Who we are and how we are governed
At Rei Kōtuku, we are a close team of medical, nursing and allied health specialists.
Who we are
At Rei Kōtuku, we are a close team of medical, nursing, and allied health specialists. We are trained to assess tamariki with serious illness and provide expert advice and recommendations to care for them holistically that meets their individual needs.
We work collaboratively with clinicians, external agencies and the community to provide what is needed, by the right person, at the right time.
And we always, always keep the needs of tamariki and rangatahi at the centre of all we do.
Meet the Clinical Team
-
Amanda is our paediatric and adult palliative care specialist. Amanda is the only specialist in Aotearoa who covers all age ranges, and is also one of only three PPC (paediatric palliative care) specialists in this country. Additionally, she is the only PPC specialist outside of Auckland.Amanda trained at the University of Auckland, undertaking her paediatric training at KidsFirst, Waitakere Hospital, and Starship Children’s Health. After finishing her training in Melbourne at Royal Children’s Hospital, and working as a staff specialist at John Hunter Children’s in Newcastle, NSW, she returned to New Zealand in 2021 to work at Mary Potter Hospice.
Amanda is dedicated to decreasing inequities in paediatric palliative care access in Aotearoa. Rei Kōtuku is the result of her long-held dream to set up a specialised paediatric palliative care service to support seriously ill tamariki and their whānau.
Amanda has two children, refuses to admit she is too old to rollerskate and still dreams of being in a band.
-
Mary is Rei Kōtuku’s Clinical Nurse Manager and founding team member. She has over 25 years nursing experience predominantly in Neonatal Intensive Care and more recently as a Specialist Community Palliative Care Nurse at Wellington’s Mary Potter Hospice.
Mary has long advocated for an improvement in paediatric palliative care services within Aotearoa and is thrilled to be part of a new service that provides this vital specialist care to tamariki and whānau within the Central Region.
Mary has three daughters, has a love/hate relationship with running and is usually in the process of negotiating to get another family pet.
-
Claire is an educational psychologist with 10 years experience working within schools and early learning centres. Her key focus has been around building emotional literacy and resilience skills in children and young people. Claire strongly believes that supporting social-emotional skills in children can set them up for effective lifelong learning.
Claire is looking forward to being involved in this extremely meaningful work providing wraparound support for whānau as they navigate all the difficult emotions that are associated with grief and loss.
Claire has a daughter, spends too much time watching dog videos and dreams of a world where all problems can be solved with cake.
-
Louise Kātene has recently joined Rei Kōtuku as the first Māori Paediatric Palliative Care Nurse Specialist in Aotearoa.
Louise has a wealth of experience in both palliative care at Mary Potter Hospice working in both community and inpatient unit. More recently Louise worked as Practice Manager at Ora Toa Takapūwāhia Medical Centre.
Louise has been married for 25 years and has two beautiful children. Louise likes to sprinkle kindness everywhere she goes.
Rei Kōtuku’s governance structure
To ensure we are truly accountable to tamariki and whānau who have palliative care needs, we have created a robust governance structure.
Rei Kōtuku’s Charitable Trust Board members include:
Ben Irving
Brendan Clare
Amanda Evans
Non-trustee Board Member:
Marsha MarshallNon-trustee Board Member
(Māori Advisor): Tess Moeke-Maxwell (Ngāti Tai & Ngāti Porou)Non-trustee Board Member:
Ray GazleyNon-trustee Board Member
(Iwi member): TBC
Rei Kōtuku Clinical Governance Committee includes:
Currently confirming the incredible team of experts who will support Rei Kōtuku clinical team.
Claudia (8 years old)