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Te Whare Taumata o Hapori Taiwhenua o Aotearoa

Rural Communities Aotearoa

Te Whare Taumata o Hapori Taiwhenua o Aotearoa aim to promote and encourage the active involvement of all organisations within a rural health and wellbeing focus. 

About Us

We work with our members to identify priority needs in rural health and promote actions to be taken.

We support research in identifying key issues in rural health, develop knowledge about them and disseminate relevant information to those with an interest in rural health.

Our work involves promoting and encouraging the coordination of the training and education requirements of the rural health workforce.

We aim to provide feedback to government and local authorities on the health impact of policies and services in rural communities to ensure rural and locality proofing principles are applied and reported on.

Our goal is to provide effective representation and leadership on rural community health and wellbeing issues.

By collaborating with other groups, we will develop and strengthen strategic alliances with the potential to improve health and wellbeing outcomes.

Executive Committee

Gill Genet

Chair

Gill champions workforce development and through workforce, making a difference to the lives of whānau, families and communities in Aotearoa. 

In her day job, Gill manages System Capability for National Emergency Management Agency, professionalising and building the emergency management workforce in Aotearoa.   

Gill is a strong advocate for enhancing rural wellbeing and believes in whanaungatanga, building relationships and working collaboratively. Her approach is to build on strengths and share solutions. She brings extensive experience in fostering collaboration and partnerships between communities and elected stakeholders. 

Bill Eschenbach

Deputy Chair

Bill is currently the Chief Executive of Waitaha PHO. Prior to this role, he was a Client Manager with South Link Health where he was responsible for rolling out Primary Health Organisations in the upper South Island.  

Having developed strong community linkages with a number of organisations including Territorial Local Authorities, Bill brings experience in forging partnerships which support the continuation of rural and remote rural primary care services through the developments of community networks. 

Bill brings a strong business acumen and depth of experience to rural communities through strong stakeholder relationships with Canterbury District Health Board, Canterbury Alliance, Ministry of Health, New Zealand Rural General Practice Network, National Rural Health Advisory Group, St John Ambulance, Whanau Groups and most recently Hauora Taiwhenau.