Rebecca Chaplow (née Faulkner; born 19 August 1942), also known as Ripeka Chaplow, is a New Zealand mental health nurse and former netball player. She played four international matches for the New Zealand team at the 1963 World Netball Championships, where they finished second to Australia. She was inducted into the Māori Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

Rebecca Chaplow
Personal information
Full name Rebecca Chaplow (née Faulkner)
Born (1942-08-19) 19 August 1942 (age 82)
Height 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Spouse David Chaplow
Netball career
Playing position(s): C, WA
Years National team(s) Caps
1963 New Zealand 4
Medal record
Representing  New Zealand
Netball World Cup
Silver medal – second place 1963 Eastbourne Tournament

Early life

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Chaplow was born Rebecca Faulkner on 19 August 1942.[1][2] Of Māori descent, she affiliates to Ngāi Te Rangi, Te Arawa, Tainui, and Ngāi Tūhoe,[3] and came from Matapihi, a suburb of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region.[4] In 1963, she was photographed by Ans Westra for a book by Gregory Riethmaier, titled Rebecca and the Maoris, in which she is seen going about her daily life in the Māori community. Judged against modern criteria, the book has been criticised for its patronising approach.[5][6]

Netball career

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A mid-court player,[1] Faulkner played representative netball for Rotorua from 1962, and was named in the North Island team after the 1963 national netball championships.[2]

Faulkner was a member of the New Zealand team at the inaugural World Netball Championships at Eastbourne, England, in 1963, travelling with the team by ship, and spending three months away from New Zealand. She made her debut in the first-round match against Northern Ireland, becoming the 31st player to be selected for the team. At the tournament, she played in four of the New Zealand team's ten matches in the round-robin tournament, facing tough competition from Pamela Edmonds for the centre position.[1] New Zealand recorded nine wins and one loss, 36–37 against Australia, finishing as runners-up.[7][8]

In the 1970s, Chaplow was a coach for the Eastern Bay of Plenty netball team.[2]

Later life

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Chaplow trained as a nurse. In 1968, she met her husband, David Chaplow, who was a doctor, in Whakatāne,[4] and the couple went on to have four children, including artist Arohanoa Mathews.[9] David Chaplow went on to serve as the director of mental health for 10 years to 2011,[10] and was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order, for public services, in the 2001 New Year Honours.[11]

Rebecca Chaplow worked in psychiatric court liaison, before completing a diploma in mental health and a diploma in management.[4][3] In the 1980s, she worked at a psychiatric hospital in Australia before returning to New Zealand to work at the Mason Clinic, a secure psychiatric hospital in Auckland, and later for the Waikato District Health Board Māori mental health services. She then joined the Māori Health Directorate, part of the Ministry of Health, as a senior advisor.[3]

Chaplow was inducted into the Māori Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[2] She sometimes uses the Māori form of her forename, and is thus also known as Ripeka Chaplow.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Rebecca Chaplow". Silver Ferns. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Rebecca Faulkner nee Chaplow". Māori Sports Awards. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Three new senior advisors". Māori Health Directorate News. June 2002. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Du Chateau, Carroll (27 April 2001). "New director of mental health should bring sigh of relief". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Photo of Rebecca Chaplow". National Library. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Rebecca and the Maoris". Amazon.com. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  7. ^ Egan, Brendon (21 July 2019). "Tears, triumphs, and tribulations: How the Silver Ferns have fared at Netball World Cup". Stuff. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  8. ^ "History". Netball New Zealand. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Artist's Maori heritage inspires work". Bay of Plenty Times. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  10. ^ Crawshaw, John (2011). "Forward" (PDF). Office of the Director of Mental Health: Annual Report. p. iii. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  11. ^ "New Year honours list 2001". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 30 December 2000. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Chaplow, Ripeka, 1942-". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
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