The Roster Te Rārangi: Edition 11

Choppy times at top tier
Chief medical officer Sue Nightingale and executive director of nursing Mary Gordon are the latest top-tier bosses to resign at Canterbury DHB. David Meates, chief executive of both Canterbury and West Coast DHBs, resigned on 4 August. Pending results of a global search for Mr Meates’ replacement, Andrew Brant will take the role on an acting basis. Dr Brant, acting chief executive at Waitematā DHB, fills in from early October until the end of the year. Peter Bramley, Nelson Marlborough Health chief executive, joins Mr Meates this week to support a smooth handover.

Igniting whakapapa connections
Hutt Valley DHB will lose its director of Māori health, Kerry-Leigh (Kerry) Dougall, who has led the DHB’s work on equity for Māori. Ms Dougall (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou) has a new role, chief Māori health adviser at Corrections, where the strategy is to work with Māori to build capacity through Te Ao Māori and Te Ao Pākehā, “to ignite whakapapa connections through whānau, hapū and iwi”. Ms Dougall’s 20-plus years’ experience includes heading the Hutt non-profit organisations Kokiri Marae Māori Women’s Refuge and Nāku Enei Tamariki Inc.

The ancestors on her shoulders
Marama Tauranga (Ngāti Maniapoto, Tainui, Taranaki) called to mind her ancestors, including Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana and Parihaka prophets Tōhu Kākahi and Te Whiti o Rongomai, when commenting on the formal welcome accorded her at Bay of Plenty DHB. Ms Tauranga is manukura – executive director of the DHB’s Māori health initiative, Toi Ora. She had held the role in an acting capacity since February. Ms Tauranga has 29 years’ experience in the health sector. Formerly the DHB’s health equity manager, she has been clinical nurse manager of the Tauranga Hospital emergency department.

Changes for the Medical Council
Two well-known doctors have departed the Medical Council of New Zealand: John Nacey, a Wellington urologist, and Paul Hutchison, former National health select committee chair (now a south Auckland GP). The two new council members in their places are Rachelle Love and Kenneth Clark. Dr Love (Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa) is a Christchurch otolaryngology, head and neck surgeon, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons national board member, and New Zealand Medical Association Specialist Council member. Dr Clark, a gynaecologist in Palmerston North, is Pharmac’s acting medical director. He was chief medical officer at MidCentral DHB for 17 years.

A roving Kiwi returns
MidCentral DHB has drawn a roving New Zealander back from Australia. He is Kelvin Billinghurst (Otago Medical School graduate, class of 1987), who has replaced Kenneth Clark as chief medical officer. Dr Billinghurst led medical services in rural Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, and Katherine Hospital, Northern Territory. He trained in tropical medicine and hygiene in South Africa, where he held hospital and public health roles for almost 20 years . A fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, he has also worked in the United Arab Emirates.

Tikanga in general practice
Rachel Mackie and Jason Tuhoe are doctors on a mission to build on the equity focus at the Royal New Zealand College of GPs, so tikanga is valued and incorporated into general practices. Dr Mackie (Ngati Wai, Ngati Hine, Ngati Whatua) is a clinical project lead at Waitematā DHB, and has been advising the college on its equity quality standards for practices. She is the new chair of Te Akoranga a Māui, the college’s Māori representative group, while Tokoroa GP Dr Tuhoe (Hauraki, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Pikiao) is deputy chair.

These GPs love rural healthcare
The RNZCGP’s Division of Rural Hospital Medicine council has four new elected members. They are Drs Munanga Mwandila, of Christchurch, Jenny James, Queenstown, Andrew Morgan, Blenheim, and Marek Lang, Wellington. Dr Lang represents GP registrars, while Stephen Ram, of Putaruru, is the division’s representative on the college National Advisory Council.

An all-rounder for Lakes
Lakes District Hospital in Queenstown has a new operations manager, Emily Nelson, who settled in the town after returning from overseas 10 years ago. Having originally graduated with bachelor degrees in physical education and commerce, Ms Nelson added a postgraduate diploma in public health, leading to two-and-a-half years as a Public Health South health promotion advisor. She chairs Central Lakes’ Mental Health and Addiction Network, sits on the Network Leadership Group, and is a representative on the Central Lakes Locality Network. Overseas, she worked in marketing, branding and new product development.

THINKing clinical quality
Palmerston North-headquartered primary health organisation THINK Hauora has promoted its network development manager Nicola Russell to general manager, clinical quality, after a recruitment campaign. Ms Russell started with the PHO in 2014, having had 15 years’ nursing experience in medical oncology, Family Planning and general practice in Southland and Australia. In her new role, Ms Russell’s responsibilities include nursing and allied health clinical services and the associated contracts. She will also help local general practices in their development as “health care homes” and in quality improvement.

Medicinal cannabis job
Licensed medicinal cannabis company Helius Therapeutics has a new chief financial officer, Mark Woods, who has been a Fonterra general manager and, earlier, held financial planning, business analyst and management positions in the UK and Australia. Mr Woods is a chartered member of the Institute of Directors (New Zealand) and has a bachelor of business from Monash University in Melbourne.

Trans-Tasman network lead
The Mental Health Learning Services Network (TheMHS) has appointed Jane Austin as executive director. Ms Austin previously led strategic fundraising and partnerships for Alzheimers New Zealand and, in Australia, was general manager marketing and fundraising for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and, prior to that, senior director marketing and philanthropy for the George Institute for Global Health. TheMHS is a learning network for improving mental health services in Australia and New Zealand.

Scan your horizon

Did you notice that the Cancer Control Agency seeks a clinical director; and the Dunedin PHO WellSouth has several vacancies, including a coordinator for suicide prevention and postvention initiatives. Could you retrain as a health improvement practitioner (aka HIP), perhaps? See WellSouth's latest media release on HIPs in New Zealand Doctor | Rata Aotearoa. You will find Auckland DHB has good advice on applying and interviewing for a health role. Meanwhile, let your contacts know The Roster Te Rārangi is free every fortnight and they can subscribe here. Thanks!

– Virginia McMillan, editor
Phone 021 914 699
Email vmcmillan@nzdoctor.co.nz