Mary Anne Gill – Media and Communications Director
Mary Anne Gill has been the media and communications director at Waikato District Health Board since 2007. Before becoming communications director Mary Anne was an award-winning journalist during stints at the Waikato Times and other newspapers throughout New Zealand.
My most memorable day was my first on the job, when the chief executive announced he was resigning. I thought he was testing me. “Let’s see if she can keep this secret from her former colleagues at the Waikato Times.” He actually had resigned.
[pullquote]I’m from wherever you want me to be from, that’s where I’m from.”[/pullquote]
Waiora Waikato hospital campus is the biggest in Australasia. We’re also the biggest construction site in New Zealand – until Christchurch starts re-building. I’ve just been to Christchurch helping with their DHB. My blog from Christchurch was the second most-visited page on our website for a week. Bugger, why aren’t I first! That’s my competitiveness showing, I guess. But anyway I’m second, second with a bullet.
I’m from wherever you want me to be from, that’s where I’m from. I’m one of five children and none of us were born in the same place. My father was town clerk in various places and we moved around a lot. In 1960, when I was two, we moved from Putaruru, where I was born, to Stratford. From Stratford we went to Havelock North. From Havelock North we went to Whangarei. From Whangarei to Wellington.
I have three children: Caroline, 27, who is a teacher at St. Peters School in Cambridge, James, 25, who is a professional golfer and an accountant, and David, 23, who is grocery manager at Te Rapa New World. I have twin-granddaughters, Grace and Alysha – Caroline’s daughters. I went there last night because Alicia rang me. “Nana, could you come around? My tooth is wiggly.” I always get their teeth for them, I always have. It was the front one and we couldn’t quite get it. I said “Just be careful you don’t wake at night and it’s in your mouth.”
I don’t do 20 page communication things. I do half-a-page, bullet points. I do a lot of writing for our own website and for our own internal audiences. I’ve just interviewed Brian Coker, the double amputee from Christchurch who was treated here after the earthquake. I wrote a media release for our website. All media want the exclusive on him. I get it, I was a journalist. I understand that’s what you do. I give the offers to the family, talk to them about which media outlets they like.
Recently, I worked closely with the nursing and midwifery director and security to introduce a ban on gang regalia within the hospital. We explained to them: “This is a hospital. This is a healing place. This could be your mother, your brother, your sister in here. People are offended and scared by your gang patches.” The gangs are very respectful of that. We had one guy who was wearing a jacket with gang regalia that couldn’t be turned inside-out. He took off his jacket and his shirt had gang regalia. When he turned his shirt inside-out you could still see the gang regalia. Security said for him to take his t-shirt off but he had the gang emblem tattooed on his chest as well! Eventually he found another shirt with nothing on it and that was fine.
It’s really important you be empathetic. You’ve got to have something in your voice that endears you to people. You can be sympathetic and say “I’m so sorry, you must be feeling awful” but of course they do. Empathy is saying “I know the situation you’re in. I know how you’re feeling. What can I do to help you through this? What can I do to make your life easier? Whatever it takes, I’m here.” I like to think it’s because I’m a mother but I don’t know.
