New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards celebrate stars of primary healthcare

He Tohu Mauri Ora

Mauri Mahi, Mauri Ora

He tāngata/wahine Pūkenga

He tāngata/wahine Mākohakoha
He tāngata/wahine tino māia

Through the work you are all doing, our whānau, our community and our nation prosper

The New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards | He Tohu Mauri Ora celebrated the stars of primary healthcare at a black-tie awards ceremony on 15 May at the Cordis Hotel in Auckland.

The evening showcased GPs, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, suppliers, practice managers, researchers and others whose innovations and collaborations are transforming primary healthcare.

These primary healthcare stars have stood strong through the COVID-19 pandemic, finding new ways to improve equity and deliver positive health outcomes for all New Zealanders.

The evening’s host, celebrity speaker and wellbeing advocate Jase Te Patu, greeted the audience warmly and then got down to business: announcing the 2021 award winners.

Twenty-two people, projects and teams were named the category winners of New Zealand’s only national primary healthcare awards, receiving generous applause from the audience.

Professor Bruce Arroll, head of the Population Health Department at Auckland University, director of the Goodfellow Unit, and GP at Greenstone Family Clinic, received the ACC Supreme award. This top honour recognises the “winner of winners” for the year.

Professor Arroll is a generous, humble person who prefers to focus not on himself but on bettering others around him. He has made an astonishing and lasting impact on colleagues and the community through his work as a GP, vast research contributions, commitment to addressing inequity, and dedication to sharing his knowledge with others.

The Health Media managing editor Barbara Fountain was thrilled to see Professor Arroll receive the top award. “The two qualities I immediately associate with Professor Bruce Arroll are joy and dogged determination.

“He is a general practice academic grounded in frontline practice who takes obvious joy in his work, and an enthusiast who embraces the expanding general practice team, understanding the value of teamwork and different perspectives on patient care.

“His commitment to professional education has seen the annual Goodfellow Symposium flourish, flying the flag for Skills for next Monday.

“His gentle encouragement has seen colleagues step up to provide better mental healthcare in general practice through his advocacy of Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.”

Twenty-three runners up and two highly commended entries were also recognised at the gala.

Some of New Zealand’s leading healthcare professionals and numerous government representatives joined the evening, including Minister of Health Andrew Little, Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio, Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health) Peeni Henare, Mayor of Rotorua Steve Chadwick, ACC Chief Clinical Officer & Head of Health Partnerships Dr John Robson, ACC Tumu Pae Ora/Chief Māori and Equity Officer Michelle Murray, and former Māori party leader and driver of Whānau Ora policy Dame Tariana Turia.

Information about all of the winners, finalists and highly commended entries is included below and available on nzphawards.co.nz

The awards support a strong primary care sector, which is critical to a successful health system. GPs, midwives, nurses, pharmacists and others are the beating heart of healthcare, providing exemplary care to their communities.

“Primary care professionals play a crucial role in providing injured New Zealanders with access to treatment and care within their communities,” says Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) Chief Clinical Officer and Head of Health Partnerships John Robson.

“We’re very pleased to support a programme that recognises and rewards their hard work, particularly over the past year in which primary care has been on the frontline of New Zealand’s COVID-19 response.”

Judges, awards organisers and attendees lauded finalists’ creative approaches to making primary healthcare more equitable and sustainable.

Pharmacy Guild chief executive Andrew Gaudin congratulated all winners and finalists, who he says were fittingly recognised for demonstrating leading practice in primary and community healthcare.

“Their leadership provides a great example to all of us as we look forward to the exciting opportunities the upcoming health system reforms present.

“The success of award winners is particularly noteworthy when you think back on the extremely challenging time they faced responding to the pandemic, while simultaneously introducing the exciting initiatives they were recognised for.”

Ms Barbara Fountain echoed these congratulations and thanked everyone who entered the awards.

“In a year dominated by the pandemic, no one would blame anybody for taking a rest from being awesome primary care workers and not thinking about award entries.

“Proving the worth of primary care is doubly important as we head into another round of reform,” Ms Fountain says.

Minister of Health Andrew Little also thanked everyone in primary care for their hard work through the pandemic.

“This past year was a tough year – no question. So I salute you, I acknowledge you, and I thank you for the enormous effort you put in last year to keep New Zealanders safe.”

Minister Little also commented on the valuable role of primary care in the new, restructured health system.

“We have major problems with access, especially in particular groups. The reforms will address the equity of access question that we have to deal with. We will have a Māori Health Authority with real power and decision making rights. We will have a national network providing better treatment for patients wherever they are to avoid the postcode lottery.

“The real measure of the reforms’ success will be the extent to which we improve and boost and beef up primary and community healthcare. We need more front doors to care and in ways that are relevant to different people. We need to see better, and different ,and innovative things as we are here tonight.”

The awards are organised by The Health Media Ltd and the Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand Inc and generously supported by principal sponsor the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) and other high-profile health sector groups that see value in promoting and celebrating excellence in primary healthcare.

The 2021 gold sponsors are: BDO, Blue Star, Boehringer Ingelheim, College of Nurses Aotearoa NZ, Douglas Pharmaceuticals, GenPro, Green Cross Health, Habit Health, Medispace, Medtech, Ministry of Health, Pharmaceutical Society, Pharmacy Guild, ProPharma, Southern Cross Health Insurance and Spark Health.

Sponsorship is now open for the 2022 New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards | He Tohu Mauri Ora. More details, including the awards categories, gala date and gala venue, are forthcoming. For sponsorship enquiries, email gcobb@thehealthmedia.co.nz

About the Health Media

The Health Media is the publisher of New Zealand Doctor | Rata Aotearoa, Pharmacy Today | Kaitiaki Rongoā O Te Wā, the Healthcare Handbook and the Everybody Patient Information Sheets. It also provides accredited ELearning services for New Zealand Doctor and Pharmacy Today subscribers. The Health Media works to connect readers with each other and with the businesses and organisations who wish to communicate with them. As a result of this commitment, its products have been the leading providers of health sector news, opinion, and education in New Zealand for well over two decades.

​​About the Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand

The guild provides support and services to community pharmacy owners. It is committed to ensuring members realise their professional and financial potential in today’s challenging business environment. The guild provides leadership on all issues facing the community pharmacy sector and provides members with a range of business services and tools.