New Zealand Clinical Senate
Clinicians actively participate in decision-making around the design and delivery of quality and timely health services through all levels of the health system in Aotearoa New Zealand.
About the New Zealand Clinical Senate
The New Zealand Clinical Senate is a group of diverse health professions and consumers. Their role is to give independent advice on system-wide issues that affect patient care that is high-quality, affordable, and efficient.
The Senate will give advice and recommendations to the Health NZ Board on a range of topics, informed by:
- professional experience
- best practice
- available evidence.
The Senate achieves their goal by:
- working with Health NZ, the Board, clinical leaders and forums
- bringing together varied knowledge and perspectives from New Zealand’s health workforce
- establishing strong links with clinical colleagues and engaging the sector
- encouraging curiosity and forward-thinking
- championing innovation and new models of care
- promoting a culture of high performance
- centring considerations of needs-based care
- meeting up to 3 times per year or as required.
The Senate was established as part of the New Zealand Health Delivery Plan.
Our members
Senate membership represents a wide range of professions and areas of practice, including:
- hospitals
- primary care
- community care
- public health
- academia
- health care consumers.
Members are selected to represent urban, rural and remote regions of New Zealand. Roles that work with Māori, Pacific and other diverse communities will be prioritised.
We acknowledge some professions and areas of practice are underrepresented. We will continue to evolve the Senate to reflect the full breadth of clinical expertise across the motu.
A co-chair from each of the national clinical networks will also be part of the Senate membership.
| Name | Role | Region | District |
| Jonathan Christiansen | Senate Chair, Cardiologist | ||
| Alex Psirides | Intensivist and Co-Director, Wellington ICU | Central | Wellington, Kapiti and Hutt Valley |
| Alexander Stapleton | Urgent Care Specialist, GP | Te Manawa Taki | Taranaki |
| Alexandra Muthu | Clinical Director Occupational Health and Occupational and Environmental Medicine Specialist | Northern | Waitematā |
| Alison Eddy | CE, New Zealand College of Midwives | Te Waipounamu | Canterbury |
| Amanda Johnston | Dentist | Northern | Northland |
| Andrea Reilly | Clinical Nurse Specialist, Cancer Coordination and National Bowel Screening | Te Waipounamu | West Coast |
| Andrew Bowers | Acute Medical Physician, Clinical Director Medicine, Emergency Department and IT | Te Manawa Taki | Rotorua and Taupō (Lakes) |
| Anthony Valvoi | Sterile Sciences Department Manager | Te Manawa Taki | Taranaki |
| Brendan Marshall | Rural Generalist Obstetrician, CMO | Te Waipounamu | West Coast |
| Briar Bennett | Senior Renal Dietitian | Northern | Northland |
| Brock Dale | Chief Pharmacist | Te Manawa Taki | Tairawhiti |
| Brylee Thompson | Clinical Nurse Manager, Mid-North District Nursing Services | Northern | Northland |
| Calvin Davis | GP | Te Waipounamu | West Coast |
| Catherine D'Souza | SMO Palliative Medicine | Te Waipounamu | South Canterbury |
| Catherine McIntosh | Physiotherapist, Regional Manager and National Vocational Rehabilitation Portfolio Lead | Te Manawa Taki | Bay of Plenty |
| Charlene Tan-Smith | Dietitian, Consultant Manager | Te Waipounamu | Canterbury and West Coast |
| Claire Russell | Clinical Advisor, Thames Hospital ED | Te Manawa Taki | Waikato |
| Clare Randall | Pharmacist Prescriber, CE Arohanui Hospice | Central | Manawatū-Whanganui |
| Colleen Bowring | Nurse, National Clinical and Quality Manager | Northern | Auckland |
| Debbie Wilson | Nurse, Sustainability Practitioner/Consultant | Northern | Auckland |
| Dianne Marshal | Nurse, Clinical Effectiveness Manager, Quality and Patient Safety | Te Manawa Taki | Waikato |
| Ella Sargison | Consumer | Northern | Weymouth |
| Emma Griffiths | Pharmacist, Clinical Lead and Practice | Northern | Counties Manukau |
| Felicity Lallier | Paramedic | Central | Manawatū-Whanganui |
| Felicity Williamson Harpur | Medical Officer of Health and Public Health Medicine Specialist | Northern | Auckland |
| Fiona Bradley | General Manager, Community Pharmacist | Te Waipounamu | Canterbury |
| Fiona Millard | GP | Central | Wellington, Kapiti and Hutt Valley |
| Francessa Wilson | Clinical Director, Starship Radiology | Northern | Auckland |
| Grace Conway | Social Work Advanced Clinician, Safeguarding Adults from Abuse Coordinator | Northern | Waitematā |
| Grace Hurdley | GP | Central | Hawke's Bay |
| Heide Griesemann | Consult Liaison Psychiatrist, Clinical Head of Department Acute Specialist Services, Mental Health and Addiction Service | Northern | Northland |
| Helen Evans | Clinical Director Paediatric Medical Specialties, Paediatric Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist | Northern | Auckland |
| Iris Fontanilla | Clinical Lead Psychology, Consultant Health Psychologist | Northern | Auckland |
| Jackie Heapy | Nurse Occupational Health, GM Kaimahi Hauora | Te Manawa Taki | Taranaki |
| Jan Goddard | Chief Pharmacist, Operations Manager | Te Manawa Taki | Waikato |
| Jasmine McKay | Urgent Care Specialist Clinical Director, Primary Care | Te Waipounamu | Canterbury |
| John Conneely | Nurse, Quality Systems Manager, Mental Health and Addictions Group | Central | Hawke's Bay |
| John Hildreth | Clinical Nurse Manager | Te Manawa Taki | Rotorua and Taupō (Lakes) |
| Jonathan Chen | Intensive Care Manager, General and Acute Care Medicine Specialist | Te Manawa Taki | Bay of Plenty |
| Jordana Sweeney | Clinical Leader of Occupational Therapy | Te Manawa Taki | Tairawhiti |
| Karl Lyons | Deputy Dean (Clinical) Faculty of Dentistry, Dentist | Te Waipounamu | Southern |
| Kayla Luke | School-based Health Nurse, Senior Nurse Educator | Te Manawa Taki | Taranaki |
| Kirsten Birrell | Senior Medical Laboratory, Scientist | Central | Hawke's Bay |
| Leslie Gonsette | Internal Medicine Consultant, Head of Department | Te Manawa Taki | Bay of Plenty |
| Leslie Han Yan | Oral Health Therapist, Interpreter | Northern | Waitematā |
| Linda Hill | Director of Nursing, Nurse Maude | Te Waipounamu | Canterbury |
| Luana Penese | Director Nursing Primary, Community Aged Care | Central | Capita, Coast and Hutt Valley |
| Lucinda Whiteley | GP, Regional Clinical Director Primary and Community Care, Clinical Lead Health Pathways | Te Waipounamu | Canterbury |
| Margaret Roebeck | Consumer | Northern | Hokianga |
| Marianne Lill | General Surgeon | Central | Whanganui |
| Mark Peterson | GP | Central | Hawke's Bay |
| Mark Scott | Consumer | Central | Wellington |
| Matthew Marion | ED SMO, Head of Department | Te Manawa Taki | Tairawhiti |
| Megan Bryant | Consumer | Te Waipounamu | Kaiapoi |
| Mel Sutton | Nurse Practitioner Rural Primary Care | Te Waipounamu | Nelson Marlborough |
| Michael Connelly | Clinical Director — Emergency Medicine, Taranaki | Te Manawa Taki | Taranaki |
| Michal Noonan | Nurse Practitioner | Northern | Auckland |
| Morgan Edwards | Anaesthetist, President NZ Society of Anaesthetists | Northern | Waitematā |
| Natasha Rafter | Public Health Physician, Clinical Chief Advisor — Intelligence | Central | Wellington, Kapiti and Hutt Valley |
| Nick Gow | ID/General Medicine SMO | Northern | Waitematā |
| Nick Jones | Public Health Physician, Medical Officer of Health | Central | Hawke's Bay |
| Nicky McCarthy | Dietitian | Te Waipounamu | Southern |
| Pablo Richly | Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Consultant and Clinical Lead | Te Manawa Taki | Waikato |
| Paulien Fa'atafa | Consumer | Central | Wellington |
| Per Kempe | Obstetrician Gynaecologist, Clinical Lead | Central | Manawatū-Whanganui |
| Priya Shahi | Nurse Practitioner Mental Health | Northern | Counties Manukau |
| Rene Templeton | Physiotherapist, Chief Allied Health Scientific and Technical | Te Waipounamu | South Canterbury |
| Renee Noble | Nurse, Clinical Advisor and Lead | Te Waipounamu | Canterbury |
| Richard Cooper | Radiologist, HoD, Co-Chair Central Region Radiology Delivery Network | Central | Hawke's Bay |
| Rob Allan | Divisional Lead — Laboratory Services | Te Waipounamu | Canterbury |
| Rob Burrell | Anaesthesia, Clinical Lead, National Sustainability Team | Northern | Counties Manukau |
| Ruchith Gooneratne | General Paediatrician, Kidz First Hospital | Northern | Counties Manukau |
| Ruth Large | Chief Clinical Officer, Whakarongorau Aotearoa | Northern | Auckland |
| Sally Watson | Advanced Practitioner Physiotherapist — Orthopaedics | Central | Hawke's Bay |
| Shannon Leilua | Consumer | Northern | Birkdale |
| Stephanie Taylor | GP | Northern | Auckland |
| Stephen Crandall | Emergency Medicine Specialist, Taupo | Te Manawa Taki | Rotorua and Taupō (Lakes) |
| Steven York | Podiatrist, Principal Advisor — Hauora Maori Service | Northern | Northland |
| Stuart Cook | Extended Care Paramedic | Te Waipounamu | Canterbury |
| Stuart Dalziel | Paediatric Emergency Medicine Physician, Director of Emergency Medicine Research | Northern | Auckland |
| Susan Hewitt | Team Leader — Radiation Therapist | Central | Wellington, Kapiti and Hutt Valley |
| Suzanne Hamilton | Emergency Medicine Specialist | Te Waipounamu | Canterbury |
| Tamara Karu | Midwife | Central | Hawke's Bay |
| Tammy Pegg | Cardiologist | Te Waipounamu | Nelson-Marlborough |
| Toni Pritchard | Consumer | Eastern Bay of Plenty | |
| Vanessa Abbott | Nurse, Quality Coordinator | Central | Whanganui |
| Yoram Barak | Professor and Consultant Psychogeriatrician | Te Waipounamu | Southern |
| Yuki Aoyagi | Consultant and Clinical Director, Internal Medicine Department | Te Waipounamu | Southern |
New Zealand Clinical Senate meetings
The senate meets 3 times each year to discuss different topics and provides a report with recommendations to the Health NZ board after each meeting.
Topics are selected based on the following criteria.
- Is a recognised sector-wide issue.
- The issue impacts all disciplines and specialities.
- There is no relevant clinical network which could progress strategic discussions and the topic will not duplicate work already happening.
- The Senate can add value and effect change by discussing the issue.
- There is a perceived importance of the issue and a readiness and ability to engage with the system, clinicians and consumers.
Meeting schedule
| Date | Anticipated topics |
| 27 March 2026 | Transforming the acute patient journey: the right care in the right place at the right time. |
| 21 August 2026 | To be announced. |
| 6 November 2026 | To be announced. |
Past meetings
Information from past Senate meetings.
The first Senate meeting was held on Friday 10 October 2025 in Auckland.
Topic of the meeting
Unlocking our clinical potential: identifying and addressing barriers to efficient delivery of quality healthcare.
Summary of feedback
Summary of feedback will be published when available.
Meeting report
The meeting report will be published when available.
Contact us
Whether you are a member of the Senate or not, we want to hear your ideas about issues the Senate could engage with, or that:
- impact all disciplines and specialities
- there is not already an existing forum to address these issues
- you see opportunities for change
- there is a sense of importance and readiness to tackle this issue.
Email your ideas to us at HNZ-NZClinicalSenate@tewhatuora.govt.nz