One of the three finalists for Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year says this year’s contenders reflect the strength of mana wāhine.
Professor Bev Lawton is among three wāhine Māori finalists for the prestigious award, recognized for her work in making HPV self-testing Aotearoa’s primary cervical screening method—the first high-income country to adopt the change.
Lawton says the push for HPV testing is a team effort to improve outcomes for wāhine across Aotearoa, with more work still ahead.
“This is giving us a platform to talk about the fact that we can take control and prevent disease, and also prevent this terrible disease, cervical cancer, so we don’t need to have it,” says Lawton.
Lawton is up against Aotearoa’s most successful Olympian, Lisa Carrington, and Black Ferns legend Sarah Hirini, with the winner to be announced on March 20.
