In 2025, doctors Art Nahill and Glenn Colquhoun drove from Te Hāpua to Wellington in an old Ford Transit van painted up as a whimsical ambulance to protest the state of the New Zealand health system.

They held a series of public meetings along the way – including in the Eastern Bay – to capture people’s experiences and hear their ideas for reform.

It was their own frustration working with partients who were finding it difficult to access healthcare that prompted the hīkoi and their mission was simple: listen, document and deliver the public’s voice to decisionmakers.

The doctors are back behind the wheel of their “vanbulance” to relay their findings and launch their new book, Rethinking Health: Lessons from the Hīkoi 4 Health.

Following a documentary release in Auckland on Friday, they begin a tour that will see they again travel the length and breadth of the North Island, this time delivering their findings directly to the communities that shared their stories during the original hīkoi.

They will be in Whakatāne on September 23 and in Ōpōtiki on September 24

According to Nahill, “though the kaupapa is coming to an end, we hope that some of the ideas in the documentary and book will create a sense of hope that we’re not chained to the old ways of doing things and that we can reimagine the kind of high-quality, equitable, and sustainable health system we all deserve”.

Last year, packed rooms greeted the doctors when they stopped in the Eastern Bay along with passionate contributions from medical professionals and members of the public.

A consistent message emerged: politicians should step back and let healthcare professionals lead reform.

At the Whakatāne meeting, a nurse working in mental health said recruitment and retention were the biggest issues.

The crisis team she worked on was funded for seven staff to service a catchment of about 55,000 people. There had been two staff and five vacancies for years, she told the meeting.

She said they were all exhausted.

Hikoi 4 Health Eastern Bay meetings

■ Wednesday, September 23, Whakatāne – Knox Presbyterian Church at 6pm

■ Thursday, September 24, Ōpōtiki – Ōpōtiki District Library at noon