This year, My Health Hub celebrates its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of strengthening the rural health workforce through accessible, high-quality education.
For health professionals working in remote communities, small rural hospitals, general practices and community health services, accessing continuing professional development (CPD) has not always been straightforward. Distance, travel costs, workforce shortages and rostering demands can make attending traditional education opportunities difficult.
Since 2006, My Health Hub has helped remove these barriers by connecting rural clinicians with specialist knowledge, practical skills and professional support, regardless of where they live or work, and without leaving the communities they serve. Today, it continues to deliver on its founding purpose: extending equitable access to education for the health professionals caring for rural communities across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Over the past 20 years, My Health Hub has delivered a diverse programme of online webinars and study sessions, and in-person courses covering topics that reflect the realities of modern rural healthcare. From emergency medicine and clinical skills to mental health, wellbeing and long-term condition management, the programme is designed to meet the evolving needs of the rural workforce.
Its reach extends to some of New Zealand’s most remote communities, ensuring clinicians can learn from experts and connect with peers without spending days away from their patients, colleagues and whānau. Our education programme has reached audiences as far north as Te Kao and as far south as Stewart Island, connecting professionals working in some of New Zealand’s most rural areas.
Since 2006, My Health Hub has delivered more than 175,053 hours of professional development. Behind each one of those hours is a health professional investing in their knowledge and skills to provide the best possible care for their community.
The value of education reaches far beyond the individual attending a course or webinar. New knowledge is shared with colleagues, discussed within teams and applied in practice, creating a ripple effect that strengthens healthcare services and ultimately benefits patients and whānau.
One example is RESCyou (Rural Emergency Skills to You), delivered by a team of FACEM (Fellow of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine) tutors in partnership with Mobile Health Group. The programme brings hands-on emergency care training directly to rural hospitals and clinics in locations including Aotea | Great Barrier Island, Tākaka and Te Anau. Tailored to each community, the training reflects the realities, resources and challenges local clinicians face every day.
In October, RESCyou was recognised nationally, winning the Tāmaki Health/Total Healthcare Research and Education Award at the 2026 New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards | He Tohu Mauri Ora. The award recognised the programme’s work improving access to critical-care training for clinicians in rural and remote communities.
Another valued initiative is the Caring without Carrying workshop series, which supports healthcare workers with practical tools to build resilience, recognise burnout, respond to suicide risk and manage challenging situations. At a time when workforce wellbeing is increasingly important, these workshops have become a vital source of support for many rural health professionals.
While the numbers tell an important story, My Health Hub’s greatest achievement is the stronger workforce those learning opportunities have helped build. For 20 years, the programme has supported clinicians to grow their confidence, expand their skills and continue delivering quality care closer to home.
“The greatest privilege has been working alongside rural clinicians who are deeply committed to their communities,” says Chris Moore, Rural Education Manager.
“They face unique challenges every day, yet their passion for learning and delivering exceptional care never wavers. If My Health Hub has helped make that job a little easier over the past 20 years, we’re incredibly proud of that.”
This milestone is also an opportunity to thank the thousands of health professionals who have participated in webinars, workshops and education events over the years. Your dedication to ongoing learning helps strengthen healthcare services and improve patient care in communities across the motu.
Thank you also to the clinical experts, course tutors, partner organisations and Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora whose expertise, collaboration and support have helped make education accessible to those who need it most.
And to the My Health Hub team at Mobile Health Group, both in front of and behind the camera, thank you for your innovation, dedication and belief in the power of connecting rural clinicians with the knowledge, skills and support they need to thrive.
Together, you have helped build a stronger rural health workforce and contributed to better healthcare outcomes for communities throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
What some of our attendees had to say:
“After watching this webinar, I will set up a sepsis kit for our rural midwifery team. Being able to administer IM antibiotics is useful when so far from hospital and having challenges with IV access.”
— Rural midwife (Maternal Sepsis webinar)
“It’s important for me to use this information for my multiple vulnerable clients who are in the lower demographic rural areas with poor access to health services.”
— Community nurse (Wound Care webinar)
“It’s invaluable towards sustaining our wellbeing and professionalism to continue providing our health care and expertise – completing this course I feel I could march another 10,000kms on my nursing clock.”
— Christine Cook, clinical nurse specialist, Kaitaia.
“This has been probably one of the best rural courses that we’ve ever had. It’s really hands-on. It was really relevant. We could change the content to suit what we needed to depending on the scenarios we were discussing. The people teaching were amazing. They just changed it or tweaked it to suit what we were exploring, if you like. Honestly, amazing. Totally, totally rate it. Thank you so much.”
— Tania Kemp, NP and Aotea Health Clinical Director, Great Barrier Island.
(Group photo above right L-R: The RESCYou team stand proudly together with their award. (L-R: Dr Peter Freeman, Emergency Physician (retired) and RESCYou course founder; Dr Ruth Large, Chief Clinical Officer – Whakarongorau Aotearoa; Dr Shameem Safih, Emergency Physician – Waikato Hospital; Dr Wei Yin Tan, Emergency Physician – Waikato Hospital; Chris Moore, Rural Education Manager – Mobile Health Group; and Dr Mariska Lambert, Emergency Physician – Taupō Hospital.)
My Health Hub is endorsed by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) as a CME provider.