The Cook Islands Breast Cancer Foundation (CIBCF) was born out of a grassroots movement in 2003, driven by a group of dedicated women determined to raise awareness and support for breast cancer in the Cook Islands. Dawn Baudinet, the immediate past president of the Foundation, explores the foundation’s journey, from its inception to its significant achievements in promoting breast health and providing vital services to the community.

The inception of the Cook Islands Breast Cancer Foundation began when a meeting was organised by Jolene Bosanquet to discuss breast cancer awareness. Held at the Cook Islands Library and Museum on Tuesday, September 9, 2003, over 30 women attended, including the wife of the then New Zealand High Commissioner, Tiana Meyer, wife of the then Prime Minister, Sue Woonton, and former Honorary French Consul, Marie Melvin. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs was represented by Nga Teao, Betty Bailey, president of the Hospital Comforts Committee, and Rongo File, president of the National Council Women, to name a few.

Guest speaker, Pat Litherland from New Zealand, spoke of her personal experiences and battle with breast cancer. Pat advised the meeting of the purpose of the international official month of October Breast Cancer Awareness and fundraising events. Of special note was the annual Pink Ribbon Appeal.

Pat was suggesting putting donation boxes around Rarotonga, with funds raised going towards cancer research. She also suggested 10 per cent of the funds raised to remain in Rarotonga and the remainder be sent to New Zealand. At this point concerns were raised that money donated in Rarotonga, should be used for the benefit of the Cook Islands women. This did eventually end with monies to remain in Rarotonga.

From that meeting “The Cook Islands Breast Cancer Foundation Inc (CIBCF)” was formed.

The initial working committee consisted of chairperson Sue Woonton, secretary Helen Wong and treasurer Matilda Tairea.

Linda Vavia advised the meeting that a small group of women assisted by the French Consul, that mammography machine was donated by the French Government in 2000 and only been used twice by overseas specialists.

Director of Women’s Affairs, Neti Tamarua had previously organised a Pink Ribbon Appeal and in a week, raised a total of $2000. In conjunction with the Ministry of Health, these funds, were appropriated for a team from Middlemore Hospital to run a screening programme. 

At this time the Ministry of Health had a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Counties Manukau and x-rays were sent to New Zealand for analysis.

In 2003, 216 women were screened at the Rarotonga Hospital. Eleven women were referred to New Zealand for management.

Raising awareness and fundraising efforts – October 2004

Under the direction of president Sue Woonton, her board members had events planned.

Breast cancer and prostate cancer pamphlets were produced in both Cook Islands Maori and English.  

Early October 2004, “The Calendar Girls”, 2005 calendar was launched at Punanga Nui Market.  Helen Henry, Dianne Haworth, Maurine Young, Tiana Meyer, Diane Dorrell, and Betty Bailey who also featured in the calendar, made themselves available to autograph and sell the calendars at each Saturday morning market.

A Cabaret featuring Debbie Dorday and Jim Joel, from New Zealand was held at The Rarotongan Beach Resort and Spa. All proceeds went to the CIBCF.

Damien and Belinda Seville, award winning hair stylists from Seville’s, Newmarket, New Zealand, advised on haircuts, styling, and colours and those proceeds also went to the foundation.

2005 – A new look

The March 2005 Annual General Meeting saw a new board. President Helen Henry, secretary Dawn Baudinet, treasurer Debbie Ave. Fiona Tamariki, and Rosie Blake were board members.

Breast Cancer foundation members and friends: Noeline Bridge, Diane Dorrell, Tiana Meyer, Helen Henry, Diane Smith, Diane Horwarth, Maurine Young with Greta Little, Karen Johnston and Krick Barraud. 05081901

The Foundation sponsored Dr Rouru Daniel, Aunty Kathy Koteka, and a Cook Islands Family Welfare representative, to both Southern and Northern group islands to conduct breast and general health checks. These visits continued throughout 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

On June 4, 2005, the then New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clark, visited Rarotonga. 

CIBCF introduced Ms Clark to the Calendar Girls Team who were also in production of a 2006 Cook Islands Boys Calendar.

On June 27, 2005, Mr Vaine Teokotai, then Secretary of Ministry of Health, spoke to a foundation meeting explaining that MOH did not have a policy in place for breast screening at that time. He suggested CIBCF should become involved in the policy making process. Unfortunately, this did not happen.

MOH was responsible for airfares of patients referred to New Zealand, however once in New Zealand, costs were covered by the New Zealand MOH. 

There was no firm commitment by Counties Manukau Health Board to continue further screening in Rarotonga.

CIBCF funded eight women from Mauke who needed further investigation to Rarotonga. They were then referred to New Zealand.

The 2005 Calendar Girls had raised $20,000 from market sales and a further $10,000 was collected from an auction held at the New Zealand High Commission.

Helen Henry was interviewed by ABC Radio Australia on their programme “In the Loop”. They were interested in the success of the calendars raising awareness of breast cancer and fundraising efforts made for CIBCF.

A further step towards breast cancer knowledge and understanding was when a support group was instigated. Aunty Koe, Helen Muir, Diane Dorrell and Mata Cockburn were able to chat compassionately to patients and answer numerous questions, as they were breast cancer survivors themselves.

On August 4, 2005, Constitution Day, the Foundation was invited to meet the Governor General of New Zealand, Dame Sylvia Cartwright. An eye-catching display of ribbons, pamphlets, CIBCF banner and other merchandise made the booth at Punanga Nui Market extremely attractive.

It is important to note that during the years 2005, 2006 and 2007, many discussions took place between MOH Cook Islands and New Zealand with lobbying from CIBCF, regarding annual mammography screening programmes.

Although Metua Ellis was prepared to have extra training to upskill as a mammography radiographer, it was not feasible. To keep the licence valid, at least 2000 screens had to be completed annually.

The French Consul, Mrs Cassey Eggleton also offered to assist with funding of the x-ray film to be read in New Zealand at a cost of $96 per film.

Unfortunately, at this time the MOU between MOH Cook Islands and Counties Manukau had expired.

None the less, the Foundation continued with awareness programmes, financially sponsoring the Family and Child Welfare teams, a doctor, nurse, and Aunty Kathy Koteka to the Pa Enua. Women as well as men were becoming more conscious of their health.

The team spent five days on each island and held radio talk back shows which were more productive than workshops.

CIBCF AGM, February 2006, Terri Halligan, a breast cancer survivor of three years, was the first Cook Islands woman to go public, when she shared her story at a Foundation meeting.

Women were able to appreciate her journey and get a better understanding of the complications of breast cancer. Barbara Moore was the other speaker from CITC Pharmacy.

The Foundation continued to translate pamphlets on prostate, cervical, bowel and breast cancer into Cook Islands Maori for the Cook Islands community.

A media campaign on breast awareness, featuring Tina Iro and Selina Napa, as well as board members was produced by Te Digital Factory, Nicholas Henry, and Paolo Catalini. This was aired on CITV Sept/Oct October 2007. The message about being breast aware, breast healthy, and doing your Self-Breast-Examination (SBE) was a huge success.

Mr and Mrs John Bryan, the New Zealand High Commissioner, opened Ngatipa Residence, on September 22, 2007, for a “Pink Gala- Auction” fundraiser for CIBCF.

With many local businesses supporting this event it was an exceptional evening.

In October 2007, MOH Cook Islands in conjunction with Middlemore Hospital, Counties Manukau set up a screening programme.

A total of 292 women were screened and 19 were referred to New Zealand under the New Zealand Health Care System.

CIBCF assisted MOH by paying for two radiographers from New Zealand for the programme.

“The Calendar Kids” calendar was released at the market in October 2007. This was the third and final calendar to be sold, and the calendar committee of dedicated ladies handed over a cheque for $24,000 to CIBCF.

An advertising campaign about early detection in English and Cook Islands Maori, again featuring Selina and Tina was aired on CITV and in published in the Cook Islands News. 

From July 23 to August 3, 2008, after continuous lobbying from the Foundation, MOH conducted a mammography programme. This programme was led by Dr Fran Jones, director of BreastScreen Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia.

The criteria were women 45 years and over, with 334 women screened seven to NZ.

In October 2008, the Foundation ladies were at Punanga Nui Market selling CIBCF merchandise consisting of t/shirts, singlets, caps, and aprons.

MOH mammography screening programme continued in August 2009 with the criteria reducing the age of women to 40, and those who had a family history of breast or any type of cancer. The programme continued with Dr Fran Jones and the New South Wales team. The Foundation paid the airfares for women from Atiu, Mauke and Aitutaki to Rarotonga for screening.

Heather Atiu Webber and Pa Tauamakume were the facilitators. A total of 374 women were screened in 2009.

Radiographers Dian Fiore, Maureen Clement and Janine O’Neill each have more than 20 years’ experience in mammography. They are pictured here with breast physician Dr Fran Jones, who is second from the left, in 2010. 10080248

The mammography programme held from July 26 to August 5, 2010, saw 346 women screened, seven to NZ. CIBCF paid for 11 women from Aitutaki and Mauke to Rarotonga.

Extra t-shirts, with the hibiscus and CIBCF logo were printed by Turtles as these proved very popular with the tourists along with caps and aprons. Selling t-shirts from Fishers Black Pearl shop was an added bonus.

Many more businesses came on board in 2010 to help the fundraising efforts. With their continued support and generosity, it was evident the Foundation was gaining momentum.

In May 2011, the Foundation was contacted by Cook Islands Tourism about a young 12-year-old Cook Islands girl, Faith Edwards, who had cancer. Faith lived in New Zealand but had two brothers living and working in Rarotonga. Faith was sponsored to Rarotonga, for her very first visit, by “A Child Care Group”. The Foundation was privileged to be part of Faith’s holiday and arranged for families with children to attend an event at Coco Putt and meet Faith.

Ongoing discussions by the Board were held with MOH regarding the annual Screening Programme, with a screening programme from July 26 to August 5, 2011.

Dr Fran Jones and her team from New South Wales were becoming a fixture at the Rarotonga Hospital. This was the third visit of the team, with a more relaxed atmosphere. Women were openly discussing breast cancer and felt at home with the doctors, technicians, and assistants. 

The target for this round was 320 women in the two-week time frame. 365 women were screened, four to NZ. Te Maeva Nui Constitution celebrations saw a lot of women from the Pa Enua here in Rarotonga who were on MOH database, but needed to get to the hospital, so the Foundation hired a bus to collect them from their respective hostels. This took a lot of pressure off MOH.

In October 2011, Ura Tangaroa was interviewed by CITV on her journey as a breast cancer survivor, which was extremely favourable by the response from the general public. This programme encouraged women to think positively about having a mammography screen.

Pamphlets were printed in both languages on how to correctly undertake Breast Self-Examinations (SBE) and being breast aware, with a media campaign in the Cook Islands News advising pamphlets were available from CITC Pharmacy, MOH Tupapa, Cook Islands Pharmacy, and Pharmacy Health & Beauty, Nikao.

On November 16, 2011, the Annual General Meeting was held at the Aquarius Hotel.

Mr John Carter, the incoming New Zealand High Commissioner, was in attendance and became the Foundation’s first male financial member.

In February 2012, Helen Wong, Breast Screen Counties Manukau, asked if CIBCF would sponsor Ura Tangaroa to Auckland for the making of a Pacific Women DVD documentary around breast cancer and breast screening. The DVD called “Love, Hope and Faith” was produced by NZBCF, supported by Aotearoa Breast Screen and Breast Screen Counties Manukau, featuring Samoan, Niue, and Cook Islands women on their breast cancer experiences. This documentary was about Pacific Women for Pacific Women. Dr Aumea Herman and Dawn Baudinet were also named in the credits as their support was also valuable to the production.

Local women participating were Ura Tangaroa, Mata Young, Myria Taripo Francois, and Teina Hosking.

The documentary was completed mid-March and released on CITV with the sponsorship of MOH in August and during CIBCF October awareness campaign in association with Tupapa Promotions Unit. The documentary was also aired on local TV stations in Aitutaki, Atiu, Mitiaro and Mangaia in 2011.

“Love, Hope and Faith” was a wakeup call for women to have a mammography screen and this was confirmed by the increase of women screened in the August programme.

CIBCF paid for eight women from three of the Southern Islands for their screens and returned them home safely.

The Foundation decided to set up a CIBCF website at the cost of $2500. Mr Brett Baudinet advised on costing, hosting, and details regarding extra services offering a three-month period free of charge.

Pink October 2012 saw the ANZ Banking group organise their first sausage sizzle matching dollar for dollar, with all proceeds to CIBCF. Thank you to David Dennis, the then in country manager, and Jules Westrupp for their organisation.   CIBCF ladies decorated their tables with pamphlets, banners and selling merchandise, and pink ribbons.

The Foundation was overwhelmed with the huge local business support for 2012.

These included the following: Cafe Salsa; Rakahanga Vainetini; Netball Cook Islands. Tania Temata’s family HSBC with a Zumba fundraiser. Liz and John Koteka donated funds from their son’s haircutting ceremony. Marissa, the crepe lady at the market, made pink lemonade. Teimurimotia Stallions 7s team, Bubs Numanga and Eric Rush who presented the cheque.

In October 2012, Dr Fran Jones and Janine O’Neill from Breast Screen NSW team, advised they were replacing their mammography machine and offered their four-year-old machine to CIBCF to be installed and owned by MOH. The previous machine “was no longer fit for purpose”.

After many months of negotiation between Dawn Baudinet, president of CIBCF, MOH Rarotonga, Paul Cadew, chief physicist, Hunter New England Imaging Service, John Hunter Hospital, Janine O’Neill, senior radiographer, Breast Screen NSW, and Ana Silatolu-Mataitini, director of Funding and Planning, approvals were given.

The logistics and criteria of transporting the machine from Sydney to Rarotonga was a mammoth task, and a convoluted process. David Bridge, then country manager of Air New Zealand, advised CIBCF that Air New Zealand was happy to offer a favourable airfreight rate.

It felt like a new era when “The Machine” arrived early April 2013.

It was an incredible and very special moment when all those who had been instrumental in acquiring the mammography machine attended the “unwrapping ceremony”.

Where the machine was destined had to be redesigned and making necessary adjustments to the room to fit this machine. MOH was very accommodating and with an incredible Phillips technical team arriving from New Zealand to install the machine, and finally Dr Paul Cadew, the magical calibrator, flew from Australia to calibrate the machine. It was now ready to be used.