Tērā ko Pōhutukawa e rikoriko ana i te pō.
Te tai rā
Te tai rā
Te tai rā e pari ana ki hea
E pari ana ki a rātou mā
Kua ngaro, kua riro ki te pō tō tātou māreikura a Pam.
Pam Armstrong
In Loving Memory
We sadly acknowledge the passing of Wahine Toa Pam Armstrong. She was an amazing wahine, a guiding light, and a force for change. A hugely whanau-oriented person whose whānau and faith meant the world to her.
Pam was also known for her love of people, mentorship, guidance, contagious laugh, and love of pani popo, among so many other things.
In her professional career, Pam dedicated her life to recovering and maintaining Tikanga Māori therapy and practice to help preserve Māori knowledge for future generations.
The International Indigenous Council for Healing our Spirit Worldwide noted Pam was an active agitator within the global international Indigenous communities in breaking down the barriers of historical and ongoing colonisation of our people.
Many people have benefited from her staunch mahi for Indigenous health and wellbeing all over the world. Pam’s strength-based, positive approach to guiding whānau, hapū, and iwi has resulted in excellent outcomes by applying her knowledge to promote wellness.
As a practitioner and leader, Pam has always believed in working for the betterment of others. She worked tirelessly to promote Māori health and reduce health disparities.
She offered her experiences, expertise, and resources to support whānau facing challenges in mental health and addictions, as well as multiple projects and research papers. She taught postgraduate classes at the University of Auckland and was previously GM for Mental Health and Addictions at (what was) Northland DHB.
Recently, Pam was Clinical Director of Mental Health and Addictions for Ngāti Hine Health Trust with a laser focus on improving drug addiction rehabilitation and mental health services and was an integral part of developing mental health and addiction services both in Te Tai Tokerau and throughout Aotearoa, including moving Te Ara Oranga methamphetamine harm reduction programme forward in the North.
Pam will be sorely missed by so many in our whānau, hapū, iwi and wider community.
Moe mai ra e te Rangatira hoki ki nga matua tupuna kua wehe, haere heare haere hoki atu.
Ngā mihi o te wā
Peter Thomas (he/him/his)
Te Rarawa
Manager Hauora Māori Tai Tokerau (Northland)