By Holly Grundy.
This weekend saw the community come together and show support for midwives, health staff and soon to be mothers, admits the Whakatāne Hospitals birthing service reductions. Due to the loss of funding, the hospital now has to close obstetrics and gynecology services, which means soon to be mothers who need C-sections or have complications in pregnancy or birth will have to go to Tauranga hospital. With some people already having to travel long distances to reach Whakatāne, and with rough roads, the community believes this situation is unfair and unacceptable.
The protest was organized by the Hikoi for Health Coalition, which saw hundreds of people get together and march down the Strand Whakatāne. Those Wearing orange represent people who have been affected by the closure of the secondary birthing unit or have previously relied on the services. Many people banded together to create a range of pickets with catchy sayings or quotes showing their passion for their community health.
The Protest ended at Wharaurangi a popular spot down the main street. Here, they all rallied together and listened to a variety of speakers, reflecting all the areas of people affected. Among the speakers were Councilor Nandor Tanczos, National MP Dana Kirkpatrick, Labour MP Ingrid Leary, Greens MP Huhana Lyndon, Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton, Community advocate Dave Stewart,
and Midwife/ health workers, Sharn Dixon, Brogan McBeth, Carolyn Conroy, Holly Casey, and Lisa Kelly.
Green Party spokesperson for health, Huhana Lyndon, took a moment to express her concern for our health system as a whole stating that “with the loss of leadership - the system is now on a life line”. She said that with the loss of the CEO of Te Whatu Ora and the director general of the ministry of health, there is a current lack of support and direction.
Lyndon cheered on the crowd, saying “Come on Whanau, this our chance to raise up the voice of the region” - as she believes that drawing attention is necessary to make a difference.
Labour Party MP Ingrid Leary, came up from Dunedin to show her support. “We feel your pain, we have been where you are, and we know what people power can do”
She said that since the regions have lost their health funding by 6 to 14 percent in the budget 2024, many places around New Zealand have had to deal with the same, or similar service losses. She also noted that as someone who is currently looking at the region as a whole, that “It’s a bloody long way to Tauranga”.
National East Coast MP, Dana Kirkpatrick spoke to the crowd before the march, sharing her story and highlighting not only her support for the cause but her disappointment in the delay "It's a travesty that in a centralized health system, we have ended up with more managers than ever, and they couldn't manage this issue in a timely and effective way to ensure our māmā and pēpē were prioritized."
She said that despite this she is pleased that health New Zealand is starting to listen, as they have agreed to provide the hospital with a general manager. "That is the first step. It doesn't detract from the fact that we should have never have got to this situation in the first place", "We are here now and we can't change what has happened but we can change what happens next."
With organizers proud of the community for coming together, and having such a good turnout, Councilor Nandor Tanczos, has been the main voice and social driver of the event, wanted to make note that this is only the beginning of their campaign, and it will remain at the forefront of their efforts until progress is made in our hospitals.
