Lana Reed makes dreams come true. Part of the Pinnacle Tairāwhiti care coordinator’s job is to equip individuals with the tools they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives.

A new Extended Care Paramedic (ECP) initiative has been launched in Northern Coromandel in response to community-identified health needs developed through locality planning and partnerships.

This week we are announcing a strategic partnership between Pinnacle Incorporated and K'aute Pasifika, forming a new venture named Fatu Lalaga. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in our shared commitment to provide excellent and equitable healthcare for Pacific, Māori, and priority populations.

The purpose of the Waikato Support to Screening - cervical service is to provide targeted follow-up, community outreach and support to priority group women, and people with a cervix, who have barriers to accessing cervical screening.

With the annual increase in funding for general practices falling well short of expectations, it’s difficult not to be cynical about the future of primary healthcare in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Pinnacle strongly disagrees with claims by Te Whatu Ora at a Building the Future of Health webinar series on Tuesday 7 May that up to 50 per cent of general practice work could be done by telehealth.

On 1 October 2023 Pinnacle CE Justin Butcher joined Pinnacle colleagues, kaumātua, and board and Māori governance rōpū members, in Rōtorua to officially gift one of our practices, Ōwhata Medical Centre, to Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Pikiao. Read Justin's thoughts on this partnership here.

We're thrilled to announce Hinetu Kallon Nikora, a patient service representative in our Patient Access Centre (PAC), as the inaugural recipient of Kia Puāwai, Pinnacle’s Māori Education Fund.

We received 40 responses to our survey on the new government’s 100-day action plan, and the repeal of SERPA and Smokefree 2025 legislation. Thank you to everyone who took time to respond. While 40 is not a large amount given the number of general practice staff across the network, the feedback does align with what we are hearing directly from practices, and gives us a good understanding of where our advocacy efforts need to be.

We eagerly await the launch of the new government’s 100-day action plan, particularly on health. Whether the legislation is amended, unchanged, or repealed, we will continue working alongside others to advocate in this space.