The Roster Te Rārangi: Edition 1

Welcome!
Nau mai haere mai ki te pānui tuatahi o The Roster Te Rārangi. Welcome to the first edition of The Roster Te Rārangi. I’m Virginia McMillan, chief sub-editor for New Zealand Doctor, and I have reported on the health sector since 2001. My feeling is that people working in health in the broadest sense – primary and secondary care, whānau ora, social and home care, social work and beyond – are growing their effectiveness by expanding their networks and collaborating more. With that in mind, New Zealand Doctor’s publishers The Health Media bring you this fortnightly, free email newsletter on new faces and roles. As editor, I would love to receive your “people news” at vmcmillan@nzdoctor.co.nz or phone 021 914 699.

High alert in week one
It was a memorable start for Cancer Society chief executive Lucy Elwood, who arrived at the Wellington national office just days before New Zealand went into COVID-19 Alert Level 4. Ms Elwood, a former law firm partner, has a science degree with a biology major. She was most recently head of legal, regulatory and risk at TradeMe, and has held governance roles on the New Zealand Organisation for Rare Disorders and the Digital Media Trust, among others. She replaces Mike Kernoghan.

Connected to the Bay
For Ministry of Health executive leadership team member Keriana Brooking, family connections bring special significance to her next career move, to Hawke’s DHB as chief executive. Ms Brooking is of Ngāti Pāhauwera and Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairoa, which have rohe covered by the DHB. Until October, she will remain as deputy director-general health system improvement and innovation at the ministry, which she joined in 2014 after prominent roles in two primary health organisations (PHOs) and Tairāwhiti DHB. Her predecessor at Hawke’s Bay, Kevin Snee, is now Waikato DHB chief executive.

New boss for rural network
From sport, fitness, recreation, snow sport and the performing arts industries to the health sector may not be the large leap it seems at first glance. Grant Davidson is about to find out when he starts as chief executive of the New Zealand Rural General Practice Network. Dr Davidson until recently led Skills Active Aotearoa and, prior to that, outdoors industry organisation Qualworx and the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre. His PhD is in risk management. He will replace Dalton Kelly, who is retiring, once COVID-19 delays have been worked through.

Tending new pastures
Andrew Inder is health system strategic advisor at new digital health company Tend Health Ltd. From 2014 to 2019, Mr Inder managed the Ministry of Health’s work with the primary and community care sector. He then founded consultancy firm 2Ask, where he remains a director. Mr Inder joined Tend in November 2019. Company founders James and Cecilia Robinson expect to launch their digital first, app-based health service around July.

Macaskill-Smith’s replacement
Christine Hall has taken up the reins as interim chief executive at Pinnacle Ventures, a consultancy of Hamilton-headquartered PHO Pinnacle Inc and provider of services such as IT support. Ms Hall replaces John Macaskill-Smith, who resigned last month. A UK-trained occupational therapist, she was previously a Pinnacle general manager. She has held management roles in mental health services with Waikato DHB and in social housing provision with LinkPeople.

Arriving soon at Pharmac
COVID-19 travel restrictions have delayed Shirley Crawshaw from starting as Pharmac medical director: Dr Crawshaw is in the UK until she can return safely to New Zealand. UK-trained and initially a GP, she later specialised in public health medicine. Her positions since moving to New Zealand in 2014 have included medical officer of health in Northland and deputy-director of public health at the Ministry of Health. Pharmac has lacked a permanent appointee in the role since John Wyeth left in March 2019.

Practice owners' lobby group
The General Practice Owners Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (GenPro) launched this month with Wellsford GP Tim Malloy as interim chair and Christchurch GP Angus Chambers as interim deputy chair. GenPro says it acts on behalf of and represents general practice owners to ensure their population health services are appropriately supported and that their businesses are sustainable. Members of the steering committee are Dr Malloy, Coast to Coast Healthcare; Dr Chambers, Riccarton Clinic; Steffan Crausaz, Tamaki Health; Tony Edwards, The Doctors Napier; David Jones, Better Health; Clinton Newbury, Better Health; Rachael Newfield, Green Cross Health; Ash Revell, Green Cross Health; Murray Tilyard, South Link Health and Mark Wills, Omni Health. Interim chief executive is Philip Grant.

Cross-border migration
Large Canterbury PHO Pegasus Health tempted Craig Watson from a nearby PHO for a new role as rural relationship manager. Mr Watson was formerly business manager at Waitaha Primary Health, which supports Canterbury general practices in the area from Cheviot to Tinwald and from Hanmer Springs to Akaroa. Pegasus Health’s practices are in the greater Christchurch region, including rural. Mr Watson is a former Selwyn district councillor.

Omni’s clinical governors
General practice company OmniHealth has a new clinical governance board. Members are: Ewa Stojek, Onerahi Family Healthcare, Whangarei; John Arcus, Beachhaven Medical, Auckland; Anuj Gupta, Anne Street Medical, Devonport; Lorna Bühler and Jo Eustace, Tuakau Health Centre, Auckland; Sam Wilson, Tararua Health Group, Tararua district; and Bruce Small, Timaru Primary Care, Timaru. Dr Bühler was elected chair and Dr Gupta, vice-chair.

Pacific associate dean appointed
Losa Moata’ane earlier this year became associate dean (Pacific) in the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago in Dunedin. Tongan-born Dr Moata’ane has a bachelor of nursing, a masters in human nutrition and a doctorate in public health. She holds a part-time research position with the WHO collaborating centre in the university’s department of human nutrition.