“He aha te mea nui o te ao, He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata”

Cherie Seamark has extensive experience providing leadership in kaupapa Māori primary and community health services. She is passionate about improving Māori health outcomes and addressing inequities in the health and wellbeing of Māori.

For Cherie, the spirit of giving is in her DNA. With her much-loved kuikui playing a prominent role within Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, the importance of community, whānau and fostering a sense of belonging is intrinsic to her identity.

Cherie has strong business, management and leadership skills, completing an MBA at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. She has excellent knowledge of Te Ao Māori wellbeing services and the NZ Primary Care environment. This comes from her experience as General Manager at Hora Te Pai Health Service and the Kaiwhakahaere General Manager of Māori and Population Health for Tū Ora Compass Health. In her previous work, Cherie has greatly contributed to the care and improvement of the quality primary health care services for people across the Wellington, Porirua, Wairarapa and Kāpiti areas.

Cherie is the General Manager at Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority. Her mahi contributes to transformational change for the hauora health and wellbeing needs of whānau Māori and the strengthening of the Māori hauora workforce.

As an authentic, visionary leader dedicated to driving progress and ushering in change, a big part of her philosophy is fostering an environment that encourages the free exchange of ideas and empowers people to back themselves. She takes a holistic view of the environment, understanding that today's solutions will shape tomorrow's future. She strives to create a positive environment that encourages innovation and collaboration and actively advocates for Māori rights and te ao Māori world views.

In addition, Cherie is an elected member and currently holds the deputy chair position on the Atiawa ki Whakarongotai Charitable Trust. Cherie has led work that enabled the Trust to provide a whānau-centric COVID-19 response in the first COVID-19 lockdown. This led her to set up Manaaki Kapiti, a care in the community response service for COVID-19-positive cases, to meet whānau health and welfare needs while in isolation. She also Chaired the steering group that set up the first Iwi Māori Partnership Board under the Pae Ora Act (Ātiawa Toa Iwi Māori Partnership Board).

Links:

• Improving quality of life in Maori patients with poorly managed Gout registered at Hora te Pai Health Centre in the Kāpiti Coast.
• Fostering a sense of kinship — Nikau Foundation
• Cancer support programmes for Māori whānau » Centre for Public Health Research (massey.ac.nz)
• Health services going extra mile under Covid-19 lockdown | RNZ
• Capital and Coast DHB hits 90% double vaccinated for eligible Māori | RNZ News