Your general practice team is your first point of contact for health advice or care.
Learn moreSupporting general practices across Te Manawa Taki to deliver sustainable, high-quality care.
Learn moreWho we are, what we stand for, and how we work with general practices across our region. People, purpose, and a genuine commitment to health and wellbeing for all.
Learn moreCall Healthline to talk to a health professional 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and they will point you in the right direction.
Pinnacle partners with Practice Plus to provide same day virtual after-hours GP appointments for enrolled patients, as an extension of our regular medical centre team.
Call your GP, find a GP or visit Practice Plus for a virtual appointment.
Previously called Pin Points
In this section we share clinical and practice operations updates from Pinnacle and the wider health sector. Use the search box and filters to help find what you’re looking for.
Have an update you’d like to share? Email us.
You can now find quick links to Continuing Medical Education (CME) and the Professional Development pathway on the right-hand side of the HealthPathways site. Just above the CME page link, you’ll also see a link to BMJ Best Practice. Te Whatu Ora has written a short guide with instructions on how to access BMJ via HealthPathways, along with a support contact if you need assistance.
Read moreTe Whatu Ora is implementing mandatory national criteria for Community Referred Radiology from 1 September, 2025. Referrals not meeting these guidelines will be declined. This is intended to standardise access to imaging across Aotearoa and improve equity of care.
Read moreFrom October 2025, BreastScreen Aotearoa will begin extending free breast screening to women up to age 74 (Nelson/Marlborough began as a pilot in 2024). The rollout will be phased in gradually, with full implementation by 2029. This is the first age extension in over 20 years and is expected to save an additional 22 lives each year through earlier detection and treatment.
Read moreFrom 15 August-10 November 2025, the Stratford x-ray facility and service is unavailable while the old x-ray equipment is upgraded to a new digital unit. To ensure continuity of care, additional appointments are available at Taranaki Base Hospital, Hawera Hospital and Waitara Healthcare Centre.
Read moreCommunity Based Attachments (CBAs) are three-month placements where new doctors (PGY1 and 2) work in general practice under close supervision. They provide a valuable opportunity for practices to contribute to the development of the next generation of GPs, while receiving some funding support. Accredited practices play a vital role in offering safe, meaningful experiences for junior doctors — experiences that have been described as career-shaping, and even career-saving. If your practice is interested in exploring accreditation to host PGY doctors, please get in touch.
Read moreThis eight week course comprises 150 hours of learning equating to approximately 10 hours of study per week. The aim of this micro credential is to develop participant's proficiency in the principles, knowledge and practice of trauma informed care, when caring for people with multidimensional experiences of trauma, and their whānau.
Read morePinnacle-wide Te Whatu Ora updates regarding the Community Referred Radiology (CRR) Programme, dengue fever and the latest new and updated HealthPathways pathways.
Read moreImplementation of the FIT for Symptomatic clinical pathway in the Waikato took place 11 August. Supporting documents are available to ensure you and your patients have the information needed.
Read moreTe Kaunihera Manapou | Paramedic Council is exploring the possibility of paramedics in Aotearoa New Zealand gaining prescribing authority. The Council is seeking early feedback from paramedics, stakeholders across the health sector, and the public on how familiar you are with prescribing, your level of support, and safeguards or training you think are needed.
Read more