Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation

05/02/2026

Waitangi Day is a time to reflect on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how it shapes the way we work with and for our communities.

For us, upholding Te Tiriti is not symbolic. It guides our mahi and how we support fair and positive health experiences for all.

This year, we also hold space for those who have lost loved ones, and for the whānau and communities affected by recent events across our rohe.

We stand alongside our communities, committed to mahi tahi (working together), care and connection, now and into the future.

02/02/2026

Heading to the Pacific? Dengue cases are rising in many countries, including Samoa, American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu.

Learn more below 👇

29/01/2026

📢 Measles case confirmed in Tauranga today

Current locations of interest (will be updated if more are identified):
📍 The General Cafe, Mt Maunganui
📍 PAK'nSAVE Cameron Road, Tauranga

Learn more on Health NZ - Bay of Plenty post below. 👇

📢 Measles case confirmed in Tauranga today

We have confirmed a new measles case in Tauranga, likely linked to overseas travel. It is not connected to the recent national outbreak.

Our public health team is supporting the person and their close contacts as they isolate.

Current locations of interest (will be updated if more are identified):
📍 The General Cafe, Mt Maunganui
📍 PAK'nSAVE Cameron Road, Tauranga

View locations of interest: http://spr.ly/6188h8W1p

Symptoms to look for:
🤒 High fever
🤧 Cough, runny nose, sore red eyes
🔴 Rash starting on the face and spreading down the body

If you have symptoms, please phone your GP before visiting the clinic.

Check your MMR vaccination status.

Two doses protect you best. The MMR vaccine is free for all children and young people under 18 and for adults eligible for publicly funded healthcare.

This case is a reminder of New Zealand’s ongoing risk of further measles outbreaks, especially with overseas travel and low immunisation rates. Please check that you and your whānau are protected. 💙

22/01/2026

Kia ora koutou. We want to pause and acknowledge the devastating events our community is facing following recent severe weather. Our thoughts are with those affected, their whānau and everyone responding and supporting others at this time.

20/01/2026

From our Annual Report: Expanding access to cervical screening across the Bay of Plenty 💙

During the last financial year, WBOP PHO strengthened its Support to Screening Services across the Bay of Plenty. A key highlight in 2024–2025 was the expansion of cervical screening clinics.

We built new partnerships with trusted community providers, including Huria Trust, Rangiora Hub, Waiariki Whānau Mentoring and Te Tohu o Te Ora o Ngāti Awa. There are now nine free drop-in clinics for eligible patients running regularly across the Western and Eastern Bay of Plenty.

📍View the clinic schedule here:
https://wboppho.org.nz/cervical-screening-support-bay-of-plenty/ -clinics

💻 We also made it easier for whānau to find support, with a new webpage bringing service information together in one place. Access now: https://wboppho.org.nz/cervical-screening-support-bay-of-plenty/

This post is part of a short series sharing key stories from our Annual Report 2024–2025.

Read the full story here 👉
https://wboppho.org.nz/from-annual-report-expanding-access-to-cervical-screening-across-the-bay-of-plenty/

18/01/2026

From our Annual Report: Mau Rākau programme, a 20-year milestone.

Last year marked two decades since WBOP PHO supported its first Kaupapa Māori programme, a pioneering initiative delivered by Te Puna i Rangiriri Trust that continues to thrive today.

Designed to empower rangatahi Māori to realise their potential through the traditional discipline of mau rākau, the programme is grounded in Mātauranga Māori and delivered in te reo Māori.

The enduring success of this kaupapa reflects the strength of Māori knowledge systems in promoting health, identity and unity.

We also support other Kaupapa Māori and iwi-led services across the Bay, led by our partners Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Ranginui.

Read the full story to learn more: https://wboppho.org.nz/20-years-since-supporting-first-kaupapa-maori-programme/

This post is part of a short series sharing key stories from our Annual Report 2024–2025.

18/01/2026

HBU Mobile Health is back on the road. See where they are heading next in the post below. 👇

The service is led by our joint venture partner Ngāi Te Rangi, with support from WBOP PHO.

🌟 He Pānui! HBU Mobile Health Waka Returns January 19th 🌟

Our HBU Team are excited to welcome you back starting Monday 19th, January 2026. After our Christmas break, we're ready to serve our community across all five locations!

📍 Where to find us:
Monday (6-9pm): Waikari Marae, Matapīhi
Tuesday (6-9pm): Ngāi Tamawhariua Health & Social Services Office, Katikati
Wednesday (6-9pm): Welcome Bay Community Centre
Thursday (5-9pm): Pāpāmoa Playground, Hartford Avenue
Friday (4:30-9pm): Merivale Community Centre

📧 Contact: hbu@ngaiterangi.org.nz
Ngāi Te Rangi

18/01/2026

Kia ora koutou! New Zealand Blood Service - Bay of Plenty needs 64 blood donors and 54 plasma donors to help meet demand this week. Can you help?

Book now on the NZ Blood app, our website or by phoning 0800 448 325.

15/01/2026

From Annual Report: “We have started to regain trust in the health system”

Behind every number is a real whānau. Here is how one family described how the right support helped them feel safe engaging with immunisation again. With their consent, we shared their story anonymously, slightly edited for length.

"When it came to immunising our youngest son, we were initially hesitant. Our past experiences with the healthcare system had led us to avoid engaging with services whenever possible. The system had never felt like it was designed for us and as a result we had lost trust in it. But Donna Moon (WBOP PHO outreach vaccinator) changed that.

From our very first interactions with her, Donna took the time to sit with us, to explain things in a way that respected our whakaaro (thoughts), and to engage both myself and pēpi’s Pāpā, who held strong views on immunisation. This made us feel heard and valued. What made the biggest difference for us was that she always came into our home with an open heart.

She understood our autistic son, she respected the dynamics of our whare and she recognised the importance of te reo Māori in our home. She made a conscious effort to use kupu Māori with our tamariki, celebrating them with little kīwaha after their immunisations were done. These may seem like small gestures, but they meant everything to us.

It is people like Donna who transform the system, who take something that was never built for whānau like ours and make it work for us. Because of her we have started to regain trust in the health system in small ways, but those small things matter deeply. Building trust with Māori whānau is not about policy alone. It is about the relationships, the respect and the recognition of who we are as tangata whenua."

Read the full story in our website: https://wboppho.org.nz/rise-in-childhood-immunisation-wboppho-2024-2025/

This post is part of a short series sharing key stories from our Annual Report 2024–2025.

14/01/2026

From Annual Report: Strong rise in childhood immunisation

One result that stood out in the Annual Report 2024-2025 was the rise in childhood immunisation across our network. More tamariki received all their vaccinations by two years of age, with coverage increasing from 77.5% to 85.1%. This is an overall increase of 7.6 percentage points. 💪

The strongest progress was for Māori tamariki. Their immunisation rate increased from 57.3% to 78.5%, a 21.2 percentage-point rise or a 37% improvement. The equity gap reduced by more than three times. 🙌

This shift reflects the effort across our network to reach whānau earlier, stay connected and remove barriers to immunisation.

Read the full story here: https://wboppho.org.nz/rise-in-childhood-immunisation-wboppho-2024-2025/

This post is the first in a series highlighting key stories from the Annual Report for 2024–2025.

13/01/2026

Another year of local care and community impact 💪

As we wrapped up 2025, we published our 2024–2025 Annual Report. It shares a snapshot of how your local, GP and iwi-owned PHO supported our communities, general practice and partners. It also shows how our mahi focused on strengthening equity and improving access to care across the region.

A few highlights from the year:

👶 Childhood immunisation rates increased, with a narrowing equity gap for Māori tamariki.
🩺 Cervical screening support was redesigned, improving access for Māori.
🌿 Our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and equity was recognised nationally by the Diversity Awards.
🧠 Our primary mental health and wellbeing services were refreshed as BeingWell, supported by a dedicated website page and exceeding national timeliness targets.
💻 The launch of our new WBOP PHO website.
🤝 Implementation of the Comprehensive Primary and Community Care Teams across the rohe.
🏠 Local partnerships helped begin new support for people experiencing housing stress and homelessness.

If you want to learn more, you can take a look here:https://wboppho.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/WBOPPHO-Annual-Report-2024-2025.pdf

Over the coming weeks, we will be spotlighting some of the stories and whānau voices featured in the report. There is a lot worth sharing. 🫶

12/01/2026

A new year is underway. If you haven’t seen it yet, the latest edition of Te Rerenga was released just before the holidays.

In this edition, you’ll find:
👶 A strong lift in childhood immunisation, including improved equity for Māori tamariki
🤝 A whānau story showing how trust and culturally grounded care can rebuild confidence in services
🩺 Let’s Talk Screening training, now available online to support non-clinical kaimahi with safe, respectful screening kōrero
🌿 Community-led kaupapa, including the next phase of Tāpiri Mai on Matakana and Mōtītī Islands
📚 Workforce development, sector recognition and collaboration across the rohe

Read the latest edition: https://wboppho.org.nz/te-rerenga-december-2025/