Two respected Māori leaders from Hokianga have been awarded Honorary Fellowship of The Division of Rural Hospital Medicine, which is part of The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.
Marara Rogers-Koroheke (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngai Tuteauru, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue) and Hone Taimona (Ngā Puhi), received their Honorary Fellowships this evening at GP22: the Conference for General Practice, currently being held in Christchurch.
Honorary Fellowship is given to individuals of distinction who have made an outstanding contribution to rural hospital medicine or the medical profession in general.
Based in Hokianga in the far North, Marara and Hone’s achievements through Hauora Hokianga (Hokianga Health) a Māori Health provider which includes the Hokianga hospital at Rawene, extend to local, regional and national education institutions.
Chair of the Division of Rural Health Medicine Dr Andrew Morgan says, “Rural healthcare advocates are incredibly important to the sector as some services and resources are often not as accessible as they are in more urban settings.
“Having passionate people such as Marara and Hone dedicated to improving the health outcomes in their community and also across New Zealand through their teaching is so great to see and they are truly deserving of this recognition.”
Since 2006 Marara and Hone have been involved in the Hauora Māori education of rural General Practice and Rural Hospital Medicine trainees, through the rural post-graduate University of Otago papers. As part of their role, they lead the four-day noho marae for the rural trainees.