Tēnā koutou,
It is my pleasure to announce that Nicole Pihema has been elected as the next president of the College.
As well as being a practising LMC midwife in rural Northland, Nicole brings extensive leadership and governance experience to the role. She has been closely involved with the College as the outgoing Chairperson of the Te Tai Tokerau region and a member of the national board in that capacity. Nicole has also been a member of the College’s mediation and co-design teams and, amongst other roles has been involved in leadership development for Māori midwifery through the Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō programme.
As well as bringing a depth of experience, the support of her peers and the personal qualities needed to lead the profession, it is a significant step forward for the College to elect its first ever Māori president. Nicole is of Ngapuhi and Te Rarawa descent. Nicole’s appointment will support the College’s ambition to fully realise its commitments under Te Tiriti, including the development and support of Māori midwifery and continuing to work towards equitable outcomes for Māori wāhine and pēpē.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank the other presidential candidate Caroline Muir, for putting herself forward for this important role on behalf of the profession.
The presidency will be formally handed to Nicole at the College’s AGM in Auckland on July 24th.
Ngā mihi
Alison Eddy
Chief Executive