Health NZ - South Canterbury

01/10/2025

With measles cases confirmed in Aotearoa New Zealand, it’s important we all stay alert. Symptoms include: high fever, cough, runny nose, sore red eyes, and followed by a rash.

📍 Locations of interest in Northland/Te Tai Tokerau, Queenstown, and Cromwell are listed here: http://spr.ly/6182A97Wu. Please check if you or your whānau may have been exposed.

🤒 If you or your whānau feel unwell, stay home, and call your GP/hauora provider or Healthline 0800 611 116 for free advice.

✅ Anyone who hasn’t had 2 doses of the MMR vaccine (including tamariki/children) should get immunised. This is the best protection.

🛡️ Protect your whānau and your whakapapa. If you're not sure if you had two MMR doses, your GP or hauora provider can help you check.

👩🏽‍⚕️ Pop-up clinics are running in Northland/Te Tai Tokerau - find details here: http://spr.ly/6183A97WR

More info: http://spr.ly/6184A97Wr

29/09/2025

24/09/2025

Do you remember the motorhome accident in the MacKenzie Country earlier in the year where the owners' cat went missing for over a week? The driver was treated by our great clinical team in Timaru Hospital.

Well, this story has been made into a children's book by one of the owners' relatives.

Cilla the Cat Who Came Back is a heartwarming true story for children and cat lovers of all ages.

"When a motorhome crashes in the remote Mackenzie Country, a beloved black cat named Cilla vanishes into the wild. What follows is a journey of resilience, community, and hope as people across the region search for her — and against all odds, find her."

Thanks for sending us a copy Shellie Evans Photography. It's a lovely reminder to see how the South Canterbury community rallies together to support each other.

22/09/2025

Senior doctors are striking today and tomorrow (23 and 24 September). Find the right care for you and your whānau and keep emergency departments for emergencies only:

✅ Online GP Care (24/7) - Book same-day appointments with NZ-qualified doctors if you’re not enrolled or can’t wait. Book via info.health.nz/onlineGP.
💊 Pharmacy - Great for coughs, colds, minor infections, emergency contraception, immunisations and more.
🏠 Self-care advice - Visit info.health.nz for trusted tips on managing symptoms at home.
📞 Healthline - Free 24/7 advice from qualified nurses and paramedics: 0800 611 116.
👩‍⚕️ Your usual GP or nurse - Many offer same-day appointments for urgent issues.
🌙 After-hours or urgent care clinic - For non-life-threatening issues like cuts, sprains or minor injuries.
📞 Ka Ora - Rural Telecare. After-hours help from a doctor or nurse: 0800 252 672.
🚨 Emergency? Call 111 - For chest pain, breathing problems, choking, unconsciousness, severe bleeding, severe allergy/anaphylaxis, severe burns, or severe pain.

Find the right healthcare: info.health.nz/services-support/find-the-right-healthcare-for-you-and-your-whanau
Strike info: tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-professionals/employment-relations/industrial-action

22/09/2025

Living rural? Need after-hours healthcare? 🏡
Ka Ora Telecare is here for you - an after-hours phone and video health service for people in rural Aotearoa.

Available:
Weekdays: 5pm - 8.30am
Weekends and Public Holidays: 24/7

👩‍⚕️ Speak with a nurse, kaiāwhina, doctor or nurse practitioner - no need to be enrolled with a GP.
📱 Call 0800 2 KA ORA (0800 252 672) or book online for a same-day appointment.

Whether you're at home or on holiday, Ka Ora makes it easier to get the care you need, when you need it.

*Free for tamariki under 14.
Learn more: kaora.co.nz

22/09/2025

💻 Remember the online GP service is available 24/7 while there is a senior doctors' strike on 23 and 24 September.

The online GP service offers you round-the-clock access to trusted medical care when your regular GP is unavailable, or you're not enrolled. You can connect with NZ qualified, registered doctors and nurse practitioners who can assess, diagnose, treat, prescribe, and refer, all online.

The new service complements regular general practice and helps ease pressure on clinics. Subsidised fees are available for children under 14, young people aged 14 to 17, and Community Services Card holders.

Learn more and book at: info.health.nz/onlineGP

21/09/2025

Pharmacies can help with a lot! Including:

✅ Expert medication advice
✅ Emergency contraception
✅ Some immunisations
✅ Some urinary or eye infections
✅ Fixing up minor cuts
✅ Checking rashes
✅ Doing basic health checks

And more.

Pharmacists are a great first port of call - especially if you’re unsure what to do or what type of medical help you need.

Find your closest one through healthpoint.co.nz.

Learn more about what pharmacists can help with at info.health.nz

20/09/2025

Not sure what to do about a health concern? 📞
Healthline is here for you - free, 24/7, and staffed by qualified nurses and paramedics. Whether it’s a fever, a weird rash, or just needing advice, you can call anytime.

📱 Call 0800 611 116 or request a callback through healthy.org.nz

It’s confidential and available whenever you need it.

19/09/2025

Senior doctors at Health New Zealand hospitals and health services will strike for 48 hours on the 23rd and 24th of September.

During the strike, hospital emergency departments will be open for emergencies only.

If it’s not an emergency, you can:
✅ Call Healthline for free health advice from a nurse or paramedic, 24/7 on 0800 611 116
✅ Visit your GP, urgent care clinic, or book an online GP appointment
✅ Visit a pharmacy – they can help with more than you think! For example, some urinary infections, eye infections, emergency contraception and more.
✅ Or for after-hours care in rural areas, call Ka Ora on 0800 252 672.

In an emergency, always call 111. Register for the 111 TXT service, so you can contact Fire, Ambulance or Police in an emergency via text message.

If you need help communicating, the free NZ Relay service can help you.

For info about the strike visit: tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-professionals/employment-relations/industrial-action -senior-doctors-48-hour-strike-planned-for-23-and-24-september-2025

19/09/2025

Senior doctors at public hospitals and health services will strike for 48 hours on the 23rd and 24th of September.

During the strike, hospital emergency departments will be open for emergencies only.

If it’s not an emergency, you can:

✅ Call Healthline for free health advice from a nurse or paramedic, 24/7 on 0800 611 116
✅ Visit your GP, urgent care clinic, or book an online GP appointment at info.health.nz/onlinegp
✅ Visit a pharmacy – they can help with more than you think! For example, some urinary infections, eye infections, emergency contraception and more.
✅ Or for after-hours care in rural areas, call Ka Ora on 0800 252 672.

In an emergency, always call 111. Register for the 111 TXT service so you can contact Fire, Ambulance or Police in an emergency via text message

If you need help communicating, the free NZ Relay service can help you.

For more info visit: info.health.nz

16/09/2025

Spring gardening is great for the soul. But don’t forget to protect your lungs.
Legionnaires’ disease is a serious infection caused by breathing in dust from potting mix, soil or compost.

It’s not contagious, but it can be dangerous.

✅ Wear gloves and a mask
✅ Open bags away from your face
✅ Dampen the mix to reduce dust
✅ Wash your hands after gardening

If you feel flu-like symptoms, talk to your doctor and mention your gardening.

Learn more: info.health.nz/conditions-treatments/lungs/legionnaires-disease-legionellosis

10/09/2025

Te Mana O Te Hā Smokefree Science Showcase in South Canterbury

A request from South Canterbury principals for more support around a noticeable increase in young people va**ng has prompted a visit from a smoke and vapefree science showcase.

Targeted at 10 to 17-year-olds, the showcase, created by Tūhara Otago Museum, was a hands-on science showcase, health promotion adviser for Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora Katherine Miller said.

“This is what our schools have been asking for. It is a new and growing issue, and it’s the number one issue raised by primary principal representatives,’’ she said.

“This is the first step in a bigger picture in being able to help schools with a whole of school approach to supporting them in smokefree and vapefree.’’

She said a goal was to reduce the number of youth uptaking va**ng in the region, and results from the 2024 Youth Survey, undertaken by the Y Central South Island showed for those 12 to 24 in the region, 82% of those surveyed identified va**ng/smoking as one of their top five health issues.

Miller was excited about the showcase, with feedback she had received about it describing it as “amazing’’.

Read the full article 👇

A request from South Canterbury school principals for more support around a noticeable increase in young people va**ng has prompted the visit.