Dr Alan Kerr is a retired cardiac surgeon – during his 30 years at Green Lane Hospital he played a crucial role in the development of coronary artery and children’s heart surgery in NZ. There may be people living in Martinborough who as children benefited or had a family member who benefited from his skill.
After retirement Alan led a Kiwi team to Gaza and the West Bank to operate on children with heart defects. A two-week visit became an enduring 20 year commitment to Palestine, involving 40 medical missions and hundreds of operations.
Dr Kerr has been recognised as the ‘Father of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery’ in Palestine – he’s done for heart surgery there, what Ed Hillary did for education in Nepal. Alan’s wife Hazel travelled with him – bringing a different kind of healing to the people she met, using craft, dance and drama to connect with children and young people.
Paula Whetu Jones is the director of Whitiora Productions and is best known for her 2003 documentary Gang Girls and for co-writing and directing Whina, the 2022 feature film about Dame Whina Cooper. Paula met Alan and his wife Hazel in 2006 and has documented Alan and Hazel’s selfless work.
After visits to Palestine in 2007, 2008 and 2009, Paula’s return in 2010 was halted by a rare autoimmune condition which left her paralysed. She returned in 2012 in her wheelchair (supported by local people) and continued filming as funds allowed. The team started collating the film in 2023 and completed it earlier this year.
Dr Alan is now 91 and Hazel 86. Humble and self-effacing, Paula’s filming of their 20 years of dedicated work is moving and inspiring. There is also some remarkable archive footage of Palestine before 1948.
Paula and her team funded the film themselves, and a few donors made its completion possible. It’s currently (July 2025) being shown at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
On Sunday 7 September at 2.30pm this remarkable one-hour documentary will be shown at First Church on the corner of Weld and Jellicoe St in Martinborough.
Admission is free, so that cost isn’t a barrier. Koha is not compulsory but 50% of what’s received will go to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund NZ (PCRF NZ), the charity set up by Alan and Hazel to enable NZ medical teams to travel to Palestine to help children in need.
The other 50% is accepted as a mark of respect for the filmmaker – and, importantly, will fund further screenings.
This film is being shown to honour Alan and Hazel Kerr and their outstanding work; we’re delighted that First Church will host us. To get your ticket, go to whitioraproductions.com/the-doctors-wife, look for the poster in the library or the medical centre, or email thedoctorswife@whitioraproductions.co.nz
