Shona Sangster says GP shortages on the mainland add to the pressure of Rakiura residents accessing healthcare. Photo / RNZ, Mark Papalii
A survey of 78 residents last year revealed frustration with the expense and stress of accessing mainland care and concern about burnout among the nurses holding the system together.
Residents praised the nurses as “amazing”, “superheroes” and “dedicated” but they told RNZ the biggest frustration was the difficulty in seeing a GP.
Angela Karaitiana said each visit to a clinic in Bluff or Invercargill cost hundreds of dollars once transport was factored in.
“You can’t just pop to the doctor here – you have to get a flight. It takes you a day out of work and your life,” she said.
Some trips were unavoidable, she said.
“The other day my husband went over for a medical for his fishing ticket and they were running late. So the plane was at this time and back at this time, and then [the clinic] was running late.
“And then it’s like ‘is there a later plane or do I just have to cancel and come back and go over another time?’ See that stuff’s a pain,” Karaitiana said.
Shona Sangster said GP shortages on the mainland compounded the problem.
“I’m registered with a practice in Invercargill and it’s six weeks to get an appointment with my GP. And then, if for whatever reason, I can’t get over there because the weather packed in and the plane can’t fly or the boat can’t go then I have to wait another six weeks,” she said.
Bruce Ford said the long waits were familiar to him too.
“You tend to be a bit cautious about what you want and even now if you want to have an appointment they say ‘oh we can see you in three weeks’ time’ and a fat lot of bloody use that is if you’ve got something bad,” he said.
Residents surveyed told Health NZ they were worried about burnout and unsafe cover for those working at Stewart Island Health Centre, describing the clinic as “old and cluttered”.
Health NZ found elderly and hapū māmā were being forced off the island for care, services were stretched during tourism peaks and there were “feelings of neglect by the system”.
People were also worried about the difficulty enrolling with mainland GPs, the survey found.
Three days, no cover
The survey was carried out in October and preceded a review into how care was delivered on the island.
There were just two nurses working at Stewart Island Health Centre at the time.
Data released under the Official Information Act showed in July 2025 the island was without any resident nurse for three days after both fell sick and no cover could be found.
“Health NZ Southern region exhausted all efforts to cover the sick leave, including extended cover from another staff member and cover from both within the Southern region and outside the district,” a Health NZ spokesperson said.
Health NZ put St John and police on notice and made a charge nurse at Southland Hospital available for phone calls, the spokesperson said.
Health NZ had started working with local providers and the Stewart Island Health Committee on a phased plan – looking at better links to mainland GPs, more digital support and options for visiting doctors, the spokesperson said.
Three nurses were now working 1.6 fulltime equivalent roles with one clinician typically on duty at any given time and on-call after-hours care available, Health NZ said.
“Work is underway to strengthen healthcare access by improving connections to primary care, enhancing digital support, and working closely with Hauora Māori partners to strengthen their role in supporting care delivery. These are early-stage considerations and will continue to be shaped alongside the community and providers,” a spokesperson said.
‘Save your ailments up for a month’
Health NZ said it was not considering a fulltime GP and encouraged locals to enrol with an appropriate doctor.
Sangster said a resident GP would be a luxury and she was uncertain the population justified it.
“I think if it could be made to work that would be the Rolls Royce option… I’m not opposed to a GP here but I don’t know if there’s the need for it,” she said.
Ford recalled a system that used to be effective – a GP visiting once a month.
“You just had to save your ailments up for a month and that sort of worked,” he said.
But the island’s culture of stoicism could be dangerous as residents tended to push through illness rather than seek help, he said.
“People will have something wrong with them and they’ll hold on and hold on and then they’re in big trouble and they do have to get med-evac’d in the middle of the night,” he said.
Not all residents shared that concern.
Helen Cave said the nurses were a genuine asset and the trade-offs were simply part of island life.
“They’ve got good backup, they’re communicative, they do your blood tests. I think we’ve got a better service than if you were in Invercargill or one of my kids moved to Wānaka this year – I think there’s better services here than in Wānaka.”
Health NZ declined RNZ’s interview requests.
It said future changes would factor in the community and provider’s views.
– RNZ