WAIRARAPA M OANA ISSUE THIRTY-THREE: TORU TEKAU ma Toru MARCH 2014
Dr Janice Wenn – Te Toa Whakaihuwaka Hauora Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa kuia Dr Janice Wenn has worked in health for more than half a century, received her PhD at the age of 74 and worked in isolated bush communities, has been awarded Māori of the Year for Health. Dr Janice Wenn, born in Greytown, has been a nurse and midwife for more than 50 years and helped set up Whaiora Medical Centre in Masterton. She has an extensive career in all aspects of nursing and focuses on “Māori, by Māori for Māori” health services. The Marae Investigates Ngā Toa Whakaihuwaka Māori of the Year 2013 award came as a complete surprise to Dr Wenn. “I was literally speechless.” She is modest about her contribution to Māori healthcare, some of which were made in challenging circumstances. “A lot of people made it happen, I was just in the right place at the right time and also I had the skills to make it happen.” She said setting up Whaiora, in 1997, came from a request from the community but there was already a Māori provider in the district. “Our philosophy and our aim was rather different from theirs. We were basically working on the principle of Whānau Ora and empowering people to take care of themselves. It’s really good to see that it’s still there.”
Dr Janice Wenn – Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngāti Hinewaka, Ngāti Moe with Te Toa Whakaihuwaka Hauora trophy.
IN THIS ISSUE: p2
Finalists for Ahuwhenua Trophy Announced p3 Wairarapa Moana Merchandise p4 Ruamāhanga Whaitua Committee p4 Shareholder/Beneficiary Search p5 Macbeth at the Marae p5 Māori Land Court Masterton Clinic Dates p6 Waitangi Day – Carterton p7 Waitangi Day – Marae Visit
p8 p9 p9 p10 p10 p11 p12 p12
Wairarapa Moana Timeline 1840 – 1910 Why Should You Consider a Trade or Apprenticeship? Johnston Lawrence Wairarapa Moana Scholarship in Law Clareville Country Music Festival A Walk Down Memory Lane Farm Update 50 Unclaimed Dividends Shareholder Bank Account Details
Dr Wenn actually wanted to be a teacher and gained a scholarship to university but at 17, found it a bit of a culture shock. Her parents great believers in education sent her off to New Plymouth to train in nursing. “Her [mother’s] reason was that they educated young ladies, I actually didn’t fit into that category,” Dr Wenn chuckled. But she found her vocation. “I really quite liked it, I liked the helping aspect of it and it was a bit of competition.” Dr Wenn soon discovered there weren’t many Māori nurses around. “We were not known for our numbers.”
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March 2014