The first to put her hand up to help others out

WINNER

DONNA KIELAR

If there’s anybody who goes above and beyond the call of duty to help others and make a real difference, it’s Donna Kielar.

Ms Kielar, who is of Māori and Cook Island descent, is a registered nurse who works as a nurse adviser in the National Hauora Coalition-led Mana Kidz programme.

Mana Kidz is a free, nurse-led, school-based programme providing healthcare for children across 88 south Auckland primary and intermediate schools.

On top of her work with Mana Kidz, Ms Kielar has also been at the coalface of the recent measlesoutbreak and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

She often stays up late working and is the first to put her hand up to help out, all with a positive attitude and smile. Colleagues are blown away by her and describe her as a wonder woman.

Her ability to think forward and plan out effective strategies to deal with challenges and crises has positively affected everyone she works with.

National Hauora Coalition leader service delivery Rachel Brown nominated Ms Kielar for the award.

“She’s an outstanding person and has really developed as a leader in the last year. She takes on tough tasks and does them really well,” Dr Brown says.

Ms Kielar is in high demand for her skills. She’s recently been seconded to the Ministry of Health for four days a week to help with the workforce development for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

She has worked tirelessly in response to the pandemic including on the front line at community testing centres, and her PPE and nasopharyngeal swabbing training protocols have been adopted by the Ministry of Health as their standard.

“She’s very pro-equity and not afraid to challenge inequities, but in a nice manner. She always has our whānau’s best interest at the forefront.”

She has driven the development of innovative research projects into rheumatic fever prevention through sore throat management, healthy eating, and impetigo clinical trials to improve best practice for impetigo treatment.

Ms Kielar has also been involved in training initiatives, which have resulted in the upskilling of a culturally diverse workforce.

“She’s really pro our population base and those that are under-served in our community.”

Judges' comments:

[Donna] is a leader not only in her organisation, in terms of driving innovative practice and models of care, but also in the community, enacting National Hauora Coalition’s mission of mana whānau, whānau ora

FINALIST

BARBARA BROOME

DESPITE FACING her own health challenges and frequent hospitalisations over the course of her lifetime, the indomitable 91-year-old Barbara Broome is still selflessly giving back to the community.

With a background in nursing and midwifery, Mrs Broome has spent the greater part of her working life as a public health nurse. She is a highly respected advocate for the rights of disabled people and has been at the forefront of fighting for equity for decades.

Mrs Broome, who is part Fijian, is a founding member of the Health Navigator Charitable Trust’s Health Consumer Advisory Service. In recent years, she has worked tirelessly on the establishment of the Hub of Hope Trust, which provides palliative care training for spiritual leaders across Auckland and nationally.

Fellow HCAS member and service co-ordinator Gary Sutcliffe nominated Mrs Broome for the award.

“She is just an absolutely marvellous woman who has achieved more in her lifetime than most could dream of,” Mr Sutcliffe says.

With a large part of her work carried out in recent years from her hospital bed, Mrs Broome is still going strong in her quest to help others.

“She is absolutely stoked to have been nominated and to be a finalist.”

Judges' comments:

Barbara has shown extensive commitment to health over her lifetime and has drawn on personal experiences to direct her efforts and identify areas where advocacy is needed