Dr Gayle O’Duffy, a long-serving rural general practitioner based in Methven, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Peter Snow Memorial Award. The award was presented at the National Rural Health Conference, held in Christchurch over the weekend.

For more than 20 years, Dr O’Duffy has been a central figure in rural health, providing steadfast care to her community with a deeply personal and connected approach. Her work reflects a commitment not only to individual patients but to the wellbeing of families and the broader community.

In addition to her clinical expertise, Dr O’Duffy is widely recognised for her contributions to rural medical education and mentorship. In a sector facing ongoing workforce challenges, her dedication to supporting and inspiring the next generation of rural health professionals is invaluable.

She is regarded as an exemplar of rural generalism — combining clinical excellence, strong community ties, and a quiet, consistent leadership style. Her influence is felt not through formal roles or titles, but through sustained action, service, and the trust she has built within her community.

The Peter Snow Memorial Award acknowledges individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to rural health in New Zealand. Dr O’Duffy’s work and impact reflect the values and legacy the award seeks to honour.

Rachel Pearce of Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora has been honoured with the Te Waka Kotahitanga Award at the 2025 National Rural Health Conference, recognising her outstanding commitment to partnership and progress in rural health.

From her first week in the role, Rachel made her mission clear: to serve rural communities with integrity, purpose, and impact. A proud rural Australian now serving as Co-Director of Rural Health Commissioning in Aotearoa, she quickly earned the respect and trust of the sector by backing up words with action. She promised to be “the best bureaucrat she could be” — and she has more than lived up to that promise.

Rachel’s approach is marked by deep listening, open collaboration, and decisive leadership. She consistently creates space for rural voices to be heard and ensures those voices influence real change within the health system. Her commitment to true partnership, particularly with Māori providers and communities, embodies the values at the heart of Te Waka Kotahitanga.

The Te Waka Kotahitanga Award celebrates individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership, unity, and commitment to partnership in rural health. Rachel is a true embodiment of those principles — someone who paddles in the waka with us, not from afar, but shoulder to shoulder.

Since 2022, Dr Bell has served as a local coordinator and educator for the West Coast’s Rural Medical Immersion Programme. Based in Greymouth, where he works as a general practitioner and lives with his wife and young family, he has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to rural medical education.

Despite the demands of clinical practice and family life, Matt ensures that every student placed under his care receives an outstanding educational experience. He has navigated a number of complex challenges in recent years, including the expansion of the RMIP programme on the West Coast, where he has successfully secured new placements in more rural and remote areas.

He works hard to accommodate the unique needs and interests of each student and actively supports his colleagues to do the same. His kindness, calm leadership, and deep passion for rural medicine have been fundamental to his students’ success. Local students consistently report their love for the West Coast and rural practice after working with Dr Bell, and many become strong advocates for both following their time in the programme.

Matt exemplifies the spirit of rural education, and his influence is helping shape the future of healthcare in rural Aotearoa.

India Manthel is a fifth-year medical student at the University of Otago, Christchurch (UOC), currently placed in Queenstown as part of the Rural Medical Immersion Programme. She entered medicine as a postgraduate, with a BSc in Physiology and Criminology.

Last summer, she completed a UOC Future Health Researcher (FHR) scholarship in rural health. Based at Dunstan Hospital, her scholarship was the first in the FHR programme to be undertaken entirely by distance. Their research aimed to explore the association of medical student rural background with rural practice outcomes in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) and, consequently, inform future rural admission selection criteria for NZ medical schools to enhance NZ’s rural workforce. The research is intended to be submitted for publication this year. Her FHR scholarship is an exciting advancement in enabling rural health research, especially amongst the health professional student cohort, and I intend to continue this momentum.

India is passionate about sparking interest in rural health amongst my peers and colleagues. This is her second year as President of Country Scrubs, the University of Otago, Christchurch’s rural health club.  Additionally, this is her second year as Rural Representative of Christchurch Medical Students’ Association, and she was Secretary of Matagouri Rural Health Club (University of Otago), in 2024.