Assessments & Testing

Drive Through Sites

With the country at Alert Level 2, there are changes coming to the process for assessment and testing for COVID-19. From Monday 25th of May, people with no symptoms can also go to their local GP for assessment and testing where needed and some of the community based drive throughs will be closing this week.

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Pop Up sites

Whakatane Holiday Park
‍Wednesday 27th May                  9-12.30
McGarvey Road, Whakatane

‍Cutler Crescent
Friday 29th May                           10am-2pm
Eve Rimmer Park

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Static Sites

‍Whakatāne (closing 30th May)
Monday - Friday:                          9am - 12.30
Whakatāne War Memorial Hall
Short Street, Whakatāne

‍Ōpōtiki (closing 28th May)
Thursdays & Saturdays:              10am-2pm
Ōpōtiki Senior Citizens Hall
King Street, Opotiki

‍Kawerau (confirmed until 14th June)
‍Tuesdays & Thursdays               10am-2pm
Ron Hardie Rec Centre, Onslow Street.

Testing

If you have any of the following symptoms, you meet the criteria to be assessed and tested at the drive-thru facility:

• Cough
• Shortness of Breath
• Sore Throat
• Runny Nose

All symptoms can be with or without fever. If you have your NHI number, please bring this with you.

You do not need a referral.

Transport

All patients are required to arrive at the drive-thru assessment centre in a vehicle, only with people within your bubble.

Those who don’t have access to a vehicle, contact the Te Puna Ora Covid-19 support line on 0800 MATAATUA (628228) and press 9 for their dedicated line.

Mobile Pop-Ups

Our mobile pop-up clinic provides a kaupapa Māori and equity approach to ensuring small, isolated and rural communities have the same access to testing services.

Our mobiles are self-contained bubbles and operate usually between 10am-2pm. This allows our team to travel and set-up/pack-down before and after the clinic and make overnight path lab courier deadlines.

Surveillance

During Levels 3 & 4 we were testing non-stop to ensure COVID-19 was eliminated.

At the beginning of Level 2, we transitioned to a dual testing and surveillance approach.

Surveillance involves testing sections of the population at random that do not have symptoms to make sure COVID-19 remains contained.

This will involve testing stations popping up at various schools, work-places and townships around Mataatua until a vaccine becomes available.

If you would like some advice in assessing your community or workplace, contact us on covid-19@tpoom.co.nz

Whānau Ora

Our testing sites have a kaupapa Māori approach and come with wrap around whānau ora services.

We provide resources, information and support on site, ranging from information about hygiene and isolation through to hardship, kai, and emotional support.

Partnerships

The drive-throughs have been set up by Te Puna Ora o Mataatua (TPOOM) and Eastern Bay PHA (EBPHA) with support from Bay of Plenty District Health Board (BOPDHB), in collaboration with local iwi in each area.

We deliver a kaupapa Māori and equity model in conjunction with Pahi Tahi in the Western Bay of Plenty operated by The Center for Health.

Where We Have Been

We are grateful for the support of hapū and Iwi around Mataatua and the manaaki they have provided our team when we have visited their pieces of paradise.

To date, our mobile pop-ups have visited:

- Te Waimana
- Rūātoki
- Murupara
- Waikaremoana
- Ruatāhuna
- Tāneatua
- Te Teko
- Matatā
- Edgecumbe
- Whakatāne
- Rotomā
- Poroporo