Nightmare long weekend fatali� es add to Thames Valley road toll, P2 Nail-biter cricket fi nal, P17 ISSN 2703-5700 PUBLISHED EVERY SECOND WEDNESDAY Issue 017 April 14, 2021 Medical duo C 100 C 0 M 25 M 0 moveY 0 Y 0 on after 30 yearsK 0 K 100 in Ngatea Font :: Times (modified) By KELLEY TANTAU harder. The medical centre hasn’t got that much bigger, r Anthony Smit and his but the complex nature of the Dwife Bronwyn Roberts, patients has grown hugely.” the faces of Hauraki Plains Anthony, originally from Health Centre since 2014, will Mangere, Auckland, has seen leave the practice in the coming the medical fi eld face triumphs months. and challenges, and, under his Anthony, who started as a and Bronwyn’s ownership, the junior doctor at the practice Hauraki health centre took on- in 1991, will hang up his board a ‘Health Care Home’ stethoscope at the end of model of care - one of the early June. Bronwyn, the practice groups of practices to do so. manager, will leave on April 30. The approach organises the They’ll be heading to way doctors see patients in a Christchurch, where they have more rational way, so the right family, and said the move patient gets the right care at the would be bittersweet after 30 right time, he said. years in Ngatea. However, full-time rural Doctor Anthony Smit and prac� ce manager Bronwyn Roberts are moving on from the Hauraki Plains Health Centre. “Our kids have been brought general practise was still a lot Photo: KELLEY TANTAU up in this community, they of work. accumulate more conditions, way we live, the way we work, Kaiaua, Mangatāwhiri, went to Ngatea Primary School “You’re doing 80-100 he said, and they lived with the food we eat, and the lack of Waitakaruru, Kerepēhi, and Hauraki Plains College, consults a week, plus all the those conditions for a long activity. Miranda, and the greater so we’ve lived the life here,” other interactions you have time. “That’s going to be the biggest Thames community, and has a Bronwyn said. with people, and what has And while he’s also witnessed challenge in our healthcare staff of 11. “We’ve had our major life happened over my working a decrease in issues arising from system over the next 50 It has been bought by Health experiences in Ngatea and time is the growth of complexity smoking, health complications years, and a whole-of-society Ngatea, under the same arm of we’ve made some wonderful with every patient. from obesity had increased. approach is the only way we’ll Health Te Aroha, and there will friends here. “When I fi rst came down “Whilst our population be able to address it.” be no real change in the way “It’s a community in the here, people would be asking has reduced its smoking Yet, the improvements in the practise operates, Bronwyn truest sense of the word.” questions like: ‘You must be considerably, against that, the way practitioners can said. Anthony will continue his busy because there are lots there’s a growing number now manage conditions has “The practise needs a set of career in medicine down south of colds around’. But the of obese patients, and that improved immensely, he said. fresh eyes. as a locum doctor working biggest chunk of our work is results in long-term health “We are better at treating “We’ve made some big three days a week. the management of long-term consequences. heart disease, we are better at changes in the time we’ve The change of pace was conditions, and that space has “General practitioners and treating diabetes, we are better owned it, but now it’s time for prompted by the Covid-19 just grown and grown.” health providers do a lot of at treating nearly everything.” someone else to carry on what pandemic, Bronwyn said. Because people were stuff , but they are up against The practice serves the we think has been good work in “Medicine has just got a lot living longer, they tended to a whole lot of forces like the Hauraki Plains, Mangatangi, our community.” Need a rubbish bin? AUTUMN With a range of size options – we’ve got you at least covered! 25%OFF 205 Sealey Street, * Thames PHONE 0800 4 MY BIN (0800 469 246) LA-Z-BOY EMAIL [email protected] Proud Supporters of ONLINE www.smartbins.co.nz Proud Supporters of PH 07 868 6128 *T&C’s apply. Participating stores only. Please see in-store for more details or go to la-z-boy.co.nz *T&C’s apply. Participating stores only. Please see in-store for more details or go to la-z-boy.co.nz WE ARE LOCAL – proudly 100% Kiwi owned & operated NZ Autumn Sale Poster-A0.indd 1 28/01/21 1:45 PM 02 THE VALLEY PROFILE, April 14, 2021 www.valleyprofi le.co.nz CONTACT US The Valley Profi le is a community Fatal Easter crashes add to district toll newspaper that delivers 100% local news in the Thames Valley In the fi nal installment of a results from an Offi cial Infor- region. We deliver 12,500 copies Valley Profi le series about mation Act (OIA) request were every second Wednesday to every our roads, KELLEY TANTAU released. le� erbox, reaching more than discovers Easter fatalies add The OIA put forward to Waka 22,500 readers in Hauraki Plains, to a shocking Thames Valley Kotahi New Zealand Transport Paeroa, Thames, Thames Coast road toll in recent years. Agency [NZTA] by The Valley and surrounding rural areas, Profi le in March revealed 257 plus bulk distribu� on around the wo crashes within just people crashed on the 29km Coromandel Peninsula. Tover an hour of each other route between Thames and the during Easter long weekend Coromandel’s east coast be- NEWS/EDITORIAL claimed the lives of two people tween 2016 and 2021, though Editor Teresa Ramsey and injured many others, add- the 2020-21 data isn’t yet com- Ph 0204 0944 853 ing to an already high crash plete. editor@valleyprofi le.co.nz rate on Thames Valley high- Of those crashes, four were Reporter Kelley Tantau ways. fatal, 19 were serious, 75 were Ph 022 619 4889 Christopher Charles Kenny, minor, and 159 were non- kelley@valleyprofi le.co.nz aged 60, from Auckland, died injury. Poor handling, road and three others sustained factors, poor judgement, and ADVERTISING Photo: KELLEY TANTAU moderate injuries after a truck travel speed made up the main The Kopu-Hikuai Rd has the highest crash rate in our region. Ad manager Nikki Sanders and car collided in Kaihere on factors contributing to these we all got our licence with an fying roads where reviewing Ph 022 1303 885 April 1. crashes. air of responsibility, and we speed limits could make a big Email: nikki@valleyprofi le.co.nz That same day, 22-year-old An equally dangerous route, should have all read the Road diff erence in preventing deaths Kalam Safari Watkin-Mamode, State Highway 2 from Mara- Code, and we all see the signs and serious injuries. 100% LOCALLY OWNED of Mangatāwhiri, died in a marua to Paeroa, had a total that say ‘Slow Down’. The agency was also working AND OPERATED crash on State Highway 2 in of 247 crashes, including seven “It’s all basic stuff which hu- with other organisations for Mangatāwhiri. Investigation fatal and 11 serious crashes mans know, and you can only the ‘Road to Zero’ safety strate- PO Box 550, Thames 3540 into the circumstances of both since 2016. tell people so much.” gy, which has a target to reduce www.valleyprofi le.co.nz crashes was ongoing, police In other areas, State Highway Ingrid has been the eastern deaths and serious injuries on Hi, my name is Pete said. 25 from the SH2 roundabout to Waikato safety co-ordinator the country’s roads, streets, the Pukeko and I’m There was also a serious Kōpū had 14 crashes, seven of for more than 10 years, work- cycleways and footpaths by 40 here to help you try crash in the Karangahake them fatal; the Thames Coast ing with Thames-Coromandel, percent over the next 10 years. and win a nest egg. Gorge on April 2, and another Rd had 101 crashes, includ- Hauraki, and Matamata-Piako Reaching that target would All you have to fatal crash in the Athenree ing one fatal; the Karangahake district councils to promote mean reducing annual road do is fi nd me in Gorge, adding to the total na- Gorge had 68 crashes, one fa- an awareness of road safety deaths to 227 and serious inju- one of the display tional Easter road toll of eight tal; and SH26 between Kōpū among residents. ries to 1,680 by 2030. adver� sements in each edi� on dead on our roads - the second and Paeroa had 11 crashes, four “Every time there’s a crash or And in regards to the OIA re- of The Valley Profi le, then email editor@valleyprofi le.co.nz or Ph/ highest in the past decade. fatal. a fatal accident it does surprise sults for Thames Valley, Ingrid txt 0204 0944 853 with your full The Easter road toll adds to a Alcohol, speed, and poor me,” Ingrid said. said she hoped the numbers name, the business name and page huge number of crashes in the handling contributed to crash- “My job is to try and prevent would be “reduced tomorrow”.