In New Zealand, there’s Movember, Blue September and Men’s Health Week. However, I was staggered to find out that not a single second, minute, hour, day, or week is dedicated to women's health week in Aotearoa. Our wāhine are the pillars of our communities, often serving as the primary caregivers in households and making crucial health decisions for their entire whānau, usually at the expense of their own wellbeing.

As a mother raising three children, including my daughter Leila, I understand deeply how women in our society juggle numerous roles. We are all someone's daughter, mother, sister, grandmother, auntie, and niece. From my experience at Tend, I know that many women suffer in silence and put themselves last. It is vital for more women to understand that their wellbeing is important and that taking care of themselves is a sign of strength. By prioritising our health and happiness, we become stronger, more resilient, and better equipped to face life's challenges.

I hope the conversations shared during Women’s Health Week help all women out there in their health journey. Ladies, please remember how precious you are.

Cec x

After enduring the heartbreak of fertility issues and the loss of two babies, Cecilia and James Robinson's lives were transformed by a digital consultation with two specialists in Australia, resulting in them now having three beautiful children. This experience was not only convenient but also profoundly transformative, realising the potential of accessible healthcare.

Motivated by their personal ordeal and the impact of accessible specialist advice, they were driven to explore how they could extend this innovative healthcare approach to fellow Kiwis.
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Their vision led to the creation of Tend, now one of Aotearoa's leading primary healthcare providers. Tend offers a seamless blend of online and in-clinic consultations, all managed through the innovative Tend app, redefining healthcare access across the motu.

Lee was a healthcare trailblazer, women’s health champion and one of Tend’s founding directors. As a key face of Tend Women’s Health Week, she showed us what advocacy looks like: tireless, joyful and always centred on the women she served.

Beyond Tend, Lee was one of Aotearoa's most influential voices in healthcare. A nurse first (Middlemore, Principal Nurse), she founded Birthcare and Labtests, chaired Counties Manukau DHB and served as Deputy Chair of Auckland DHB shaping maternal care, diagnostics and policy across the country.

Women's Health Week celebrates her legacy and the spirit she lived by: healthcare that’s equitable, accessible and designed for people and their whānau.