Grassroots 'Hīkoi 4 Health' Project Enters Final Phase with Upcoming Book Release, Documentary Film, and Return Hīkoi
In 2025, doctors Art Nahill and Glenn Colquhoun drove from Te Hāpua to Wellington in an old Fort Transit van painted up as a whimsical ambulance to protest the state of the New Zealand health system. They held a series of public meetings along the way to capture people’s experiences and hear their ideas for reform.
After completing their journey just over a year ago, Art and Glenn undertook a review of more than 500 community submissions from all over the country. The data was curated into recurring themes reflecting the lived experiences and health needs of everyday New Zealanders.
To address these findings, a volunteer "Blue-Sky" innovation team was convened. This diverse group brought together experience and expertise from public health, te ao Māori, nursing, and health management. Their objective was to look past existing systemic boundaries and reimagine a sustainable, equitable, and fit-for-purpose 21st-century healthcare delivery model.
Community insights, case studies from the hīkoi, and frameworks for a reimagined health system have been compiled in a soon-to-be-published book entitled Rethinking Health: Lessons from the Hīkoi 4 Health. According to Glenn, ‘This is a book about why Art and I came to protest about the state of the New Zealand health system. It is about the feedback we got from New Zealanders when we did. Above all else, it is about hope. And about how it is possible to re-imagine our health system and have it work more effectively for everyone in our country.
The book also includes peer review by a panel of "tyre-kickers": public health expert Professor Sir Collin Tukuitonga, health economist Ganesh Nana, Malcolm Mulholland from Patient Voice Aotearoa, and former MP Louisa Wall, currently a spokesperson for Kaitiaki Hauora. The book has recently gone to press and is expected in late August-early September. A documentary about the hīkoi produced by Ōriwa Hakaraia is currently in the final editing stages as well.
Art and Glenn are also preparing to get back behind the wheel of their signature "vanbulance" for the final phase of the kaupapa. Starting in mid-to-late September, the team will hit the road to revisit the communities that originally hosted them and shared their stories, delivering the book and its recommendations in person.
Further details regarding the official launch date and the "vanbulance" regional tour itinerary will be available in the coming weeks.
About Hīkoi 4 Health:
Hīkoi 4 Health is an independent, grassroots initiative dedicated to listening to community voices across New Zealand to advocate for meaningful, equitable, and sustainable health system reform.