The RESCyou – Rural Emergency Skills to You team is celebrating after winning the Tāmaki Health/Total Healthcare Research and Education Award at the 2026 New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards | He Tohu Mauri Ora in October.
RESCyou takes specialist tutors, simulation equipment and hands-on emergency training directly to rural health teams, in their own environments, with each course tailored to local needs. Local clinicians train together in critical areas including airway management, trauma and paediatric emergencies.
Running for more than a decade, the programme is making a tangible difference to emergency care in rural Aotearoa. By bringing high-level training to clinicians in rural and remote communities, RESCyou helps strengthen local capability and supports more equitable health outcomes for people, regardless of where they live.
Every participant reported greater confidence in performing critical emergency skills. Clinicians have also reported putting their RESCyou training into practice, from saving lives in remote hospitals and managing severe asthma when retrieval was impossible, to introducing new protocols for burns and agitation management.
The judges said of the RESCYou programme: “This project significantly improves access to training and education for provision of critical care interventions in rural and remote areas which has potential and significant impact on access to care and equity of access to health outcomes for the local population. Staff feedback on the training delivery is very positive.”
While we’re thrilled to receive this national recognition, what matters most is the difference RESCyou continues to make: giving rural clinicians the skills and confidence to respond when emergencies happen and specialist support is hours away.
“It is a true privilege to be part of the RESCYou team and receiving this award is a wonderful recognition of our shared effort. We couldn’t deliver this education without the exceptional support of Mobile Health Group, whose dedication to rural health enables us to connect with and support the amazing rural clinicians working on the frontlines often in resource-limited settings. Their enthusiasm and commitment to their communities inspires us on every course.”
“Beyond the honour of the award, it was a fantastic night celebrating the hard work, passion, and camaraderie across the primary care sector.” – Dr Mariska Lambert, Emergency Physician – Taupō Hospital
“This award means so much because it recognises a team who genuinely care about supporting their rural colleagues. Our RESCyou tutors understand the challenges of rural practice and bring their knowledge, experience and encouragement directly into clinicians’ own working environments. They create a space where people feel safe to learn, practise and build confidence. We’re just so proud of the whole team and thrilled to see their mahi recognised in this way.” – Chris Moore, Rural Education Manager.
A huge congratulations to everyone involved and thank you to NZ Primary Health Care Awards (add link) for shining a light on initiatives helping to strengthen rural healthcare in communities across Aotearoa New Zealand.
“This is just what we need. Very relevant to what we do and so powerful being able to do this training on our own turf with our own kit, as a team. That adds real value.” – Paula King, GP, Fiordland Medical Centre, Te Anau.
“Practising on Aotea means our team is often the first and only clinical response for our community, with the nearest hospital a flight or a boat ride away. What makes My Health Hub’s rural education programme so valuable to us is the calibre of it – the presenters are experienced clinicians who genuinely understand rural and remote practice, so the teaching is pitched at what we actually face rather than what works in a tertiary hospital. The content is consistently current, evidence-based and practical, and we can take it straight into the next presentation that walks through our door.” – Tania Kemp, Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Director, Aotea Health, Great Barrier Island.
“It really was awesome! Best, most well-presented and relevant course I’ve done in my nursing career. You’ve created a very safe place for learning, and I enjoyed soaking up everyone’s expertise immensely! Ngā mihi nui for coming to our motu.” – Attendee feedback.
(Main photo 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.)
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