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Monday, 8 March 2021, 9:14 am
Te Marae o Hine Palmerston North’s Square will ring to
the sound of chainsaws and wood chopping, alongside many
other farm animal noises, from sheep and horses to miniature
ponies and working sheepdogs, for three days from
Friday.
The
Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games is back and this
time there is a heavy focus on youth to lift interest in the
booming rural economy and rural sports.
Rural Games
founder Steve Hollander said we’ve introduced several new
initiatives like the Westpac Agri Futures careers day and
expanded youth-related championships.
“We hope to
nurture the next generation of rural sporting athletes and
Patients had also suffered because of the knock-on effect of fewer appointments. In the last year permanent and short-term vacancies increased from 88 to 103 across rural GP practices, Davidson said. Meeting New Zealand medical council registration requirements, finding flights, getting a room and paying for MIQ were putting many potential recruits off.
Supplied/Stuff
Ōpunake Medical Centre owner and GP Nick Loveridge-Easther, left, hasn’t been able to fill a full-time role usually held by an overseas doctor. He took up an offer by his father Graham Loveridge, right, who is a semi-retired GP from Nelson, to help fill the gap for a few weeks. The doctors are pictured with one of their patients.