tract infection symptoms must always see their doctor.

If the pharmacist suggests you see a doctor, and you can't get an appointment with your regular one, try the Online GP service. It's available 24/7 from your home: info.health.nz/onlinegp