Mā Te huruhuru, Ka rere Te manu
Me Whakahoki mai te Mana ki te
Whanau, Hapū, Iwi, ara
Kia korowaitiaaku mokopuna ki te
Korowaitange hauora
Tihei Mauri ora!
A stunning tui with its vibrant green and blue feathers and distinctive white throat tuft, along with a whakataukī – which loosely translated means ‘adorn the bird with feathers so it can fly’ – features on one side of Te Piki Oranga’s new mobile clinic. The other side features a landscape image of whānau enjoying one of Te Tauihu’s beaches. Inside is comfortable and cosy, with a heat pump to warm the space in winter and cool it in summer, and cups of tea are on tap.
The purpose-built ‘mobile health clinic on wheels’ hit the road on June 11 and has already supported the hauora (wellbeing) of close to 600 local whānau members, after it was used as a base for two COVID-19 vaccination clinics at Whakatū Marae.
Te Piki Oranga’s Operations and Service Delivery Manager Lorraine Staunton says a successful funding application enabled the setup of a mobile immunisation clinic but it has already become a multi-purpose clinic, with additional potential uses continuing to evolve.
As well as being used as a vaccination ‘base station’, it provides a comfortable and private space for cervical screening, a first aid hub, health promotion centre at community events and is being fitted out with telehealth technology to ensure local whānau can access specialists across Aotearoa.
Lorraine, who joined Te Piki Oranga at the beginning of the year, set about defining the requirements for the custom-built clinic. The project team, which also includes Sonia Hepi-Treanor (Te Hā / Stop Smoking) and Rameka Te Rahui (Alcohol & Other Drugs Clinician), then commissioned Chris Dufeu at CJ Fabricators in Tahunanui to oversee the build. Lorraine says, ‘Chris really put his heart into the job; nothing was too much trouble.’
At first, the plan was to build the mobile clinic from scratch. Using chalk, they marked out the imagined size of the clinic on concrete. But, with supply chain delays for many building products to consider, it soon became apparent that it would be better to explore other options.
With Chris’ help, Te Piki Oranga was fortunate to find the perfect ‘shell’: a mobile room that had already been lined, had a door and a window, and electrical wiring in place. Adjustments were made and lights, benches, storage cupboards, a sink and a small fridge were installed.
‘This gave us a headstart of about five weeks,’ says Lorraine, ‘and we were able to start using the clinic in early June.’
Nelson Marlborough Health’s telehealth team is providing support to ensure Te Piki Oranga has access to the appropriate conferencing capabilities that will facilitate appointments with specialists in other areas of the region and country.
Lorraine says that, as a country, Aotearoa is not meeting many of the health targets for Māori but the new mobile clinic will support better health outcomes.
‘It has huge health promotion potential. We’ve also bought a gazebo that we can use alongside the clinic at community events.’
Watch out for the mobile clinic in towns across Te Tauihu in the coming months. And, it is likely to be used as a first aid hub in Whakatū for 2021 Te Mana Kuratahi, the national primary school kapa haka competition. With kapa haka groups from around the country descending on Nelson for what's being described as ‘the biggest Māori event in the world’, Te Piki Oranga’s new mobile clinic could be there to support thousands of people.
