Fiona Unac is a Nursing Hero, winning one of 10 awards to celebrate recent International Midwives and International Nurses Days.
Hawke's Bay chief nursing officer Chris McKenna said the work of midwives and nurses was often taken for granted, but recipients deserved their awards for work that was "still inspiring to me, even after all the years I have been involved".
She said winners and wider staff had a "continual drive to upskill and be better at what they do."
Ms Unac has more than 20 years nursing experience across a variety of specialties and settings in primary and secondary care. She has been a staff nurse, nurse educator, nurse manager, quality advisor and clinical nurse specialist. Since 1999 she has worked in rehabilitation, medical, coronary care and radiology settings.
She is the only nurse practitioner in Australasia to work across radiology and vascular services.