A free dental care initiative in Gisborne more than tripled its reach after “exponential” demand from the community.
Iwi-led health provider Turanga Health partnered with mobile dental clinic Trinity Koha to deliver free dental services across Gisborne in 2024, aiming to support whānau through providing free, accessible and welcoming dental care.
The New Zealand Medical Journal released a report on Friday, detailing the initiative’s results across 2024 and 2025.
During the programme’s first year, 207 treatments were given to 40 patients across five days.
In 2025, 605 treatments were given to 178 patients across 10 days - a 346% increase on the previous year’s reach.
Volunteer dentists worked eight to 12-hour days based on demand and the complexity of treatments.
Reweti Ropiha, chief executive officer of Turanga Health, said the demand for the service had been “exponential”.
“Their [the practitioners’] desire was to zoom in on those most vulnerable. They weren’t looking for the conformists; they were looking for the ones who were missing out.”
The initiative was part of Turanga Health’s ‘winter readiness approach’.
After speaking with members of the community, Ropiha said demand for the same things kept coming up - dental care, eye care and access to flu vaccinations.
The service - which included treatments, teeth cleaning and dental check-ups - operated out of a mobile dental caravan.
The 605 procedures in 2025 included 135 scale and polishes, 109 extractions and 99 restorations.
Young mothers, those with mental health and addiction issues, and those with chronic long-term health conditions such as asthma were identified as targets for the service and were contacted directly by Turanga Health staff.
“Non-traditional” settings were chosen for the clinics, such as Te Karaka Hall and Manutuke Domain, to make the experience of visiting a dentist less intimidating.
Ropiha said the initiative was about “demystifying” the experience of receiving dental care for whānau.
The 2024/25 NZ Health Survey reported that Māori were less likely to rate their oral health as “good” to “excellent” than non-Māori.
In 2025, 81% of patients accessing the service were Māori.
Affordability was the main barrier to accessing dental care, the report said, alongside lack of childcare, needing to travel or taking time off work.
Patients were also supported with needs-based “wraparound support” from Turanga Health after their appointment - such as transport to and from appointments, car seats, a flu vaccination and dental hygiene education.
The service would return next year, Ropiha said.
Moving forward, the report called for dentistry to be a public health priority, and it warranted a coordinated policy and funding response.
Ropiha said dentistry has “always been [put] in the too-hard basket”.
“We need to be doing something seriously in this dental space. We need to be fronting up - otherwise this audience here will be significant users of bed nights in a hospital system”.
The average price of a trip to the dentist in New Zealand increased by $98 between 2020 and 2023.
- NZ Herald
