This week, Malcolm Mulholland of Ngāti Kahungunu, founder of Patient Voice Aotearoa (PVA), has been named a Kiwibank Local Hero medalist.
He began advocating for life-extending cancer treatments after his late wife, Wiki, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2018.
He founded PVA following her death in 2021.
PVA called for the first independent review of Pharmac in its 27-year history, contributing to funding increases from $985 million to $1.8 billion.
He says he couldn’t help but think of Wiki when he received the news.
“We don’t do it for the accolades. We do it so that patients can live longer and live better in the same breath. It is nice to be acknowledged,” says Mulholland.
The medalists, including Tāme Iti and Sarah Hirini, are contenders for the 2025 New Zealand Local Hero of the Year, with finalists to be announced in February.
