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 Co ...
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 Ro ...
and
Te Rarawa
Te Rarawa is a Māori iwi of Northland, New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New ...
iwi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English.
...
. She was born in
Whangapoua on
Coromandel Peninsula
The Coromandel Peninsula () 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 west from the Pacific Ocean ...
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 H ...
and
Hāmiora Mangakāhia.
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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mangakahia, Mabel
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