He mihi tēnei nā ō karangatanga, nā He Oranga Whānau Aotearoa.
Healthy Families Rotorua and the wider Healthy Families NZ whānau congratulate Cathy Cooney, co-Chair for our Rotorua site, on being awarded a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
“Healthy Families NZ prides itself on driving leadership to enable systems change thinking, and the leadership Cathy has shown us has been beyond valuable,” says Healthy Families New Zealand portfolio manager Mel Turner.
Turner says Cathy has been instrumental with regards to the mobilisation of Healthy Families NZ’s Māori systems return approach and helping to drive a kaupapa Māori led approach to health prevention.
Cathy’s fellow Healthy Families Rotorua co-Chair Eugene Berryman-Kamp says the collaborated efforts of Te Arawa Whānau Ora and Kōwhai Health Associates as lead provider for Healthy Families Rotorua, has seen significant impact on the ground here in Rotorua.
“Cathy Cooney, through Kōwhai Health Associates and former co-Chair the late Ngaroma Grant for Te Arawa Whānau Ora, provided a new opportunity for Te Arawa and Rotorua to unleash the potential of approaches such as Maramataka. I have the greatest admiration for Cathy’s leadership and her dedication to the communities of Rotorua,” says Berryman-Kamp.
Cooney is rewarded for her services to health and the community, who has an extraordinary background as being former Chief Executive of the Lakes District Health Board and former Director of Nursing and Midwifery.
For more on her achievements please refer to Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2021
