Place to Stand

A country doctor's life in remote Hokianga, spanning more than thirty years.

Clare Ward is a country doctor living and working in the Hokianga Harbour area in the far north of Aotearoa New Zealand, a sparsely populated area where there are many health challenges.

This thoughtful memoir tells the story of Clare's thirty-year working life, the people she works with and the remote and isolated landscape in which she practises.

She explores what it means to be Pākehā in this deeply Māori world, writing about this with respect, while also acknowledging her standing as outsider.

Clare draws the reader in, telling people's stories with dignity and keeping them safe and anonymous. Writing in an understated way, she opens the door into the complex world of a rural doctor.