Crippling daily operating costs and a lack of new capital funding has led to the closure of a Maori health provider at the top of the South Island.
Te Rapuora o te Waiharakeke is closing after 26 years providing community services with a strong focus on kaupapa Maori mental health support.
Health officials are confident that funding for its core services will be transferred to other providers so the 700 existing clients are looked after.
Manager of Te Rapuora, Aroha Metcalf, says it provides a lot of mobile care - which means it spends a fortune on petrol.
She says the fuel bill used to be $1500 a month - but is now double that.
