“Lots of elements go into it — and a bit of secret sauce as well,” he said.
Awards night presenters Hilary Barry and Australian comedian Nazeem Hussain revealed what some of that “secret sauce’” might have been when they explained that the Gisborne village had been nominated for its “outstanding reputation for care” and the “wonderful feedback” the village receives from both Te Whatu Ora and the wider community.
“The floods earlier this year really tested the resilience of the team who lost all contact with the rest of the country for two days, but led by Penny Forrester they performed exceptionally well throughout this challenge, proving that this team really is unstoppable,” their nomination read. And the judges agreed, singling out Kiri Te Kanawa Retirement Village for the top prize over the other two finalists, Dame Nellie Melba Village in Victoria, Australia, and Rowena Jackson Village in Invercargill, as well as 47 other villages across New Zealand and Victoria.
Accepting the award, Penny said the win had been the highlight of her 43-year career in health.
“I am deeply humbled, honoured and thrilled that we are all being acknowledged in this way.”
She took the time to read out a long list of thank yous to her team, including regional operations manager Arthur Keane, sales adviser Jane Smith, her resident services managers past and present Ana Leite and Sam Leahy, receptionist Prue Macdonald, lead maintenance Rob Carter, unit coordinators Aswarthy Sreedas, Vipitha Vasu and Nithin Cheriyan, and clinical manager Sunny Sandeep.
“Not long after I started working at Kiri Te Kanawa just over two years ago, my clinical manager Sunny said to me, ‘Penny, we are going to be Village of the Year’.
“What I quickly learned was that I had joined a team of the most skilled, dedicated, and caring people that I have ever worked with.”
That caring and dedication really came to the fore in February when Cyclone Gabrielle struck, causing communications to be cut off to the village for two days, leaving families worried for their loved ones in the village and residents in turn fretting for their whānau outside the village.
Ryman head office helicoptered in two staff members with satellite phones to help with the challenges they faced, which included accessing water and diesel, but were amazed at the calm atmosphere and good spirits of everyone at the village when they arrived.
“When residents were finally able to read messages from their loved ones who had been very worried, there was hardly a dry eye in the house!”
Penny said the village was an incredible community to be a part of, including the 300 or so residents and their whānau.
“I’ve befriended people from all walks of life with diverse beliefs and values and because of this, the sense of community and belonging in Kiri Te Kanawa is extremely strong.
“Our residents support, encourage and challenge us to be the best that we can be, and I thank them for this.”
One of the casualties of the cyclone was the annual family day event which has now been rescheduled for Saturday, November 18.
Penny said the Kiri Te Kanawa community was looking forward to a fun, relaxed day that they could finally share with loved ones — hopefully in the sunshine.
