You may have spotted the big blue mobile surgical unit as it travels up and down the country, but you may not know the concept for sharing mobile came from a visionary man, Stuart Gowland, who will become a companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his contributions to rural health services. Stuart, who retired in 2019, founded the mobile surgical unit in 2002 and has completed more than 25,000 operations since its inception.
Stuart was also progressive when it came to supporting rural healthcare professionals – he was the driving force behind online video conferencing since the early 2000s and remains a key part of the business today.