Thousands marched in silence from Victoria Square to the Westport Clocktower, while in Reefton about 100 people held a silent vigil at the hospital.
Both were called to demonstrate concern over healthcare in the region.
The Buller Declaration says the health system is in crisis and urges the government to act urgently.
Patient Voice Aotearoa chairman Malcolm Mulholland said it was a historic move.
"Never have health advocates and representatives come together to collectively declare that the state of the New Zealand health system is in a state of crisis and for the government to urgently fix it."
Buller, the smallest province by population, was leading the country by starting the nationwide declaration, he said.
It would now travel the country and could be signed by anyone "who believes we need to do better when it comes to our health system".
"I have received calls from people in Kaitaia, Hawera, Gisborne, Masterton and Oamaru and they are telling me they worry about the state of healthcare in their region.
"The Buller Declaration is an opportunity for everybody to express their concern about healthcare ... and for the government to do whatever it takes to address the crisis."
Buller Health Action Group spokeswoman Anita Halsall-Quinlan said everyone was talking about how worried they were about access to health services in Buller.
"Because we are so isolated ... access to health services, especially in an emergency, is quite literally a case of life or death.
"I know of people who have shifted away from Buller because they don’t trust that they will be able to get what they need if they are in an emergency."
Guest speakers at the Westport march included Mr Mulholland and Ms Halsall-Quinlan, Kerri Nuku from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Dr Andrew Laurenson from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, Sarah Dalton from the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, and Dr Jeremy Webber from the Rural Health Network.
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) said concerns over patient safety had prompted it to join the march.
NZNO kaiwhakahaere (chairwoman) Kerri Nuku said the closure of the West Coast urgent care GP clinics after this weekend would put more pressure on Te Raukawakawa health centre in Westport, which is already stretched.
"Relying on telehealth services out of hours jeopardises patient safety.
"Aotearoa’s health system is in crisis and the understaffing in our hospitals and healthcare settings continues unabated with this government’s obsession with cutting costs.
"There is a chronic shortage of thousands of nurses throughout the country which is contributing to increased wait times in emergency departments and compromising the quality of patient care."
The Buller Declaration
1. New Zealand’s health system is in a state of crisis.
2. The government must act urgently to address that crisis.
3. Rural, Māori, and low-income populations are disproportionately affected by the crisis.
4. The government must act urgently to meet its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and protect Māori health, in consultation with iwi and hapū.
5. The government must allocate additional resources to train, recruit, and retain more nurses, doctors and specialists. — Greymouth Star
