A Place to Stand: A Country Doctor's Life in Hokianga by Clare Ward

A Place to Stand follows Clare’s life as a country doctor living and working in the far north of Aotearoa, New Zealand. It is part memoir, a tribute to place and a reflection on what it means to show up for a community over a lifetime.

Clare has spent more than thirty years working in the Hokianga Harbour area, a remote and sparsely populated region with significant health challenges. In A Place to Stand she introduces us to a world far removed from city life. She shares the rewards and pressures of rural practice, where relationships are long, and resources can be limited.

It’s easy to see why medicine is Clare’s vocation: she writes about working sensitively with people in their most vulnerable moments and how decades of experience have broadened her understanding. She also draws readers into the complex reality of rural medicine, sharing their stories with dignity rather than drama. 

One of the most compelling threads is her exploration of what it means to be Pākehā in a deeply Māori world. Clare writes with respect while acknowledging her standing as an outsider. She also reflects on how immersion in a rural Māori worldview has profoundly changed the way she thinks about health, medicine and life itself. It’s this openness that gives the book depth beyond typical ‘doctor’s stories’ as she shares her insights gained over time.

A Place to Stand is also a beautifully presented hardback, with black-and-white photographs throughout that add a strong sense of place. The physical book feels like part of the reading experience: considered, grounded and made to be kept. More than a memoir, A Place to Stand is a reflection on service, a weaving together of land and people, and a moving tribute to the meaning of standing with a community for the long haul.

Reviewer: Andrea Molloy

Allen & Unwin