Northland gives warm welcome to medical students

Twenty senior medical students were given a warm welcome on their arrival in Northland, with an informal community barbecue and a formal ceremony at Whangarei Hospital.
The students, who are the first year's intake on the Pūkawakawa - Northland Regional-Rural Medical Programme, were welcomed by Northland District Health Board Chair, Lynette Stewart, and Chief Executive, Karen Roach, and the programme was formally launched by the Honourable Mita Ririnui, Associate Minister of Health.

The fifth-year students from the University of Auckland's Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences will be living and working in Northland for an academic year. They will be based primarily at Whangarei Hospital but will also spend seven weeks each on attachment at Kaitaia, Rawene and Dargaville hospitals, and with general practitioners in those areas.

The students and their families enjoyed a barbecue on Sunday, at which they met members of the local community. This was followed by a formal welcome on Monday (11 Feb), attended by representatives from Northland DHB, the University, health providers from around Northland and the local community.

The university representatives - including Vice Chancellor, Professor Stuart McCutcheon and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Professor Iain Martin - were met by a wero performed by members of the Ngati Hine Health Trust.

Lynette Stewart said: "This is but the beginning of a tremendous initiative that will have huge rewards, not only for Northland but for the whole of New Zealand. We have a collection of people who are determined, with the DHB, to ensure the health improvement for Northlanders is a happening thing.

"This is a partnership today between the DHB and all of its stakeholders. We know that it will be a success because we know that Northland is a great place to come to. We intend that your students will be very well looked after."

Karen Roach told the group: "It is a pleasure and a privilege to be here celebrating the commencement of the Northland Regional-Rural medical Programme. We see this programme as a key strategy in helping shape our future workforce, and by example showing other tertiary providers and professional colleges that the road paved with high educational standards and outstanding clinical experiences does not always lead to Auckland, or Dunedin for that matter."

Professor McCutcheon said the programme was another part of the long-standing relationship between the University of Auckland and the Northland region. He said: "The University is totally committed to this programme at every level of the organisation and we hope it will be a wonderful success. I hope it will be something that really brings about great change in the supply of medical staff to Northland. I also hope we can extend the programme to other parts of the country."

Foramlly opening the programme, the Hon. Mita Ririnui said it was a pleasure to be launching an initiative that was driven by the community itself, and congratulated the DHB for taking part.

Noting that just 10 years ago Northland suffered from "frustration and unemployment", he said: "The message is that everybody is coming north. Your circumstances are under your control and you have made strong alliances with our educational institutions. It is a pleasure to be here to launch this programme, Pukawakawa, on these grounds."





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For further information, please contact:

Clare Blackburn, Communications Manager

Northland District Health Board

Phone (09) 430 4101 ext 3315