Māori Nursing Champion Dr Pipi Barton Honoured with Te Akenehi Hei Memorial Award

Northland nurse, researcher, and educator Dr Pipi Barton has been named the recipient of the prestigious 2026 Te Akenehi Hei Memorial Award. As reported by Waatea News, the honour recognises more than three decades of dedication to strengthening Māori nursing and creating essential pathways for the next generation of tapuhi Māori. Dr Barton, who is of Ngāti Puhiawe, Ngāti Horotakere, and Ngāti Hikairo ki Kāwhia descent, was presented with the taonga at the Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference held at Māhurehure Marae in Tāmaki Makaurau earlier this month. The award is the highest honour presented by Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa, representing the Māori members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa). Given only every two years, the award commemorates Akenehi Hei, the pioneering Māori nurse and midwife who was the first to register under her own name. Since entering the profession in 1991, Dr Barton has focused her master’s and doctoral research on addressing the underrepresentation of Māori in the health workforce, noting that Māori nurses have remained at approximately seven percent of the workforce for four decades. Dr Barton’s research has led to tangible outcomes, including the establishment of NorthTec’s Puawānanga Tapuhi Māori – Bachelor of Nursing Māori programme. Based at Ngāwha near Kaikohe, it is the only rural-based Māori nursing programme in the country. The initiative aims to support tauira who may struggle in mainstream programmes by providing a pathway closer to their whānau and communities. With the first cohort expected to graduate next year, Dr Barton is now extending her research to examine how such programmes improve student retention. Her work continues to champion the importance of Māori nurses in providing culturally safe care and addressing health inequities across Aotearoa.