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Te Puawai

National Rural Health Conference
Rotorua March 2015
Report by Anna Reed NP

More than 440 people attended this year's
National Rural Health Conference hosted by
the New Zealand Rural General Practice
Network and the Rural Health Alliance
Aotearoa New Zealand in association with the
New Zealand Rural Hospital Network (Dalton
Kelly, 2015).
The College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ) Inc
generously offered me the opportunity to
attend this conference when Diane Williams
the incumbent (Nurse Practitioner) NP stood
down as a Committee Member for the Rural
Health Alliance New Zealand (RHANZ).

© Te Puawai

I had put up my hand to be considered as a
Committee Member for the RHANZ because
the College of Nurses believe it is strategically
important for an NP to be on the RHANZ. The
Masterton Medical Centre is one of the rural
areas hosting the Rural Medical Immersion
Project for Trainee Doctors; therefore was I
not in essence a rural practitioner? However it
soon became apparent that this injudicious
belief was far from the real coal-face of Rural
Health Care Practitioners. The Conference
was attended by very experienced Rural
Primary Health Care NPs and NP interns who
throughout the 3 days explored and debated
the roles of nurses within rural health care
including Nurse Practitioners, Rural Nurse
Specialists, and Practice Nurses. Discussion
about impending legislation including the
proposed RN prescribing and working
collegially across the Rural Sector to provide
collective support, education and confidence
made me feel I was in the presence of NP
pione ers. It seemed appropriate that on Friday
night at the awards ceremony Nurse
Practitioners working in rural areas were
recognised
as
being
invaluable
and
dynamically linked to sooner, better more
convenient rural health delivery.
As a Delegate there is always a need to find a
take-home message; for me one of the most
powerful was from a key-note speaker
Ernesto Sirolli a consultant in the field of
Economic Development; amusing, polished
and motivating he gave a snap-shot into his
work on a person centred approach to local

College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ) Inc
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