In a rural Waikato town, four physician associates (PAs) are helping reshape what’s possible in general practice, and what it means to serve a community.

Following the pre-Budget announcement on rural and after-hours care, and the plethora of wide ranging workforce initiatives announced several months ago, Budget 2025 has fallen somewhat short for primary care. While we hoped for more, this year’s ‘fiscally restrained’ budget, is aptly named.

A group of new graduate nurses recently attended an orientation day as part of Pinnacle’s longstanding nurse graduate programme, a unique initiative designed to support and strengthen the primary care nursing workforce.

Pinnacle welcomes the focus on strengthening primary care access, investment in general practice, and commitments to digital health infrastructure.

Yesterday’s announcement in funding to boost primary care nursing is a well-deserved and much-needed investment in the sector. This initiative will help strengthen the workforce, improve access to care, and support the communities that rely on us.

Pinnacle welcomes the lowering of the age of eligibility for free bowel screening to 58 as a positive step toward earlier cancer detection, however, reallocating funding from the targeted Māori and Pasifika programme is inherently inequitable.

Pinnacle welcomes the government’s announcements this week of increased funding and workforce initiatives for general practice. Primary care is under immense pressure, with workforce shortages and financial constraints making it harder for practices to provide timely care.

Pinnacle Midlands Health Network has been acknowledged with the highest rating in a Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand cultural audit for its “alignment with Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and commitment to improving Māori health outcomes”.

Drive-throughs aren’t just for fast food — they’re now making healthcare quicker and more accessible too.

Te Whatu Ora's decision to halt the age extension of bowel screening for Māori and Pasifika peoples in Waikato from 4 December has left many without access to potentially life-saving tests.