Time and again, we have had to confront a government that appears to consistently undervalue the contributions made by our rural, regional and South Island communities.
In the past 18 months, we’ve had to fight for the essential infrastructure that will support our community, and we’ve had to fight for meagre recognition of the vital role we play for this country’s economic resilience and social fabric.
We’ve seen that fight spill on to the streets, stretching from the heart of our city all the way to the steps of Parliament, in the campaign to "Save Our Southern Hospital".
Tens of thousands of people from across the region came together in one of the largest protests in the South Island to demand that our needs aren’t ignored.
As I marched alongside 35,000 of you that day, I can honestly say I’ve never felt prouder to be a part of this community.
In some ways, we have won.
We will get our hospital.
That victory, due no small part to the tireless work of our doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, patients, and incredible locals, must be celebrated.
However, let’s also be clear; National, in 2023, promised a hospital for future generations.
The new scaled-back inpatient building with a "cold-shelled" sixth floor will now have fewer beds and reduced capacity,impacting the effectiveness of the hospital in providing care for the whole region.
Any reduction in psycho-geriatric beds will not deliver for our ageing population.
Southern folk are pretty independent.
We pride ourselves on being tough and resourceful, but there are some things that require a collective investment like a well-funded and functioning public hospital.
Some of us might be lucky enough to have vegetable gardens, some to have excellent genes, some to have warm and mould-free houses, but all of us will, at some point, need to call on the care and expertise that our public health system should provide, beyond our reach as hardy individuals.
Being a community, agreeing that there are some things that we need to do together, is our strength and greatest asset.
Together we won’t give up the fight for the hospital that the South was promised, especially in the leadup period to an election year.
Remember: those sitting in Parliament making these decisions only hold power because we let them.
Public healthcare and future-proofed infrastructure is a political choice that is ours to make.
