Karen Poutasi
{{short description|New Zealand doctor and public servant}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Dame Karen Poutasi
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|DNZM|size=100%}}
| image = Karen Poutasi DNZM (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Poutasi in 2021
| order = 12th Director General of Health
| office =
| term_start = June 1995
| term_end = July 2006
| predecessor = Chris Lovelace
| successor = Stephen McKernan
| order2 = CEO of New Zealand Qualifications Authority
| office2 =
| term_start2 = 2006
| term_end2 = 2020
| predecessor2 = Karen van Rooyen
| successor2 = Grant Klinkum
| birth_name = Karen Olive Davidson
| birth_place = Ranfurly, New Zealand
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse = {{marriage|Samelu Faapoi Poutasi|1972}}
| children = 4
| relatives =
| education = Gore High School
| alma_mater = University of Otago
Harvard University
| occupation =
| profession =
}}
Dame Karen Olive Poutasi {{post-nominals|country=NZL|DNZM}} (née Davidson; born 12 July 1949) is a New Zealand government official.{{Cite web|url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22534335|title=Poutasi, Karen, 1949 -|website=Poutasi, Karen, 1949 – {{!}} Items {{!}} National Library of New Zealand {{!}} National Library of New Zealand|language=en|access-date=2020-04-26}}
Early life, education and family
Poutasi was born in Ranfurly on 12 July 1949, and is the daughter of Gladys Enid Davidson (née Edmonds) and John Davidson.{{cite book |editor-last=Taylor |editor-first=Alister |editor-link=Alister Taylor |title=New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa 2001 |year=2001 |publisher=Alister Taylor Publishers |location=Auckland |issn=1172-9813 |pages=717–718}} She was educated at Gore High School between 1963 and 1967, completed medical training at the University of Otago, and studied management at Otago and at Harvard University.{{Cite news|last=Dye|first=Stuart|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10363018|title=English has warning for new NZQA boss|date=2006-01-09|work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=2020-04-26|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777}}
In 1972, she married Reverend Samelu Faapoi Poutasi, and the couple went on to have four children. Her husband was the chaplain of Wellington Hospital.{{Cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19870121.2.86.5 |title=Husband gets Wgtn job |work=The Press |date=21 January 1987 |page=20 }}
Career
In 1984 Poutasi was the deputy medical superintendent at Dunedin Hospital. She was awarded a Harkness Fellowship to study public health administration, health policies, and the quality of health care in the United States.{{Cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19840131.2.70 |title=Fellowships for two |work=The Press |date=31 January 1984 |page=9 }} Poutasi was medical superintendent of Middlemore Hospital, Auckland, until 1987, when she was appointed chief health officer at the Department of Health.{{Cite book|last=Dow|first=Derek|title=Safeguarding the Public Health: A History of the New Zealand Department of Health|publisher=Victoria University Press|year=1995|location=Wellington, New Zealand|pages=211}} In this role she headed the Health Department's work to implement the recommendations of the Cartwright Inquiry on cervical cancer as well as New Zealand's efforts to control the spread of HIV/AIDS. In 1989 she was appointed as general manager of the Wellington Area Health Board.{{Cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19890529.2.110 |title=Wellington Health Bd manager named |work=The Press |date=29 May 1989 |page=24 }}
She has served as Director General of Health at the Ministry of Health (1995 to 2006), and as chief executive officer of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (2006 to 2020).{{Cite web|url=https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/about-us/news/nzqa-appoints-new-chief-executive/|title=NZQA appoints new Chief Executive|publisher=New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)|website=nzqa.govt.nz|language=en-NZ|access-date=2020-04-26|date=28 February 2020}} In 2019 she was seconded from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority to serve as Commissioner for the Waikato District Health Board.{{Cite web|url=https://healthcentral.nz/commissioner-appointed-for-waikato-dhb/|title=Commissioner appointed for Waikato DHB |publisher=Health Central|date= May 7, 2019|language=en-NZ|access-date=2020-04-26}} She was appointed to the board of Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand at its inception in 2022 and as chair of the board in 2023, replacing previous chair Rob Campbell.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-27 |title=Dame Karen Poutasi named new chair of Te Whatu Ora, replacing sacked Rob Campbell |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/492713/dame-karen-poutasi-named-new-chair-of-te-whatu-ora-replacing-sacked-rob-campbell |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=Radio New Zealand |language=en-nz}}
Honours and awards
Poutasi received the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal in 1993.
In the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours, Poutasi was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to health administration, including as Director General of Health.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/sog/about/events/past-events-archived/harkness-fellowships-in-health-care-policy-and-practice-roadshow-2015|title=Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice Roadshow 2015 {{!}} School of Government |publisher=Victoria University of Wellington|website=wgtn.ac.nz|access-date=2020-04-26|date=6 May 2015}}{{cite web |url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-honours-list-2006 |title=Queen's Birthday honours list 2006 |date=5 June 2006 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=27 April 2020}} In the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was promoted to Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to education and the state.{{cite web |url= https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-honours-list-2020 |title=Queen's Birthday honours list 2020 |date=1 June 2020 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=1 June 2020}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{subject bar|auto=y|d=y|Medicine|New Zealand}}
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{{s-bef|before=Chris Lovelace}}
{{s-ttl|title=Director-General of Health|years=1995–2006}}
{{s-aft|after=Stephen McKernan}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poutasi, Karen}}
Category:Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Category:University of Otago alumni
Category:Harvard University alumni
Category:New Zealand public health doctors
Category:New Zealand women public health doctors
Category:New Zealand public servants
Category:New Zealand women public servants
Category:People educated at Gore High School
Category:Recipients of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993