The North Shore Division apparently had not met for two years and the last committee sought the opinions of the members in the region. The few that replied were asked to a meeting to discuss the future of the division. Five active practitioners came, and myself, retired for ten years. Sadly, this seems to display an almost complete indifference here to the existence of the NZMA. It is not unreasonable to suppose that this might reflect attitudes in the rest of the country. It was said that GP members have a surfeit of meetings through their IPAs. However, these could not be integrated with the local NZMA structure because many were not association members. If this is the case, perhaps some form of ‘corporate’ membership might be considered.

In addition, the loss of the hard copy journal will greatly reduce its readership, judging from the fact that fewer than half the North Shore members could be contacted by email. This can only reduce membership. It appears that the continued existence of the NZMA is at considerable risk in spite of good leadership and management. Hopefully, the central office will have some effective therapy in mind.

Dr Slark is mistaken to equate the North Shore Division’s lack of activity with the overall position of the New Zealand Medical Association. Divisions are very much the responsibility of local members, and it is up to them how active they wish to be. Hawkes Bay, for example, a division with fewer members than North Shore, recently held a Testimonial Dinner attended by around 70 people. The Auckland Division regularly holds political forums, attended by Cabinet Ministers, including the Health Minister.

Times have changed, and many of our members do not have the same need for local support and contact as they once did. The NZMA communicates with and provides services to its members in many different ways, including the email bulletin Vital Signs, and the Member Advisory Service (which handles around 2200 inquiries a year). Members can, and do, contact the National Office by phone, fax, email and post, and contact the Board, GP Council, and Specialist Council members directly to discuss concerns. The online NZMJ received more than 23 000 page hits in September, and many of our members have indicated they are reading it and enjoying the new format. Vital Signs outlines the breadth of NZMA activities – particularly our advocacy activities with politicians and officials, and our submissions. Our media profile is the envy of most health sector organisations.

We are disappointed that Dr Slark has chosen to air his views in this way, instead of communicating his concerns directly to the NZMA. The New Zealand Medical Association continues to be a strong and vibrant organisation, extremely active on behalf of its members and an essential national voice for the medical practitioners of New Zealand.