Ara kaiako invested as Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit

_{Irihapeti Bullmore at the investiture with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro.} 

Ara nursing kaiako and Māori health leader Irihapeti Bullmore (Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha, Kāi Tahu, Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) has been invested as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to seniors' health, particularly Māori.

The investiture, held at Government House last week, recognises a career dedicated to improving health outcomes for kaumātua and their whānau through culturally responsive care, research, education and community leadership.

Bullmore said that while the award recognised her contribution, it also created an opportunity to acknowledge all those who had supported her over the years and helped shape her to the person she is today.

“The honour isn’t mine alone. I think of Whaea Terehia, Uncle Huia Kipa, Koro Mita Ted Te Hae, Annette Finlay, Janice Lavell, Dr Hamish Jamieson, Greta Bond and my mother and father whom have grounded me and given me the experience of a lifetime.”

“I also thank my tamariki and my partner for always having my back and keeping the home fires burning!”

At Ara Institute of Canterbury, Bullmore is a nursing kaiako and academic staff lead in mātauranga Māori.

She is helping shape the next generation of nurses through Ara's refreshed Puahou Tapuhi o Aotearoa Bachelor of Nursing, which embeds mātauranga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi throughout the curriculum.

She also chairs Te Rōpū Kawa Whakaruruhau, helping guide cultural safety across Ara's health programmes and supporting the meaningful inclusion of mātauranga Māori in health education.

Earlier this year, Bullmore supported and represented mana whenua at the Hui ā-Tau national Māori nursing student conference at Ara. The annual event brings together tauira, nurses, educators and health leaders from across Aotearoa.

Ara Associate Director for Māori Success Tate Tiatia said Bullmore's leadership had helped shape the way Ara prepares future nurses to work alongside Māori communities.

"Irihapeti has an extraordinary ability to bring people together around a shared purpose. Her guidance helps ensure Māori knowledge, values and aspirations are not simply included but genuinely woven through the learning experience of our tauira."

Ara Head of Nursing Claire Minton said Bullmore's influence will be seen in the graduates leaving Ara's nursing programmes.

"Irihapeti challenges our tauira to see beyond clinical practice and understand the wider role culture, whānau and community play in health and wellbeing. Her contribution is helping shape nurses who are both clinically capable and genuinely responsive to the people they care for," Minton said.

The honour reflects decades of work advocating for the wellbeing of older Māori.

Among her many contributions, Bullmore developed the Kahukura Kaumātua Programme, established Whare Tiaki supported living in Ōtautahi and contributed to research and initiatives that promote healthy ageing through a te ao Māori lens.

While the investiture recognises a lifetime of service, her influence continues to be felt every day at Ara through the tauira, colleagues and communities she supports.

Looking ahead, Bullmore said the challenge was to continue building on the foundations laid by those who came before.

“The future is exciting when we continue and advance the mahi of our tūpuna, ensuring we are always looking back as we move into the future.”