Sharon Shea

Sharon was born at Tauranga Hospital and belongs to the Borrell and Tangitū family, with her iwi affiliations Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāi Te Rangi. Her hapū is Pirirākau. She was raised in Te Puna and then in Mount Maunganui. She received her education at Omanu School, Mount Maunganui Intermediate, and Tauranga Girls' College. At the University of Auckland, she graduated with a conjoint Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degree.{{cite press release |author= |title= Sharon Shea announced as first Māori Board Chair of Bay of Plenty District Health Board |url= https://www.bopdhb.health.nz/news-and-notices/news/sharon-shea-announced-as-first-maori-board-chair-of-bay-of-plenty-district-health-board/ | location=Tauranga |publisher=Bay of Plenty District Health Board |date=15 April 2021 |access-date=20 November 2021}}{{cite news |title=First permanent Māori board chair appointed at Bay of Plenty DHB |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/124858640/first-permanent-mori-board-chair-appointed-at-bay-of-plenty-dhb |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=Stuff |date=16 April 2021}} She is married to Morris Pita{{cite web |title=Minutes of the meeting of the Northland District Health Board: held on Monday 6 March 2017 |url=https://www.northlanddhb.org.nz/assets/Board/2017-Minutes-Agendas/NDHB-B-170306-M.pdf |publisher=Northland District Health Board |access-date=20 November 2021 |page=1}}{{cite web |title=Healthcare Applications Limited |url= https://opencorporates.com/companies/nz/5844276 |publisher=Open Corporates |access-date=20 November 2021}}{{cite web |title=Shea Pita & Associates Limited |url= https://opencorporates.com/companies/nz/2224539 |publisher=Open Corporates |access-date=20 November 2021}} and they both went to England to study for a master's degree at the University of Oxford in 2001 and 2002; Shea gained a degree in comparative social policy. They returned to New Zealand in 2002 or 2003 (sources differ) to start a family.{{cite web |last1=Kuraia |first1=Louise |title=Sharon Shea |url=https://100maorileaders.com/sharon-shea |website=100 Māori leaders |publisher=Henry Rongomau Bennett Foundation |access-date=20 November 2021}} Shea and Pita have three boys.{{cite web |title=Sharon Shea |url=https://www.theresiliencedoughnut.com.au/people/sharon-shea/ |publisher=The Resilience Doughnut |access-date=20 November 2021}}{{cite web |title=Sharon Shea |url= https://www.brightstar.co.nz/modal-speaker/21180 |access-date=20 November 2021 |publisher=Brightstar}}

Shea initially worked as a lawyer but has worked in the health sector since the mid-1990s and describes herself as "a recovering lawyer".{{cite news |url-access=subscription |last1=Wilson |first1=Megan |title=Māori Health Authority: What Sharon Shea hopes to achieve as co-chair |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/maori-health-authority-what-sharon-shea-hopes-to-achieve-as-co-chair/V7N6ZUHOFOIYXXR36CBNNP4G7A/ |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=Bay of Plenty Times |date=2 October 2021}} She is a director on a number of company boards and owns several companies herself.{{cite news |title=Sharon Shea announced as first Māori chairperson of Bay of Plenty District Health Board |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/sharon-shea-announced-as-first-maori-chairperson-of-bay-of-plenty-district-health-board/3QJKMW4NPFAGRVEK5LRSMEHEHI/ |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=Bay of Plenty Times |date=15 April 2021}} She was the strategy manager for the Northern Regional Health Authority. Regional health authorities were succeeded in 2001 by District health boards, and those have governance boards that are partially elected (seven members) and partially appointed (up to four members; appointed by the minister of health). Shea was appointed to the Northland District Health Board taking effect on 6 December 2010.{{efn|DHB membership commences in early December following the local elections in October of every third year—in this case the 2010 local elections—and lasts for three years after the next local elections.}}{{cite news |title=Appointments/reappointments to District Health Boards |url= https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2010-go9043 |publisher=New Zealand Gazette |access-date=20 November 2021 |date=25 November 2010}} She was reappointed twice and served until 4 December 2019.{{cite news |title=Appointments/reappointments to District Health Boards |url= https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2013-go7792 |publisher=New Zealand Gazette |access-date=20 November 2021 |date=5 December 2013}}{{cite news |title=Appointments / reappointments to District Health Boards |url= https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2016-go6879 |publisher=New Zealand Gazette |access-date=20 November 2021 |date=8 December 2016}} In December 2016, she was concurrently appointed to also be a board member of Auckland District Health Board where she served one term. At both Northland and Auckland DHBs, she chaired subcommittees. With effect of 9 December 2019, Shea was appointed deputy-chair to Michael Cullen on the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.{{cite news |title=Appointments / reappointments to District Health Boards |url= https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2019-go5606 |publisher=New Zealand Gazette |access-date=20 November 2021 |date=6 December 2019}} Cullen stood down from most of his public roles in March 2020 after announcing that he had been diagnosed with stage IV small-cell lung cancer{{cite news |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/411155/sir-michael-cullen-resigns-from-roles-due-to-stage-four-lung-cancer |title=Sir Michael Cullen resigns from roles due to stage-four lung cancer |date=6 March 2020 |work=Radio New Zealand |access-date=7 March 2020 }} Shea was appointed acting interim chair{{cite news |title=Deputy chair to take reigns at Bay of Plenty District Health Board as Sir Michael Cullen steps down |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=12315925 |accessdate=19 April 2020 |work=Bay of Plenty Times |date=12 March 2020}} and board member Ron Scott was appointed acting deputy chair. On 13 April 2021, Shea was appointed as permanent chair, with Geoff Esterman appointed as her permanent deputy chair.{{cite press release |author= |title= Sharon Shea announced as first Māori Board Chair of Bay of Plenty District Health Board |url= https://www.bopdhb.health.nz/news-and-notices/news/sharon-shea-announced-as-first-maori-board-chair-of-bay-of-plenty-district-health-board/ | location=Tauranga |publisher=Bay of Plenty District Health Board |date=15 April 2021 |access-date=20 November 2021}}

In 2018, the government initiated a review of the health and disability system.{{cite web |title=Health and disability system reforms |url=https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/leadership-ministry/expert-groups/health-and-disability-system-reforms |publisher=Ministry of Health |access-date=20 November 2021}} She was chairperson of the Māori Expert Advisory Group that was established for this review. The major outcome of this review is that district health boards are to be disestablished, to be replaced by one central agency, Health New Zealand, with a Māori Health Authority working alongside it to manage Māori health policies, services, and outcomes. Government announced the governance team of these new agencies in September 2021 and Shea was appointed to the board of Health New Zealand and co-chair of the Māori Health Authority alongside Tipa Mahuta.{{efn|Mahuta is deputy-chair of Counties Manukau District Health Board and a younger sister of Nanaia Mahuta{{cite news |title=Government announces team leading new Health NZ and Māori Health Authority |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/452106/government-announces-team-leading-new-health-nz-and-maori-health-authority |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=Radio New Zealand |date=23 September 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Clarke-Mamanu |first1=Mānia |title=Tipa Mahuta refutes National election rumors |url=https://www.teaomaori.news/tipa-mahuta-refutes-national-election-rumors |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=Te Ao Māori News |date=5 October 2016}}}} One of the issues that Shea wants to address is vaccine hesitancy by Māori, resulting in low vaccination rates. Apart from people living in remote areas having difficulty with access, there is distrust in authority caused by "post-colonisation trauma". She stated that "some of the issues are intergenerational and they're complex and they're not going to be solved by an ad on TV." She sees the Māori Health Authority having a role in a "mātauranga Māori [Māori knowledge]-informed COVID-19 roll-out".

Shea is one of five trustees of the MAS Foundation, a philanthropic organisation that belongs to the mutual society MAS, with membership made up mainly of New Zealand health professionals.{{cite press release |author= |title=Trustees appointed to the MAS Foundation |url= https://www.mas.co.nz/about-mas/news/trustees-appointed-mas-foundation/ |access-date=20 November 2021 |publisher=MAS |date=2 December 2019}}

In the 2019 New Year Honours, Shea was appointed Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) "for services to Māori health and development".{{cite web | url= https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2019 | title=New Year honours list 2019 |date=31 December 2018 | publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | access-date=11 November 2021}}

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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Chairwomen

Category:People from Tauranga

Category:Northland District Health Board members

Category:Auckland District Health Board members

Category:Bay of Plenty District Health Board members

Category:Ngāti Ranginui people

Category:Ngāi Te Rangi people

Category:Living people