Queen's Birthday Honours: Mollie Kainuku

SELFLESS: Mollie Kainuku has been awarded a Queen's Service Medal for her work with diabetics.

A Taueru woman who put her heart and soul into helping diabetic patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week, has been recognised for her years of service.

Mollie Kainuku, patron of Diabetes New Zealand Wairarapa and a specialist diabetes nurse, received a Queen's Service Medal yesterday for her work with diabetics in Wairarapa.

Beginning her nursing career in 1969, Mrs Kainuku worked as a night supervisor and then as a diabetes nurse at Wairarapa Hospital.

She established diabetes clinics at Papawai Marae and Cameron Community House, advocated for funding for insulin pumps, improved access to diabetes services in South Wairarapa, and made herself available to patients in need at all hours of the day.

Diabetes NZ Wairarapa president Finlay Sutherland said Mrs Kainuku was someone who would help anyone, any time.

"At 10 or 11 o'clock at night she'll be there at the other end of the phone ... it's just what she does."

She put her heart and soul into helping diabetes patients, Mr Sutherland said.

Everyone who worked with her "couldn't sing high enough praise of her".

Mrs Kainuku, whose diabetic daughter-in-law died tragically after a heart attack following childbirth, and whose husband suffers from type 2 diabetes, said the most rewarding part of her work was seeing diabetic children live "normal" lives.

"You see them get better and you see them excel at sports - they weren't the tired one over there ... it's just seeing them get better."

A large part of her nursing role, from which she retired several years ago, was working with the parents of children with diabetes, who often had no one else to call.

"It was more getting them to do the right thing," she said.

"They knew what to do, they just needed someone to say 'yes, we are doing it'.

"I'd almost become part of the family with some families.

"You'd get to know them and how they acted and if they were in hospital you could actually advocate for them. A lot of that was getting involved with social workers and helping them better their situation."

Receiving the QSM was unexpected, but she hoped the award would highlight the good work done by Diabetes NZ Wairarapa and encourage more people to join.