Te ORA celebrates and acknowledges Māori Medical Practitioner success and achievements

On Saturday 30 July 2022 Te ORA’s membership gathered online to celebrate the significant achievements of Tākuta Māori (Māori doctors) and, in a smaller fashion, Māori medical students. The Awards Ceremony was due to be hosted at Te Papa in Wellington and would have been the first face to face Awards celebration since 2019. However, due to the present Covid-19 situation, the Awards were moved to an online event.

The Te ORA Awards Ceremony, sponsored by MAS, acknowledged Māori medical graduates who attained their Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) and, special acknowledgements were made to those Māori doctors who attained their specialist college Fellowships.

The Te ORA Award recipient list:

• Te Rā Tūhura Award for best online college presentation was awarded to The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners - Drs Rawiri Jansen (Ngati Raukawa), Lily Fraser (Kati Moe, Kai Tahu, Waitaha) and Maia Melbourne-Wilcox (Ngai Tuhoe).
• Nga Rangatira Matahiapo Te Oranga Award for the Māori doctor most supportive of students, Dr Mairarangi Haimona (Waikato, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngā Puhi)
• Pharmac/Te ORA Award for Excellent Student Research Carton Irving, (Whakatohea)
• Pharmac/Te ORA Award for medical student Leadership – Selwyn Te Paa (Ngāti Whātua) and Patricia Rose Harris (Te Rarawa, Ngā Puhi)

Awards included culminate with presentation of the:

• Tony Ruakere Iwi Health Award for outstanding service in Iwi health care - Dr Kiriana Bird (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tūkorehe, Ngāti Porou).
• Paratene Ngata Ngākau Ora Award for outstanding service to other medical colleagues, Dr Maia Melbourne-Wilcox (Ngai Tūhoe)
• The Maarire Goodall Supreme Award for outstanding and influential Māori doctor of the year to Professor Sue Crengle (Kāti Moe, Kai Tahu, Waitaha)

Te ORA also acknowledged the Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress (PRIDoC) Kekuni/Paratene Advocacy Award which was awarded by the PRIDoC Council, (PRIDoC 2022, Vancouver, Canada) to the late Moana Jackson.