Rural health care in New Zealand: poised for renaissance?

Despite the idyllic potential, many parts of New Zealand's rural health services have continued to struggle for want of a workforce whose retention is not threatened by demanding rosters, heavy workloads and overwhelming bureaucracy. There may now be a basis for cautious optimism that a plan to integrate recommendations and trialled initiatives from the past decade may attract sufficient government funding to see a renaissance for rural primary health care. This paper outlines the elements contributing to what may be a last hope before crisis takes over.