When Tūranga Health was established in 1997, it had an opening cash balance of $300, two contracts with the then Midlands Regional Health Authority, and 10 clients.

One year later it launched the renowned Kaumātua Programme and took the cash-strapped Vanessa Lowndes Centre under its wing. By then it had 150 people on its books.

For the next four years Tūranga Health developed its culturally based business approach and style of operating. The Māori philosophy towards health is based on a wellness or holistic model. For many Māori the major deficiency in modern health services is taha wairua (the spiritual dimension). Cultural elements like spending time to get to know people, family links, and long-term planning resonate with whānau.

In 2002 Tūranga Health took the first in a series of steps that would see it become the large-scale, proficient business it is today. It teamed up with seven general practices to form Tūranganui Primary Health Organisation (Tūranganui PHO). In an unusual model Tūranganui PHO was owned by two practitioner associations (Pinnacle Group Ltd, First Health) and iwi (Tūranga Health). By now Tūranga Health had nearly 3000 whānau registered.

In 2007 Tūranga Health became the district’s first iwi health provider to earn accreditation. The report was so strong the organisation did not need to be tested again until 2010 and then 2014.

A major transformation happened in July 2011 when Tūranga Health took over the general practice at Te Karaka. Very few iwi health providers offer general practice. The acquisition cemented Tūranga Health’s validity with other primary health providers in the district and demanded a new level of organisational development and accountability. Equipped with a culturally based business approach and style of operating, Tūranga Health was confident and enthusiastic about providing quality health services in Te Karaka and Waikohu. On takeover day the general practice had only 1210 patients following a decade of uncertainty about the health centre’s future. But seeing a doctor in Te Karaka was, and still is, free.

In October 2013 Tūranga Health won the Community Service Excellence category of the Westpac Gisborne Business Excellence Awards, drawing praise from the city’s leaders and cementing its validity as a specialised provider of health services.

Tūranga Health continued working hard to earn the trust of people living in the area and had increased enrolments to over 1500 by 2019.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tūranga Health became a frontline responder for Te Tairāwhiti. With vaccination clinics on marae, in workplaces, schools, and pop-up sites, kaimahi delivered over 13,000 vaccinations and helped lift local immunisation rates. Alongside health checks, food deliveries, and wellbeing calls, the organisation showed the power of kaupapa Māori care in protecting whānau.

When Cyclone Gabrielle devastated Te Tairāwhiti, Tūranga Health mobilised immediately. Kaimahi delivered kai, water, medical supplies, and health checks to isolated whānau. Mobile clinics and wellbeing support reached even the most cut-off communities. The response reinforced Tūranga Health’s role as a trusted first responder for Māori communities in times of crisis.