Kerikeri GP Dr Grahame Jelley is the 2021 recipient of the Peter Snow Memorial Award.
The award was announced at the National Rural Health Conference at Wairakei Resort in Taupō on Friday.
The Peter Snow Memorial Award honours Dr Peter Snow and his contribution to rural communities as well as recognising an individual for their outstanding contribution to rural health either in service, innovation or health research.
The Kerikeri GP was nominated for his service as a rural general practitioner and his dedication to rural health for more than 30 years.
Grahame is known to have a kind and supportive manner with all the staff he works with and those he cares for, and his rural perspective is also acknowledged and appreciated by all.
He is regarded as “a man of high moral standards” who is always respectful to everyone he engages with.
New Zealand Rural General Practice Network Board Chair Dr Fiona Bolden says “I’ve worked with Grahame during my career as a GP and from my experience he is an incredibly kind and genuine person, and is very deserving of this award.”
After completing training at the University of Cape Town in South Africa in 1983, Grahame worked in the mission hospital service, regional rural hospital service in South Africa, large corporate medical services, and in solo General Practice in Zimbabwe.
Grahame moved to New Zealand in 2000 and began working as a GP in Buller Hospital in 2004. He then moved to the Bay of Plenty where he spent 12 years working as a GP in Ōhope and Whakatane.
Grahame has been actively involved with the Eastern Bay of Plenty PHO and Primary Health Alliance and has worked as a Clinical Advisor to Planning and Funding at Bay of Plenty DHB.
Grahame has also spent some time working as a volunteer GP in the Cook Islands at Aitutaki Base Hospital. Now based in Kerikeri, Grahame splits his time between general practice and clinical leadership with Te Tai Tokerau PHO.
Grahame has been a member of the New Zealand Rural General Practice Network Board since 2016 and is currently the Northern North Island Representative.
During his career, Grahame has been an active support and mentor for aspiring Nurse Practitioners in the Bay of Plenty and Te Tai Tokerau and has worked closely with the late Janet Mahoney who was the first Māori Nurse Practitioner.
Along with rural health, Grahame has a special interest in Te Ao Māori and has taken a personal journey to learn, engage and be part of Tikanga and the Kawa of Te Tai Tokerau.
The NZ Rural General Practice Network believes Grahame’s dedication to rural practices and his commitment and support to advancing and enabling Māori health outcomes are what make him a very deserving recipient of the 2021 Peter Snow Memorial Award.
About the award
The Peter Snow Memorial Award was set up to honour the life and work of Dr Peter Snow who passed away in March 2006. Dr Snow was a rural general practitioner based in Tapanui. As well as caring for his patients, Peter was Past-President of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and was a member of the Otago Hospital Board and District Health Board. He was enthusiastic and active in seeking knowledge to improve the health and safety of rural communities. His work contributed to the identification of the chronic fatigue syndrome and he was influential in raising safety awareness on issues related to farming accidents.
Previous winners include:
Inaugural winner Dr Ron Janes (2007)
Nurse Jean Ross and Dr Pat Farry (2008 – jointly awarded)
Dr Garry Nixon (2009)
Dr Tim Malloy (2010)
Dr Martin London (2011)
Nurse Kirsty Murrell-McMillan (2012)
Dr Graeme Fenton and NZIRH CE Robin Steed (2013)
Kim Gosman and Dr Janne Bills (2014)
Dr Katharina Blattner (2015)
Dr Ivan and Leonie (RNS) Howie (2016)
Drs Chris Henry and Andrea Judd (2017)
Dr Keith Buswell (2018)
Dr John Burton (2019)
Mātanga Tapuhi (Nurse Practitioner) Tania Kemp (2020)