[ad_1]
He has a knighthood, honorary doctorates, and over 40 years transforming Maori health, but Mason Durie’s latest accolade resonates with him for its New Zealand flavor.
Durie, 82, has spent her career advocating for Maori and public health, and has now been awarded the highest accolade in New Years honors, being a member of the Order of New Zealand, which is limited to 20 people. alive.
“The thing is, it’s New Zealand’s order,” said Durie, sitting in her favorite chair at her home in Feilding. “All the others have been inspired by Britain, like knighthood, the Order of the British Empire, all those things.
“That’s what sets this one apart. If there’s a reason I’m honored to be a part of it, it’s because it has a New Zealand flavor.
READ MORE:
* New Years Honors 2021 for Dave Dobbyn, Rob Fyfe and Dame Anne Salmond
* Manukura school breaks new ground at Massey’s new site
* Timeline: the evolution of New Zealand’s public health system
* Sir Mason Durie, Senior New Zealander Finalist
* Honorary Doctorate to Mason Durie, longtime Maori health advocate
“The people in it are a fairly large representative sample. There are athletes on the one hand and politicians on the other ”.
The honor is broad in focus and recognizes Durie’s contribution to Maori tertiary education, health and development.
Her career has been dedicated to improving Maori health, championing Maori higher education, and pursuing health innovations, and things have changed a lot in her life.
“The biggest change I can see is that the things we take for granted now, we didn’t take for granted even 20 years ago.
Robert Kitchin / Things
Durie, right, speaks with then-Prime Minister John Key after Durie was knighted in 2010.
“Even in the 1970s when I came back from abroad, things were very different than they are now. It is reflected in various ways, reflected in our workforce, a great change.
“There used to be two Maori enrolled in medicine a year and that was considered fantastic. Now there are 40 a year in Otago and Auckland on top of that. That would have been unheard of.
“I’m not taking credit for that, but it reflects a changing society in which we live.”
Maori workforce, life expectancy, which has increased over the past 60 years, and participation in education were measures of change.
Durie said that great things were happening in Manawatū and one example was Palmerston North’s Manukura School, which fosters academic, cultural and athletic excellence in Maori students.
“The good of [Manukua] is that it does not focus on what is wrong … We hope it stands out, not just happens, but stands out. You turn off that expectation and it becomes the norm. “
Durie was chairman of the trust when the school was formed and has been operating out of the old teacher’s school in Hokowhitu since 2005.
But a new school will be built on land at Massey University, which is a way of breaking down the barriers between tertiary and secondary education.
Throughout her career, Durie, who became New Zealand’s second Maori psychiatrist, has served on various boards and groups and received accolades from various health organizations.
He was chairman of the ministerial task force on Whānau Ora, worked on suicide prevention, and served on the government research panel on mental health and addiction, which was published in 2018.
As Massey Professor Emeritus, he established the Massey School of Maori Studies and directed it for 14 years, was Massey’s first Assistant Vice Chancellor, was the instigator of Massey’s College of Health, and was Deputy Vice Chancellor for three years.
He also played a key role in establishing other health centers and promoted Maori-focused health education, research and training.
He was awarded the Blake Medal, the premium award for leadership in New Zealand in 2017, was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2001 and made a Knight in 2010.
Other members of the order include former Prime Ministers Helen Clark and Jim Bolger, Olympic runner Murray Halberg, singer Kiri Te Kanawa, scientist Peter Gluckman and author Joy Cowley.
