Justin Butcher discusses that fresh thinking has a place in primary care. New ideas matter. Challenge can be healthy. But primary care is too important to be reduced to branding, slogans, or simplistic claims about what should replace what.
Read moreThis week (15 April), midwives in Hamilton celebrated an important milestone in a project aimed at making immunisation easier to access for hapū māmā, pēpi and whānau.
Read moreJustin Butcher explores the importance of robust funding models, accountability measures, and practical system design for primary care which are vital to ensuring general practice is supported both now and in the future.
Read moreRising fuel prices are already creating extra pressure for rural general practice, affecting everything from travel and PRIME callouts to supply costs and patient access. Our clinical director, Dr Jo Scott-Jones recently spoke to RNZ about what rural GPs are seeing on the ground, including concerns about transport, stock and the added cost of getting care.
Read moreJoin our psychiatrist-led GP supervision group, offering confidential supervision of difficult cases. The group is suited to GPs who are managing high volumes of mental health presentations and have become the go-to mental health doctor at their practice, whether by design or by default, or are looking to strengthen their mental health literacy. Tuesdays at 4.30pm, every four weeks for one year, starting 2 June.
Read moreGeneral practices are invited to take part in the National Bowel Screening Programme (NBSP) May primary care promotion to increase bowel screening participation among under-screened groups and improve patient outcomes. The May campaigns in 2023, 2024 and 2025 were highly successful, increasing kit requests among under-screened groups. This year’s promotion aims to build on that success and drive even greater participation. Register now to access free resources and participate in the campaign.
Read moreThe Diabetes National Clinical Network has issued updated HbA1c diagnostic thresholds to align New Zealand reporting with global standards and to support improved patient outcomes. The following changes were implemented by Pathlab on Wednesday 22 April, ahead of the Ministry of Health deadline of 1 July 2026.
Read morePathlab is now able to offer FIB-4 Index as a requestable test. The FIB-4 Index is used to assess the risk of liver fibrosis in patients with Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease (but is not appropriate for other causes of liver disease). If using Pathlab Éclair orders, please go to the additional tab and search “FIB-4.”
Read moreIn consultation with endocrinologists and paediatricians, Pathlab has recently updated reference intervals for FT3. This aligns Pathlab with Waikato Hospital Laboratory and LabPlus and includes more appropriate intervals for young paediatric patients.
Read moreHealth Accelerator has partnered with PenTest NZ to offer general practices a 25 per cent discount on an independent cyber security assessment — around $1,000 off for most practices. With increased scrutiny following recent primary care cyber incidents, this is a practical way to identify risks and demonstrate responsible cyber risk management. The discount is available until 31 July 2026.
Read moreTaranaki now has a dedicated sexual health contact tracer. Rose Heron is based at the Sexual Health Clinic on Powderham Street and is available to support free follow-up for patients who have tested positive for STIs and consented to contact. Referrals are welcome via email.
Read moreTe Whatu Ora is surveying health professionals across aged residential care, general practice, ambulance, community, and hospital settings about their confidence in providing palliative and end-of-life care. Your experiences will help identify workforce strengths, gaps, and priorities for future education and support. The survey is open until Friday 1 May 2026.
Read moreThe Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners supports research and education that benefits general practice, rural general practice and rural hospital medicine through three funding rounds each year. Applications for the second funding round of 2026 open 22 April.
Read moreThis is an expression of interest for a valuable training opportunity designed to help frontline health workers feel more confident and prepared in challenging situations. This two-hour session focuses on practical personal safety strategies and enhanced situational awareness.
View eventThis is an expression of interest for a valuable training opportunity designed to help frontline health workers feel more confident and prepared in challenging situations. This two-hour session focuses on practical personal safety strategies and enhanced situational awareness.
View eventThis is an expression of interest for a valuable training opportunity designed to help frontline health workers feel more confident and prepared in challenging situations. This two-hour session focuses on practical personal safety strategies and enhanced situational awareness.
View eventFoundation Standard and Cornerstone® are developed by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.
This manual has been created as a resource for general practices to aid in the delivery of effective smoking cessation services. The resource will help you evaluate your current practice and identify any changes that could be made to improve your smoking cessation service and ultimately reduce the number of smokers at your practice.
Practice Plus is a virtual telehealth services established by Tū Ora Compass and Pinnacle specifically designed to complement rather than to compete with your own practice.