Braemar Charitable Trust

17/12/2025

The news we all needed as we head into the busy Christmas period - former refugee Husein Omar is pain free and has a dazzling new smile thanks to support from Tui Dental Waikato and Braemar Charitable Trust.

Husein, 46, arrived in Hamilton in early 2025 with his wife and four children after 19 years as a refugee in South Africa, having been forced to leave Somalia.

In that time, his access to dental care had been very limited and he was faced with needing to have all his teeth extracted and replaced with dentures - something that was well beyond his financial means.

Husein was in significant pain and would never smile in social situations because he was so self-conscious.

But, that's all changed and Husein now has a new smile and reclaimed confidence; his wife Halimo says her husband is much happier - and even looks younger! Read about his incredible journey here 👇

A former refugee now living in Hamilton is pain free and has a dazzling smile thanks to support from Braemar Charitable Trust. Husein Omar, 46, arrived in Hamilton in early 2025 with his wife and four children after 19 years as a refugee in South Africa.

11/12/2025

There's nothing better than seeing the future medical workforce in action!

One of the pillars of our charitable purpose is growing the medical workforce and their knowledge and skills. It's a privilege to be able to talk regularly with our communities about their needs, and then reflect that in what we do. Enabling the next generation is a big driver for us, especially in areas that are under-served and have significant unmet health needs.

This is Huria Wharerau (Ngā Puhi, Ngati Tamatera and Ngai Terangi), and she is well on her way to making a difference. She is a recipient of the Braemar Charitable Trust Bachelor of Nursing Scholarship at the University of Waikato and is currently on her four-week placement at Braemar Hospital.

From Paeroa, Huria enrolled in nursing because she felt pulled towards a career caring for others. Also working as a healthcare assistant she sees first-hand the importance of having equitable care that is respectful and uplifting.

Two weeks into her placement, Huria says her eyes have been well and truly opened, and is loving the exposure to theatre nursing in particular.

"It has been an amazing first week! Thank you for this incredible opportunity."

09/12/2025

Fit, healthy, Hamilton butcher Michael Coffey certainly didn't think a workplace accident was on his bingo card for 2025.

The 60 year-old was at work as normal, when he bent to lift a heavy carton and felt a sudden jolt of pain.

Michael tried to walk it off, but the pain persisted - in fact, it got worse. This would go on for months, and after a declined referral for public surgery, Michael couldn't keep soldiering on for much longer.

Thanks to a procedure as part of Braemar Charitable Trust's Community Surgery Day, Michael's back at work and living an active life again, and says he is "overwhelmed with gratitude" for everyone involved in his recovery. Read the full story:

Declined surgery by ACC following a workplace accident, Hamilton butcher Michael Coffey was able to receive treatment through Braemar Charitable Trust's Community Surgery Programme.

03/12/2025

As we get closer to Christmas, we've been enjoying reflecting on some of our partnerships this year and just how truly grateful we are to have them. One of these is the wonderful Clare Foundation, a progressive philanthropic foundation that proactively invests in ways that positively impact our environment, oral health, youth wellbeing and women, to create extraordinary change.

We had a specific initiative in mind when it came to the generous funding we received from Clare: a dental pathway of care that specifically helps those being looked after by women's refuges and refugees.

Through our Community Surgery Programme, we have been able to provide surgeries and health interventions, including extractions, restorations, oral surgery and appliances (plates, dentures, braces and night guards).

Thanks to their funding, in the past year we have been able to:

✨Help 19 women and children affected by family violence with oral health interventions
✨Help 11 former refugees, out of 30 families who settled in Hamilton
✨Raise awareness to 100s of people about our dental pathways of care

Even better, we've been able to forge lasting relationships with other community organisations to help facilitate lasting change, and our focus next year is to continue to advocate for oral health equity through ongoing engagement.

A big, heartfelt thank you to you, Clare Foundation! ♥

01/12/2025

We are thrilled to announce we recently received multi-year funding from the Glenice and John Gallagher Foundation. This remarkable donation, $100,000 a year for three years, will enable us to pilot and scale innovative initiatives in place to address areas of significant need.

Specifically, we're aiming to help patients on waiting lists who need echocardiograms and colonoscopies, and children needing specialist paediatric dental surgery. This funding will allow us to start working on programmes to address this, and we're deeply appreciative of the Gallagher Foundation's acknowledgement and support of outside-the-box initiatives that will have a real impact on our communities. Watch this space!

In the meantime, check out the full story on our website 👇

Braemar Charitable Trust has received multi-year funding of $100,000 each year for three years to enable it to pilot and scale innovative initiatives to address areas of significant health need.

27/11/2025

When our Community Surgery Programme patients come in for their procedure, they often leave a thank you card for those who have helped them in their care. We hold on to all of these cards; they're so special to look back on and see through the words of our patients how much their life has been impacted by receiving their surgery.

We recently received a beautiful card from a woman who underwent a significant dental procedure. This is a small part of what she had to say, and it brought us to tears 🥹.

"From phone calls received, to the front desk and admission and discharge staff, and everyone in between and beyond...I felt so cared for, listened to and welcomed. I am rather speechless from this entire event - I still can't believe it to be true.

"I really do not know where to start but with thanking every single person involved with my care and everyone involved in making this possible. There are no words to describe how being accepted for this procedure has absolutely changed the path my life was on. Hopelessness and powerlessness to achieve this financially had triggered and exacerbated my isolation and my mental health was spiraling.

"You literally saved my life." 🥰🥹🙌

21/11/2025

What a fantastic night last night celebrating the Waikato business community last night. Waikato Chamber of Commerce put on another stellar event with close to 800 people in attendance!

We were incredibly honoured to win the 'For Purpose' category, sponsored by Trust Waikato, - a testament to the amazing specialists, anaesthetists, health providers and community partners who work with us tirelessly to help improve community health outcomes.

To top off the evening, our Braemar Hospital CEO Fiona Michel received the CEO of the Year award, acknowledging her exemplary leadership, dedication, and passion for enabling others to shine.

A big congratulations to all the other finalists and category winners - we're so proud to celebrate alongside you.

Photo credit: Stephen Barker/Barker Photography

21/11/2025

It's not too late to cast your vote for us in the People's Choice category at tonight's Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards!

Regardless of the outcome, we're honoured to be nominated in the 'For Purpose' category and these smiling faces remind us of our purpose every single day - improving health outcomes in our community.

Best of luck to all the nominees and we look forward to celebrating the very best of Waikato's business community tonight.

https://waikatochamber503.outgrow.us/2025waikatobusinessawards-peopleschoice

18/11/2025

Tui Dental Waikato owner Dr Fiona Koshy is the complete antithesis to the 'scary dentist.' Actually, all dentists are, Fiona says. Why? Because they simply want to help.

And despite having thousands of patients in their care, Fiona and her team still find time to donate their services, when they can, to those who need it most.

They've thrown their weight behind a dental care pathway for refugees and people who have experienced family violence, a project that receives funding from our community partners, including Clare Foundation and the Glenice & John Gallagher Foundation.

Read about their epic work here 👇

Tui Dental owner Dr Fiona Koshy is the complete antithesis to the ‘scary dentist’ character we all heard so much about in our school years. In fact, all dentists are, Fiona says. Why? Because they simply want to help.

14/11/2025

A great couple of days spent as an exhibition sponsor at the New Zealand Society of Anaesthetists annual conference in Hamilton.

Many attendees at the conference help us provide free surgeries as part of our Community Surgery Programme, and the conference has been a great opportunity to say thanks to these clinicians and a profession that gives so much to us.

09/11/2025

We are extremely proud to announce our Trust Manager, Paula Baker MNZM has received a prestigious 2026 Churchill Fellowship.

Churchill Fellowships help New Zealanders from all walks of life travel overseas to expand their knowledge on topics of significance in New Zealand, returning with inspiration and experience to use and benefit their communities.

One of nine New Zealand recipients, Paula will gather insights, understand best practice, and measure the impact of charity-owned surgical hospitals across the UK.

We know Paula will come back brimming with even more inspiration (if that's possible!) to apply here at Braemar Charitable Trust as we continue to work to enhance health outcomes in our community.

Ka rawe, Paula. We are so proud of you!

Congratulations to the 2026 Churchill Fellows!

Innovation, transformation and resilience are at the heart of this year’s Churchill Fellowships, announced today by the Churchill Memorial Trust Board.

Established in 1965, the Churchill Trust supports New Zealanders from all walks of life to travel overseas, expand their knowledge on topics of national significance, and return with fresh ideas and inspiration to benefit their communities and Aotearoa New Zealand.

“The nine Fellowships cover a diverse range of topics — health and wellbeing innovation, economic transformation, art, culture and identity, and environment and climate resilience,” said Board Chair David Ivory. “We look forward to hearing about the valuable experiences and knowledge they’ll bring back.”

Board Member and 2018 Fellow Ian McDonald added, “As both a past recipient and now a Board Member, I can see some very valuable research will come out of these journeys, leading to exciting findings for New Zealanders.”

Congratulations to the 2026 Churchill Fellowship recipients:
Candice Apelu Mariner (Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington): to explore how Singapore and Malaysia are shifting primary care from reactive "sick care" to proactive, personalised care using Artificial Intelligence and digital tools within culturally relevant, multilingual models.

Robbie Atatoa (Mangaian traditional carver living in Kirikiriroa, Hamilton): for travel to Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom, to support identification, translation, and recreation and revitalisation of Mangaian toki (adze).

Paula Baker (Kirikiriroa Hamilton): to gather insights, understand best practice, and measure the impact of charity-owned surgical hospitals across the United Kingdom.

Jeremy Faumuina (Ōtautahi Christchurch): to explore how Spain, Japan, and Australia support high-performance athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Anna Guenther (Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington): to learn from solutions for increasing access to capital for women-founded businesses in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Craig Pritchard (Kapiti): to study approaches in the United Kingdom to wildlife disease surveillance utilising citizen science and drone technology as collaborative and non-invasive wildlife health monitoring tools.

Anna Ryan (Ōtautahi Christchurch): to assess whether New Zealand’s approach to regulating competition in labour markets remains fit for purpose, in light of recent legal developments in jurisdictions such as Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Clive Somerville (Te Ōko Horoi Cambridge): to investigate how the Ruhr Valley (Germany), Basque Country (Spain), and rural Ireland have successfully regenerated under constraint, using infrastructure investment, workforce reinvention, and circular economy models.

Rebecca Styles (Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington): to research how Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States jurisdictions are addressing insurance retreat and underinsurance from increasing natural hazards driven by climate change, and what is being done to help communities mitigate and adapt.

05/11/2025

One of the BEST things about the work we do is seeing how often the people we help want to pay it forward to others.

From 1 April to 31 October 2025, we received a total of $8000 in contributions from patients who were helped as part of our Community Surgery Programme, where we help those who need it most receive free surgeries and health interventions.

Often one of the first things we hear when a patient receives their surgery is, 'can I make a contribution?', keen as they are to help others in the way they have been helped.

No matter the amount they give, it all makes a difference in enabling us to keep helping others in our community. So, a very big and heartfelt THANK YOU to every single patient who has contributed and for the impact they will have on future community surgery recipients.