Dr Candy Cox, of Rotorua, ONZM, for services to health, particularly suicide prevention
Dr Candy Cox has been a senior nursing lecturer and Head of the School of Health, Nursing and Education at Waiariki Institute of Technology. She was the first Māori nurse to gain a doctorate in education. She was instrumental in introducing ‘cultural safety’ into the New Zealand nursing curriculum. She has designed, developed and delivered a National Diploma in Applied Māori Health Co-existing Disorders and a National Certificate in Suicide Intervention. She has undertaken research on suicide prevention and the cultural aspects of suicide within communities. She developed a kaupapa Māori model in understanding suicide and co-developed a research project for whānau affected by suicide. Dr Cox is the Child and Youth Mortality Review Coordinator for the Lakes District Health Board and a Trustee of Arohanui Art and Education Trust.