Bonnie Sue
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to health and Māori
Bonnie Sue, of Ōhakune, has been recognised for her services to health and Māori as a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in the New Year Honours.
Sue has advocated for the health of communities in the Whanganui region for more than 25 years, particularly hapori Māori.
Born as Yvonne on Rēkohu Chatham Island she contracted tuberculosis and had to be flown to the mainland for treatment.
”I think that was where my interest in health matters started and Iater I had rheumatic fever when I was boarding at Hukarere Girls’ College in Napier.
Later I cared for my husband after he broke his neck in an accident and I think all those experiences made me conscious about health,” Sue said.
”I’m not sure how I came to be ‘Bonnie’. Either I was a bonny baby or someone in my family had trouble saying ‘Yvonne’ but everyone has always called me ‘Bonnie’.
”Sue was one of three volunteers who formed the Ngāti Rangi Community Health Centre Inc (NRCHC) in 1996, an organisation she went on to manage until 2020.
The NRCHC was a Whānau Ora organisation, supporting residents in the Waimarino, Ōhakune, Raetihi and Waiōuru areas, providing free services and health information, and addressing the clinical and cultural needs of whānau.
It also delivered Well Child Tamariki Ora and kaupapa Māori mental health and addiction services.
Under Sue’s leadership, the NRCHC became one of the first health providers to receive Te Wana: Quality Accreditation, demonstrating a consistent, high level of quality across services.
While adhering to tikanga Māori, she helped improve access to life-saving medical equipment, coordinated community health initiatives, and organised fitness and dance classes.
Her responsiveness to the community also led her to organise Christmas meals for kaumatua.
Before her retirement, Sue initiated the merging of the NRCHC and Ngā Waihua o Paerangi Trust into one, integrated hauora Māori wellness centre for the community.
Although she has retired, Sue recently began a new role as co-chair of the consumer council for Te Whatu Ora Whanganui alongside Frank Bristol.
Gang patches can no longer be worn in public.