Poet, GP and Hikoi 4 Health co-founder Dr Glenn Colquhoun has been travelling across Aotearoa, listening directly to communities and health workers about what they believe needs to change in the country’s public health system.
The nationwide hīkoi has put the experiences of patients, whānau and frontline health professionals at the centre of a wider conversation about whether New Zealand’s health system is delivering fair and effective care.
For Māori, the discussion has a particular focus on the barriers whānau experience when accessing healthcare and what changes could improve outcomes and make services more responsive to the communities they serve.
Colquhoun’s journey is also exploring what health workers themselves are seeing on the frontline, where the greatest pressures are being felt and what practical reforms could make the biggest difference.
As health becomes an increasingly prominent issue ahead of the November election, the hīkoi is providing communities with an opportunity to contribute their experiences and ideas about what the future of public healthcare should look like.
Dr Glenn Colquhoun joins Ata Tū on Radio Waatea to discuss what he has heard around the motu, the challenges confronting Māori healthcare and whether his journey has left him hopeful meaningful change is possible.
#GlennColquhoun #Hikoi4Health #Hauora #HauoraMāori #MāoriHealth #HealthNZ #PublicHealth #HealthSystem #Whānau #HealthWorkforce #Election2026 #AtaTū #Aotearoa #WaateaNews #RadioWaatea
