Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa

Ko Kaimatau te māunga

Ko Waimak ariri te awa

Kei Ōtautahi taku kainga tuturu

Kei Tamaki Makaurau taku kainga inaienei

Ko Fountain te whānau

Ko Barbara taku ingoa

Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa

Welcome everyone to the New Zealand Primary Health Care Awards | He Tohu Mauri Ora.

Kia ora and welcome to health minister Simeon Brown, to our judges, our finalists and our friends. To all our sponsors, thank you for supporting this event with your time and your money. You are champions for primary care and tonight we are here to celebrate the stars of primary care.

Thanks also to our convenor of judges Linda Bryant and to our awards team led by Annabelle, for the year-long task of getting us here.

It is wonderful to be at the waterfront because I can’t help but think back to 2020 when we launched the primary care awards not far from here at shed 10.

It was a hot, sticky, humid February night and the large ceiling fans had our huge banners flapping in the wind. And we were all rather sweaty. Perhaps not surprisingly we underestimated how much the drinks bill would be.

That night was memorable for another reason. The day before, New Zealand recorded its first case of COVID.

A month later, the country went into lockdown, and community and primary care providers around the motu changed, in many ways, forever.

The challenges faced by the sector today are far less tangible than a coronavirus with a predilection for mutation.

This year, the coalition government has injected new funding and initiatives into general practice and the pharmacy sector. This has been welcome.

Politicians and officials often speak of primary care as critical to the health system; everyone in this room knows in fact it is the heart of the system.

Yet primary care still feels somewhat unloved, always the kid at the back of the class putting their hand up with the questions no one wants to answer.

These might include where is the strategy behind changing pharmacy ownership regulations; what is the future for PHOs, will iwi Maori partnership boards be enabled to make a difference and, against the evidence and the calls from general practice leadership, why did a long awaited capitation formula update not include ethnicity.

So while funding has been welcome, there remains a yearning for a collective, collaborative vision for the future of pharmacy, general practice, community midwifery, aged care and other community services, a vision that goes beyond waiting for our primary care services to be bought up by overseas investors.

We have just over 5 million people, we need a system that operates as one.

We have projects here tonight that show the goodwill and collaboration between primary and secondary care, between the public and private sector, between clinicians and managers, is possible.

These projects show that despite funding pressures and workforce shortages, people are pulling in the same direction for the good of the patient – that is after all what this is all about – the patient, family and whānau – that is all of us.

I acknowledge those of you working with and for Hauora Maori and Pasifika providers and patients, where a shadow has clouded the work of achieving equity in health outcomes and where attempts have been made, and continue, to dampen the place of Te Tiriti at the heart of healthcare in Aotearoa.

I see the passion and determination, though at times thwarted, that drives you to do the best for your patients, following the evidence.

Poor policy is creating an unnecessary burden.

Trust and relationships are key – it is what healthcare has been about since the time of prehistory when a piece of moss was applied to a burn.

Maintaining these values in today’s world where human contact is increasingly seen as an optional extra is hard work, and it takes time. Great teams make this happen.

And like many of you, I am also the proud leader of a great team which includes designers, reporters, clinical editors, sales and support staff.

At The Health Media, we GET primary care. We aim to help with your education, tell your stories, share your highs and your lows.

The journalists at New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa and Pharmacy Today Kaitiaki Rongoā o Te Wā, see you.

They hear your stories told with trepidation, anger, worry, tears, laughter and joy.

They understand the complexity of the system you work in. They know that at the heart of every four letter acronym, impossible to navigate funding stream, or drug name with too many x,y and js, there are people who are working to make a difference.

Please support our work as we support yours.

And finally, tonight, just remember, while good healthcare is important, you do not carry the burden alone. Healthcare services contribute towards, at most, 20 per cent of our wellbeing – there is a lot more going on with poverty, housing, racism, environment and the rest.

You can’t fix everything. So tonight, relax. Connect with colleagues new and old, dream of future collaborations, celebrate what you have done and what you can do.

Take your certificates and trophies and display them boldly because no one will be more proud of your success than your patients.

Nga mihi nui, Thank you everyone, you look fabulous, have a great night.