Meet Jannette Hennings – a proud Fijian staff member who is passionate about making a difference in our Pacific communities.
Jannette grew up on the island of Levuka Ovalau, in what she describes as ‘humble beginnings' and from which she was inspired to do better for herself and her family.
After gaining a scholarship and studying nursing, Jannette moved to Aotearoa with her four-year-old son in 2000, and while initially at ADHB, Jannette’s passion for working with Pacific communities guided her decision to move to CM Health.
“I decided to move to Counties Manukau Health as there is a larger Pacific community and being of Pacific ethnicity it fitted well with me.
“This work is very important to me. I consider myself a patient advocate and I take every opportunity to help promote health and wellbeing, not only for the patient but also their family and community.”
After completing a Masters in Nursing in 2018 and taking on other roles at CM Health, Jannette joined the Multi-Disciplinary Cross-Agency Team (MDCAT) in early 2020.
The MDCAT is a police-led service and a new approach to early intervention to prevent family harm, one that encourages greater collaboration across government and community groups in Counties Manukau.
“Police call-outs to family harm incidents in Counties Manukau are consistently the highest within the country. In addition, we know the impact of COVID-19 pandemic has increased the pressure on families.
“My role can be challenging but also rewarding. I am inspired to be and do better every day with our vulnerable families. I work amongst a whole lot of fantastic people as we strive to help bring about positive change in the community” says Jannette.
As well as her ‘normal’ job, Jannette is heavily involved in volunteering and her resume includes many roles including foundation trustee for the Friends of Fiji Health, a member of Sathya Sai International Organisation of New Zealand, and a member of a civilian-based disaster NZ medical assistance team (NZMAT) which saw her involved in the response to the measles outbreak in Samoa in 2019 and the White Island eruption later that same year.
With so much happening in her life, we asked Jannette what she enjoyed in her leisure time.
“When I’m not working or volunteering, I am a ‘die-hard supporter’ of the great 7s Fiji Rugby Team.”
Vinaka for your good work Jannette.
