John O’Connor, President APANZ

As many of you will know, our dear colleague and friend, Toni Shepherd, died in April of this year. Toni was at work at the hospital when she suffered a brain aneurism and was immediately taken into emergency care. Very sadly, despite the best efforts of the medical team at the hospital, it was not possible for Toni to recover.

Toni is the beloved partner of Wiremu Woodard; the mother of her four beloved children, I Rangi Atea, Te Maunga Roa, Karearea, and Toi; and our much-loved colleague and friend.

Toni trained at AIT as a psychotherapist, completing her studies in 1998. She went on to be a founding member of Waka Oranga, and a vital contributor to the life of our Association, and to psychotherapy generally in Aotearoa. She made a profound and significant contribution to the well-being of Māori, particularly in her work at Auckland Hospital, where she was Māori Health Director – Tumu Whakarae at Starship Child Health.