Dr Maxine Ronald (Te Kapotai ki Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Hine and Ngāti Rangi) is a general surgeon specialising in oncoplasty for breast cancer patients, based in Northland. She holds the distinction of being the only wāhine Māori consultant breast cancer surgeon in the world.

In 2024 Maxine was awarded the inaugual Breast Cancer Fellowship launched by Hei Āhuru Mōwai Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa in collaboration with Breast Cancer Cure (BCC) and Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand (BCFNZ). During her three-year tenure in this role, Maxine will draw upon her expertise and experience in the surgical management of breast cancer, a deep commitment to improving Māori health equity, and increasing the Māori surgical workforce to help improve breast cancer outcomes for Māori.

Research shows wāhine Māori and Pacific women experience both higher breast cancer incidence (39% and 23% respectively) and higher death rates (65% and 71% respectively) than non-Māori and non-Pacific women.

Maxine is on Te Pae Whakatere — the Breast Screen Aotearoa (BSA) Review Committee tasked overseeing recommendations and an Action Plan to improve access and participation rates for Māori and Pacific wāhine to BSA’s national breast cancer screening progamme.

Maxine is the first Indigenous councillor at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), member of the Aotearoa New Zealand National Committee Surgery and past chair of RACS Indigenous Health Committee.

She is member of the Planned Care Task Force, member of the Steering Committee for Medical Workforce, the National Māori Pandemic Group, and Hei Āhuru Mowai Māori Cancer Leadership Group, and was a clinical advisor to Te Aka Whai Ora Māori Health Authority.

In 2023 Maxine was awarded the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Māori Health Medal recognising her transformative advocacy over several years for Indigenous health equity. She played a significant role in developing the Cultural Safety and Cultural Competency framework for surgical Trainees and was instrumental in the addition of cultural safety to RACS competencies.

Photo credit - John Stone (featured in e-Tangata).

Links:

World's only wāhine Māori consultant breast surgeon Maxine Ronald | The Hui September 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydFI6vZuTnU

https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Maxine-Ronald-2165560801

https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/dr-maxine-ronald

https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/maxine-ronald-why-do-we-have-to-keep-explaining-the-ethnicity-gap

Dr Maxine Ronald: 2021 ANZCA Cultural Safety & Leadership Hui
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wImi29chpz4