Congratulations to Chair of the interRAI Governance Board, Cathy Cooney, who was made a member of the New Zealand order of merit in the recent Queen's Birthday Honours.

Cathy's award is for services to health and to the community.

Her citation reads, "Mrs Catherine Cooney was Chief Executive of the Lakes District Health Board from 2001 to 2012, overseeing redevelopment of the Rotorua and Taupō hospitals and was Director of Nursing and Midwifery from 1994 to 2000.

Since 2016, Mrs Cooney has chaired InterRAI New Zealand Governance Board and Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology Board. She has facilitated the national workforce planning for the Kaiāwhina care and support workforce since 2012. From 2006 to 2010, she was Chairperson of the National Health Workforce Group and Lead Chief Executive for the Māori Health portfolio. She served as a Director on the Board of Quality Health New Zealand, is a member of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, a Foundation Fellow and Censor of College of Nurses Aotearoa, a Fellow and National Council Treasurer of the Australasian College of Health Service Management – Aotearoa, and co-Chair of Healthy Families Rotorua. An elder of the Rotorua District Presbyterian Church, she chairs the Community Facing Ministries Committee and served as Trustee for the Rotorua Hospital Chaplaincy Trust for 15 years. She volunteered as midwife and community development nurse for Volunteer Service Abroad in Kiribati from 1980 to 1984 and a public health nurse in Hokianga from 1985 to 1991. Mrs Cooney is a past President of the Rotorua and Districts JP Association."

Congratulations Cathy!