New Zealand’s reputation as a premier adventure tourism destination is well-earned. With our breathtaking landscapes and a huge range of pulse-raising adventure activities to choose from, it’s no wonder the whole country is considered heaven for adrenaline junkies.
I was pondering this reputation for adventure tourism while working on some of our updated Points of Interest data (hospitals in this case). It really got me thinking about this combination of extreme adventure along with our vast wilderness and low population. Because, if you find yourself in a medical emergency in some of our more remote adventure destinations, you might be in for a challenging journey to the nearest Accident and Emergency (A+E) unit – particularly in the South Island.
Indeed, 16 of the top 20 longest travel times to hospital A+E units across the whole of the country are to be found in the South Island.
This is not too surprising I guess when you think about it (given the South Island's sheer size and low population), but the distances between towns and hospital A+E facilities can be especially daunting here. For example, getting from Milford Sound to the nearest hospital A+E unit takes a staggering 182 minutes by road over 254.4 kilometres. Similarly challenging journeys are faced by visitors and residents in Karamea, Franz Josef, Twizel, and Naseby.
Travel Times to nearest hospital A+E – South Island (longest journeys)
Now, while the towns of Twizel and Naseby are probably not considered glittering stars of the adventure tourism galaxy, what they do represent is that huge distances to hospital A+E units are not just a concern for adrenalin junkie tourists, but for every day Kiwis too.
While the North Island in general has better access to A+E services, there are significant challenges for the East Cape/Hawke's Bay region, where 3 of the top 5 longest distances to hospital A+E units for the North Island are located.
Travel Times to nearest hospital A+E - North Island (longest journeys)
What all this data clearly shows is that while New Zealand offers unparalleled adventure experiences, the reality of timely access to medical care in an emergency can be stark - whether you’re a visitor or a local resident.
Geography and demography
The 2018 census reported a population of approximately 47,500 in the Gisborne region, with 35,000 residing in Gisborne city. This concentration of residents in Gisborne city, coupled with the dispersed population across the rest of the East Cape, highlights the challenge of providing adequate A+E coverage in such a geographically and demographically spread-out area.
Now, as you can imagine, geospatial data plays a vital role in understanding and helping ensure that health services are optimally placed to serve those in need.
This means that regional towns will often have smaller or mobile medical clinic options that will serve perfectly well for many situations, but clearly there are certain emergencies where only a fully equipped hospital A+E will suffice.
This of course is when things get tricky. In order to better demonstrate the distances that are often at play for regular Kiwi towns, let’s focus our attention on an excellent candidate for “Everytown, New Zealand” – Twizel (population – 1,850).
The travel times from Twizel to the five closest hospitals
You can see from the Twizel example above that there really aren’t any major hospital A+E units anywhere close by.
NationalMap’s travel speed estimates in the above graphic are based not just on distances, but on the actual average speed that can be driven safely on those roads (and road segments) derived from multiple inputs such as, speed limit, road condition, road surface type and the twistiness (or bendiness) of the road.
But however you look at it, a minimum journey time from Twizel to a fully equipped hospital A+E unit of over an hour and half is a long time and this is before factoring in any traffic incidents or temporary road works that might slow things down further.
While it can’t account for every temporary or short term variable, geospatial data does provide invaluable context for understanding the relationship between demographics and the physical world. This context is essential for making informed decisions about where to place new medical facilities and how to improve access to critical health services for as many of the population as possible.
It's also true that geospatial data can hugely benefit almost any enterprise that has a physical presence, be that health facilities, broader urban development, or retail sites. The careful analysis (and practical application) of geography and demography will almost always improve the performance and efficiency of all aspects of an operation in the real world.
If your business operates in the real world, NationalMap data can help improve your operations, get in touch today to learn more.