Māori health leader Lady Tureiti Moxon has been recognised as a woman of achievement by the international women’s organisation Zonta.
The National Urban Maori Authority chair and Te Kohau Health director received the Zonta Woman of the Biennium award at the organisation’s biennial conference in Wellington last night.
This award recognises an outstanding New Zealand woman whose contribution to the lives of women and girls in the New Zealand community epitomises the values and aspirations of Zonta International.
Previous winners have included lawyer Mai Chen, Women in Sport Aotearoa co-founder Sarah Leberman and then-Women’s Refuge head Heather Henare.
Lady Moxon says she appreciates the Zonta kaupapa.
“Their focus is on domestic violence, gender equality, getting rid of a lot of the abuse we see in our homes today and I think that is much aligned to the work we are doing here in Kirikiroa and in Whanau Ora,” she says.
From Hamilton, Lady Moxon was nominated by the Zonta Club of Hamilton-Waikato for her significant contribution to advocating for Maori healthcare and as a distinguished figure in advancing Maori rights, health and wellbeing.
The club describes Lady Moxon as “an outstanding and influential role model in New Zealand. She truly epitomises the Zonta ethos to empower women and has filled governance and management roles as varied as being a board member, fellow, patron, and early childhood teacher. In particular, she is recognised for her legal and leadership efforts in advancing Maori rights, health and wellbeing.”
The 105-year-old global organisation has 26,000 members in over 1,200 clubs in 64 countries.
