Ōtorohanga Charitable Trust chair Kim Ingham and mayor Rodney Dow
Australian owned I-Med Radiology Network will close its Ōtorohanga clinic next week after complaining of rising staffing and rental costs.
Ōtorohanga Charitable Trust chair Kim Ingham wrote to the I-Med Radiology board on January 7 asking the company for a rethink and an urgent meeting.
I-Med Radiology purchased the Hamilton Radiology clinic at Ōtorohanga Medical in 2022. Ōtorohanga Medical had opened three years earlier after the Ōtorohanga Charitable trust raised $3.7 million to build the centre.
King Country News 22 January 2026
“Hamilton Radiology recognised the need for X-ray and ultrasound services in the rural community of Ōtorohanga, and the Ōtorohanga Charitable Trust fund raised an extra $100,000 dedicated to the purpose of the specialised construction of the X-ray facility,” Ingham said.
“Ōtorohanga as a community has very high levels of socioeconomic deprivation, and when that is combined with the rurality of much of the district, this contributes to our population having significant challenges accessing healthcare. Through the commitment of Hamilton Radiology, our people had an opportunity to access radiology and ultrasound services not previously available to them.
“If you don’t have a vehicle, if you can’t pay for petrol, if the only time off you have to attend appointments is in your lunch break, you are not able to have these potentially life-saving services if they don’t exist locally.”
I-Med Radiology senior regional manager Bradley Park replied to Ingham, saying the decision “was not made lightly but was based on an exhaustive operational review”.
“Unfortunately, the Ōtorohanga clinic has become operationally unviable, and we can no longer effectively provide the consistent service your community deserves and our standards require,” Park said.
“For greater clarity for you and the community, the decision has been driven by several factors. Primarily, the clinic’s viability has been severely impacted by rising staffing and rental costs. Furthermore, significant capital expenditure will be required to maintain services beyond 2026. Given current patient volumes and these escalating costs, service provision has become unsustainable, and I-MED has been forced to make the decision to close. To ensure long-term continuity for the wider region, we must concentrate our resources on nearby practices.”
I-Med has another clinic in Te Awamutu.
Ingham told The News she was struggling with Park’s explanation.
Rent had increased by $20 a day, the company employed two staff in Ōtorohanga from town and a replacement machine had been earmarked from a Hamilton practice.
“Our service is the closest facility for Ōtorohanga, Te Kuiti, Tahāroa, Kāwhia, Taumarunui, and groups such as Beattie Home and Hospital patients, and supported living community members, so there is a significant number of people impacted by this consolidation of efforts,” she said.
“We see a complete lack of interest in providing equitable services for all these people, and the purported values on the I-Med website being completely disregarded.”
I-Med’s values are working together, innovation, compassion, connection, and quality.
Otorohanga mayor Rodney Dow described the decision as disappointing, saying the company was looking at New Zealand through an Australian lens. What looked like a short distance to travel for an alternative clinic to Australian eyes felt like a long distance for New Zealanders.
Dow was keen to meet with the company.
Ōtorohanga Charitable Trust chair Kim Ingham and mayor Rodney Dow, pictured outside Ōtorohanga Medical, want to meet I-Med Radiology Network to discuss its withdrawal from the town.
