Last week the Peter Snow Memorial Award for 2023 was presented to Mahitahi Hauora’s Director of Nursing Rhoena Davis at The Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network national conference awards dinner. The conference awards dinner was the first since 2022 and so the award was presented for both 2023 and 2024.

The award celebrates the late Tapanui GP Peter Snow’s contribution to rural communities and recognises an individual for their outstanding contribution to rural health in either service, research or innovation.

Rhoena Davis has been a nurse in Northland since 1993 is co-chair of the College of Nurses Aotearoa and deputy chair of the The Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network. On receiving her award, she was thanked by the network’s chair Fiona Bolden for working alongside her to enhance equitable healthcare for rural communities and rural Māori.

Last year Rhoena won the Te Akenehi Hei Memorial Award for her outstanding contribution to Māori health, presented by Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa, New Zealand Nurses Organisation.