Published July 2025
From a simple afternoon tea to supporting 40,000 New Zealanders, Access | Uru Ātea is celebrating a remarkable century of community healthcare this year, alongside our founding organisation Rural Women New Zealand.
Where it all began
1925 – A powerful idea takes root
Twenty-five women gathered during a Farmers’ Union conference and decided rural families deserved better support. The Women’s Division of the Farmer’s Union (WDFU) was born, with sixteen founding members heading home from Wellington ready to make change happen.
1926 – Building the network
Secretary Mabel Jackson picked up her pen and handwrote over 2,000 letters, reaching out to rural women across Aotearoa. Her efforts paid off – 100 women attended the first national conference a year later.
1927 – Healthcare comes home
Listening to what communities really needed, the Division launched the Bush Nursing Programme. Qualified nurses with surgical and midwifery training began travelling to remote areas, bringing essential care directly to families who needed it most.
Decades of progress
The organisation kept evolving, always with rural wellbeing at its heart. Through the 1960s, they championed equal pay, better maternity care, family planning access, and rural safety. Healthcare remained the constant thread.
In 1999, a rebrand to Rural Women New Zealand marked a new era of independence. Access Homehealth joined the Green Cross Health group in 2014. In 2023, Anchorage Capital Partners acquired Access, continuing the journey of growth and community focus.
Today and tomorrow
Access | Uru Ātea now supports more than 40,000 people across Aotearoa through our home support, clinical nursing and rehabilitation services. Our team of nearly 4,000 kaiāwhina | support workers, nurses, physiotherapists and clinical professionals continue that original mission of meeting people where they are, to create a better day, every day.
Our name Uru Ātea means “to enter space” – reflecting our commitment to step into people’s lives with care and respect, walking alongside them on their health journey.
From those 25 determined women around an afternoon tea table to today’s nationwide network, we’re proud to carry forward this legacy of practical care and community connection.
We look forward to guiding the next chapter of this uniquely New Zealand story.
