Nor'West News: September 21, 2023

MATT DOOCEY
FOR WAIMAKARIRI
A win for after-hours health care
Thank you to the thousands who signed my petition with
local residents Sandi and David McLean calling for Te
Whatu Ora Health NZ to fast-track after-hours health care
services in Waimakariri.
It was important to hear Health NZ apologise for their lack
of communication over the delays in after-hours services
at my public meeting at the end of April, and good news
that the voices of Waimakariri residents were heard with
the announcement by Health NZ that local GPs will be
putting together a proposal to deliver after-hours services
in the interim. I will be keeping in contact with Health NZ
over the proposal progress and if I don’t see any action I
will be prepared to go to the Health Minister.
Community action spurs CCTV
After a resident of Sovereign Palms approached me
following the theft of her motorhome, I hosted a public
meeting to gauge interest in a community-led CCTV
project. I was only too happy to get involved and bring
the relevant stakeholders together, including the council,
police, community patrol, neighbourhood support and
120+ residents, who showed overwhelming support for the
backing of my call to roll out community-led CCTV in the
area.
It was heartening to see residents taking back control of
their neighbourhood through the number of people that
came to my meeting, and since then I have been contacted
by residents of other subdivisions and developments keen
to replicate it in their neighbourhoods.
Advocating for patient rights
I recently had the privilege of meeting Theresa Zame,
and receiving her petition at Parliament calling for an
amendment to the Therapeutics Products Bill to allow her
to import life-saving prescription drugs.
Theresa is battling stage 4 lung cancer but has been
making progress thanks to medication she imports from
Bangladesh. Under Labour’s Bill she, and many others,
would have been stopped importing their life-saving
prescription medication.
Thanks to people like Theresa, the thousands of New
Zealanders who submitted on the bill and pressure from
National, changes have been made.
Authorised by Matt Doocey, 5 Kingsford Smith Drive, Rangiora.