A local Northland couple has taken their town's biggest toothache into their own hands.
Dargaville is without a dentist, meaning rural residents have to drive for several hours to get to the nearest practice.
But a farming couple has come up with the location - and now they just need to attract a dentist to work from it.
There are some pretty big plans for this little white building. It used to be the local dental practice but it's been sitting unused for a year and Dargaville is desperate.
"People pulling their own teeth is a big one," one person said.
"Otherwise you have to go to Whangārei, and there are a number of dentists in Whangārei, but they're all booked up," said a second.
"That's an hour's drive, and for me personally, yeah, I need a dentist," a third added.
And so do the thousands of rural locals who have to trek even further.
"Poutō Peninsula and Upper Kaihu, it's a huge trip for them to go to Whangārei. It's a two-and-a-half-hour drive each way, so that's a day off work," said Wairoa general ward councillor Gordon Lambeth.
One of them got so fed up that she just bought the place and took action herself.
"My husband looked at me and I looked at my husband and we said, 'why don't we start a dentist'," said Dargaville Dental Building owner Julie Cotton.
But Cotton is missing a crucial piece of the equation, getting a qualified dentist to go and work there is proving tricky.
They've now pursued immigration accreditation to try and bring in a dentist from overseas.
"I feel a duty of care or a sense of duty, to do what I can, to make something happen," Cotton said.
The locals are on board.
"I think that would be great," one person said.
"I love the fact that they're really enthusiastic and want to do something positive for the community, I think we need more people like that," another said.
"I think it's a great idea what they've come up with, and I hope it works for them, I hope it works for the town," a third added.
A gap in the community that's overdue filling.
