Leadership

Buzz completed general physician training in the United Kingdom before coming to New Zealand as a respiratory research fellow and lecturer for the University of Otago.

The opportunity of rural hospital medicine and primary care was too irresistible, as was the South Island’s West Coast, occasionally the Chatham Islands, and then remote rural hospital and general practice in Western Australia followed.

Unexpected achievements include Lecturer of the Year in Dunedin 1993, and runner-up New Zealander of the Year in 1997.

In 2012, Buzz established a semi-rural general practice in Renwick, near Blenheim, and was the doctor for the chronic pain service in Nelson.

He is currently a pain specialist in Auckland, and regional coordinator and senior lecturer for the University of Otago Rural Medical Immersion Programme.

He is a very slow ocean swimmer and a Harley rider – (hopefully not at the same time).

After the liquidation of the NZMA, the serious need for an advocacy group for doctors working in General Practice was created. With a fantastic and dedicated team, General Practitioners Aotearoa has been established.

Jocelyn is a GP partner at Nelson East Family Medical Centre in Nelson, and the clinical director of Community Mental Health Te Whatu Ora Nelson Marlborough. She is also a Primex senior examiner and GPEP1 teacher.

She has previous experience as a member of the NZMA Board the GP Council, as well as a member of the Clinical Governance Committee for the Nelson Bays PHO.

Marcia is a fellow of the GP College and current sessional GP in Auckland, and previous practice owner. Marcia has held multiple positions within GP leadership organisations including previous executive member of NZRDA, past board member of the New Zealand Medical Association and current board member of the Auckland Faculty for the RNZCGP.

Larissa holds the Treasurer position as a non-GP member of the board. She is a Chartered Accountant and a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner in both New Zealand and the Cook Islands. She holds a Certificate of Public Practice and is also an elected Councillor for Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Co-Chair of the Women in Restructuring and Insolvency Group of New Zealand, and a member of the Restructuring, Insolvency and Turnaround Association of New Zealand (RITANZ).

Anna graduated from the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. After obtaining her medical degree, she moved to Canada. She graduated from the Family Medicine Program at the University of Calgary and practiced as a family physician in Canada for nearly 16 years. In that time she also worked as clinical faculty, mentor, and teacher, and was was involved in community-based organisations advocating for patients and physicians. 

Anna has called Aotearoa her home since October 2022. She enjoys working in rural and suburban general practices providing full spectrum care in the Bay of Plenty area. Activism is in her blood, and since learning about newly-established GPA, she joined the group of passionate, like-minded colleagues hoping to advocate for general practice in Aotearoa. 

Alastair has broad clinical experience across New Zealand, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and maritime settings in Europe. He recently returned from a non-clinical stint in the UK and is currently a GP at Central Wellington Medical Practice, while also consulting for MBIE/INZ. He has been involved in non-clinical work in the health tech and AI sectors and is currently developing projects focused on health optimisation through emerging technologies.

Alastair’s previous governance roles include Chair of the Doctors in Training Council of the NZMA, board member of the NZMA and RNZCGP Trainee Chapter Executive Member. He also served as Treasurer of Women in Global Health (California) and is currently on the Research Strategy Board of Coeliac UK.

Hai Sue is a Kowi (Korean Kiwi) mum, pianist, and GP registrar. She works at a kaupapa Māori clinic in Christchurch. She trained as a medical registrar, initially drawn to infectious diseases and geriatrics. Her long-term passion for global health led her to projects in rural India, The Gambia, and Tanzania, where she saw quality primary care uplift communities. This and a chance encounter with Dr Camara Jones – a family medicine physician and a thought leader on effects of racism and social inequalities on health – convinced her to begin GPEP training in 2021.

She has worked in advocacy and project management with NZMSA, IFMSA, Global Poverty Project, and So They Can Tanzania. With P3 Foundation, a youth NGO for international development, Hai Sue helped raise $120k for community development projects, ran campaigns, workshops, and conferences across Aotearoa with a team of 80 volunteers, later overseeing the executive team as a Board member.

Hai Sue is excited to join the GPA Board of dedicated leaders empowering fellow general practitioners to imagine and deliver our own brand of general practice in Aotearoa.