Mātanga Tapuhi (Nurse Practitioner) Recipient Of 2020 Peter Snow Memorial Award

South Canterbury Mātanga Tapuhi (Nurse Practitioner) Tania Kemp (Ngā Māhanga A Tairi, affiliation with Ngāti Mutunga O Wharekauri) has been announced as the 2020 recipient of the Peter Snow Memorial Award.

The award was announced at the New Zealand Rural General Practice Network AGM on Saturday 7 November.

The Peter Snow Memorial Award honours the life and work of Dr Peter Snow, a rural general practitioner based in Tapanui who passed away in 2006, and was an inspiring and active leader who sought to improve the health and safety of rural communities.

This award celebrates an individual for their achievement in Rural Health Research, Projects, Innovation and Service.

Tania was nominated by the Nurse Executives of New Zealand and the College of Nurses Aotearoa NZ for her inspirational nursing leadership, for being a change agent for models of care in rural primary health, and for practice-ownership of a health care provider.

Tania was raised on Pitt Island (Chatham Islands), where she was immersed in rural life from an early age and exposed to the significant challenges in rural health.

Tania started her registered nursing (RN) career in Greymouth on the West Coast, in a rural practice, where she set up a variety of clinics that were much needed at the time.

After moving back to the Chatham Islands, Tania worked as a PRIME trained RN before moving to Waimate, where she finished her clinical master’s and registered as a Nurse Practitioner.

In 2014, Tania bought the Pleasant Point Health Centre in South Canterbury where she currently works as the lead clinician. As both owner and lead practitioner, Tania has been able to influence change and introduce different models of care.

Her work has enabled Nurse Practitioners to lead clinics and provide a significantly large part of primary care safely and effectively, helping to bridge the gap in areas that struggle to recruit rural GPs.

The Nurse Executives of NZ commented - “Tania has a deep understanding and expertise in rural practice. She has immersed herself in rural work across her whole career and is seen as an inspiration by the nursing profession as a vocal advocate for quality, accessible, and local health care.”

“Her ongoing dedication to the nursing profession is seen by her representation on the Board of the Nursing Council of New Zealand.”

The NZ Rural General Practice Network believes Tania, a former Network Committee member, embodies the spirit and intent of the Peter Snow Award and is a very deserving recipient for 2020.

About the award

The Peter Snow Memorial Award was set up to honour the life and work of Dr Peter Snow who passed away in March 2006. Dr Snow was a rural general practitioner based in Tapanui. As well as caring for his patients, Peter was Past-President of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and was a member of the Otago Hospital Board and District Health Board. He was enthusiastic and active in seeking knowledge to improve the health and safety of rural communities. His work contributed to the identification of the chronic fatigue syndrome and he was influential in raising safety awareness on issues related to farming accidents.

Previous winners include:

Inaugural winner Dr Ron Janes (2007)

Nurse Jean Ross and Dr Pat Farry (2008 – jointly awarded)

Dr Garry Nixon (2009)

Dr Tim Malloy (2010)

Dr Martin London (2011)

Nurse Kirsty Murrell-McMillan (2012)

Dr Graeme Fenton and NZIRH CE Robin Steed (2013)

Kim Gosman and Dr Janne Bills (2014)

Dr Katharina Blattner (2015)

Dr Ivan and Leonie (RNS) Howie (2016)

Drs Chris Henry and Andrea Judd (2017)

Dr Keith Buswell (2018)

Dr John Burton (2019)

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