Horowhenua New Zealand Trust invests $1.6m in local healthcare services

Trustees Ron Turk and Larry Ellison with volunteers at Foxton Beach Community Centre and Health Shuttle.

The Horowhenua New Zealand Trust has committed over $1.6 million to enhance healthcare access and services for the district through a series of grants and investments.

One of the healthcare services the trust is investing in is the Health & Wellbeing Hub.

In October, the trust said it would make a $1.5m investment into the development of the Horowhenua Health & Wellbeing Hub, currently under construction in Durham St in Levin. The development is being undertaken by Horowhenua Developments Limited and will provide a range of general practice, pharmacy, radiology and related healthcare services.

The trust is also investing in community distributions supporting healthcare access and support.

As part of its ongoing commitment to community wellbeing, the trust has awarded three community grants this month. Among these, a collective grant of $100,000 has been allocated to the Horowhenua Health Shuttle Trust and the Foxton Beach Community Trust. This funding will enable the purchase of two specialised vehicles to expand their transport fleets, providing critical transportation services for residents travelling to Palmerston North Hospital and local health facilities throughout the region.

Trustee Rebecca Kilsby-Halliday with Levin Event Centre manager Mark Verran at the site of the new first aid room currently under construction.

In addition, the trust also contributed $25,000 towards the build of a dedicated first aid room within the Horowhenua Events Centre. The building of this facility has already commenced and is expected to be completed before Christmas. These announcements were made on the back of a $50,000 donation made to the Palmerston North Hospital Foundation in 2022 that went towards the building of the children’s dedicated ED facility, which was was completed last month.

“The Horowhenua New Zealand Trust was set up to support the community through economic development activities and social enterprises. The grants made by the trust have been made possible through dividends from the commercial activities of the trust’s subsidiaries,” said trust chairman Antony Young.

“According to a recent Horowhenua District Council survey, the number-one concern raised by residents is access to healthcare.

“With nearly 8500 residents not registered with a GP in-district, and with hospital services and specialist care 50km away in Palmerston North for our residents, the trust has made healthcare a priority for support.

“We’ve only been able to make these contributions because of the THCL team, Horowhenua District Council and the mahi of others in the community. I would also like to acknowledge the amazing efforts of past and present trustees over the last six years who enabled us to get to this point.”

Young said the Horowhenua Community Health Shuttle provides affordable, reliable transport for the residents of Horowhenua so they can attend all their medical appointments in Palmerston North.

“Day-to-day running is provided by a co-ordinator who is paid, and 50 volunteers, all retired, are responsible for the operation of the vehicles. It takes 260 hours of volunteer time a week for the operation. The scheduled service operates five times a day, five days a week from Levin, picking up in Shannon, Foxton and Tokomaru. Currently, over 800 passengers a month travel by shuttle. The funding provided by the trust is to help fund the replacement of one of their ageing shuttles.”

The Horowhenua New Zealand Trust is to host its AGM on Thursday, November 28, from 5pm to 6pm at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō in Levin.

“All members of the community are welcome.”