Amohaere Judith Tangitū is a New Zealand health administrator and advocate for cultural awareness and safety in the health system. In 2024 Tangitū was appointed a Member of the

New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...

for services to Māori health.

Career

Tangitū is Māori and affiliates to

Ngāti Awa Ngāti Awa is a Māori iwi (tribe) centred in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. It is made of 22 hapū (subtribes), with 15,258 people claiming affiliation to the iwi in 2006. The Ngāti Awa people are primarily located in towns ...

Te Arawa Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori people, Māori iwi and hapū (tribes and sub-tribes) of New Zealand who trace their ancestry to the ''Arawa (canoe), Arawa'' migration canoe (''waka''). The tribes are based in the Rotorua and Bay of Plent ...

Ngāi Te Rangi Ngāi Te Rangi or Ngāiterangi is a Māori iwi, based in Tauranga, New Zealand. Its rohe (tribal area) extends to Mayor Island / Tūhua and Bowentown in the north, to the Kaimai Range in the west, south of Te Puke and to Maketu in the east. ...

Ngāti Ranginui Ngāti Ranginui is a Māori iwi (tribe) in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Its rohe (tribal area) extends from Waihi in the north, to the Kaimai Range in the west, to south of Te Puke in the south, and to Tauranga in the east. The rohe does not ext ...

, and

Ngāti Maniapoto Ngāti Maniapoto is an iwi (tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Tainui confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa (genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on th ...

iwi. She first worked as a nurse aide in

Kawerau Kawerau is a town in the Bay of Plenty Region on the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated 100 km south-east of Tauranga and 58 km east of Rotorua. It is the seat of the Kawerau District Council, and the only town in Kawerau Distr ...

Maternity Hospital in the 1960s, before training as a nurse. Tangitū trained as a nurse, and had six children. She described how as a young mother she told the visiting Plunket nurse to go away seven times. The nurse was not Māori and Tangitū did not feel culturally safe with her. Tangitū went on to work in the health service, advocating for cultural awareness and safety. She was the Bicultural Parent Liaison Officer at Princess Mary Hospital in Auckland, where she was instrumental in establishing the Princess Mary Hospital Whanāu House for families to stay in during their children's treatment. Tangitū was involved in the planning and design of

Starship Hospital Starship Children's Hospital is a public children's hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. Opened on 18 November 1991, it was one of the first purpose-built children's hospitals in New Zealand, and is the largest such facility in the country. Altho ...

, which was New Zealand's first purpose-built national hospital for children. In 1999 Tangitū was the Senior Manager of Māori Health at the Bay of Plenty District Health Board, and from 2010 until her retirement in 2018, she was director of Regional Māori Health Services. Tangitū served on the board of Plunket New Zealand for six years, was on the board of Alzheimers New Zealand, and is co-chair of Eastern Bay Villages. She has also acted as a cultural consultant to

New Zealand Red Cross New Zealand Red Cross or Rīpeka Whero Aotearoa is a humanitarian organisation, which has more than 9,000 members and volunteers. In New Zealand, Red Cross delivers core community services, such as Meals on Wheels, refugee re-settlement servic ...

, and iwi consultant at

Rotorua Hospital The Lakes District Health Board (Lakes DHB) was a district health board that provided healthcare to the area covered by Taupō and Rotorua districts in New Zealand. In July 2022, the Lakes DHB was merged into the national health service Te Whatu ...

. Bradford Haami wrote a biography of Tangitū, ''Bringing culture into care'', which was published by Huia Press in 2019.

Honours and awards

In the

2024 King's Birthday Honours The 2024 King's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of King Charles III to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part o ...

, Tangitū was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori health. Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi awarded Tangitū the title of Distinguished Fellow – Māori Health Sciences (Nursing).

References

External links

*
WhāeaUP , EP5 , Te Amohaere Tangitu , kowai ahau , Struggle for recognition of cultural change
', podcast episode featuring an interview with Amahaere Tangitū, 25 August 2021 (in teo reo Māori and English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tangitū, Amohaere New Zealand nurses New Zealand healthcare managers Ngāti Awa people Te Arawa people Ngāi Te Rangi people Ngāti Ranginui people Ngāti Maniapoto people Year of birth missing (living people) Living people