Mēpara Te Aowhaitini Mangakāhia (4 September 1899 – 23 August 1940), known by the anglicised version Mabel of her given name, was a New Zealand district nurse who provided health support to Māori communities across the North Island. She was the most eminent and successful Māori nurse of her day. Of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

descent, she identified with the

Ngāti Whanaunga Ngāti Whanaunga is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand, descended from Whanaunga, the third son of Marutūāhu. It is one of the tribes of the Marutūāhu confederation, the others being Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Ron ...

and

Te Rarawa Te Rarawa is a Māori iwi of Northland, New Zealand. The iwi is one of five Muriwhenua iwi of the far north of the North Island. Rūnanga and marae Te Rarawa has 23 foundation marae: *Korou Kore Marae, '' Ahipara'', represents the hapū of Ng� ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

. She was born in

Whangapoua Whangapoua is a small settlement of mostly holiday houses located on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand. It is situated 25 minutes drive east over the Coromandel Range from Coromandel along the northeastern coastline encompassing popular wh ...

Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel Peninsula ( mi, Te Tara-O-Te-Ika-A-Māui) on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the we ...

in New Zealand on 4 September 1899, the daughter of

Meri Mangakāhia Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia (22 May 1868 – 10 October 1920) was a campaigner for women's suffrage in New Zealand, who inspired future generations of Māori women. Biography Mangakāhia was born Meri Te Tai in Lower Waihou near Panguru in the Ho ...

and

Hāmiora Mangakāhia Hāmiora Mangakāhia (1838 – 4 June 1918) was a prominent Māori people, Māori chief and the first Premier of Te Kotahitanga, the movement for an independent Māori people, Māori parliament in New Zealand in the 1890s. Of Ngati Whanaunga ...

. She attended Auckland Girls' Grammar School and Queen Victoria School for Maori Girls. She completed her general nursing studies in Auckland in 1923. She did her maternity nursing studies at St Helens Hospital in Auckland in 1927. In 1939, Mangakāhia became one of the first Māori women to complete a postgraduate nursing studies course. The image, taken in Wellington, is of her graduating class. In 1925 she became assistant district health nurse in Rawene. She was one of a few qualified Maori district nurses serving Maori communities. After taking a midwifery course in 1928 she transferred to Auckland as a district nurse in 1929. In 1930 she transferred to Tokaanu where the Tūwharetoa Trust Board contributed to the upkeep of her position. In the 1930s she worked in Ōtaki, Te Araroa and Hamilton. Much of her work involved travel to and from Māori communities. Mangakāhia died of cancer in 1940 aged 40. She is buried at Whangapoua.

References

1899 births 1940 deaths New Zealand nurses Te Rarawa people New Zealand Māori nurses Ngāti Whanaunga people People from Coromandel Peninsula New Zealand women nurses Deaths from cancer in New Zealand {{NewZealand-med-bio-stub