Consumer Council members

Gerri has a lived experience of disability and has used a wheelchair since 2007. She currently works part-time at CCS Disability Action, after working 30 years in medical laboratories. She has also experienced the health system as a regular consumer of services over the last 40 years.

She has been a member of DPA (Disabled Person’s Assembly) since 2000, chairs the Waikato branch and is current national president.

Gerri is a member of the Waikato and National Enabling Good Lives Leadership Groups.  She is also a member of the co-design group for system transformation and is involved with a number of working  groups contributing to detailed prototype development.

She is committed to ensuring disabled people’s experiences and perspectives are valued and included in planning processes and system development.

Coming from Ngaruawahia, and now living and working in Hamilton, a passion for people and community has always been instilled in me.  From working down at the marae during hui or getting involved in community events, there was an importance placed on looking after our people.  My focus has now moved to working with rangatahi within the Waikato district and educating them about themselves and encouraging them to challenge their norms.

I am passionate about supporting those whose lives are affected by mental illness and addictions. My passion comes from lived experience as a service user and the difficulties associated with accepting and accessing treatment as well as a deep understanding of the challenges that families face when supporting a loved one.  As a result of this, my personal journey has led to over 15 years of experience working within the sector, dedicating my life to providing quality care for individuals and whanau within my community. I believe that reducing the stigma associated with mental illness is the key to increasing access and engagement with services and because of this, I recently made a submission to the Suicide Prevention Draft policy. 

I am a descendant of Ngāti Raukawa and belong to the hapū of Ngāti Huri and Ngāti Kapu; Pikitu is my marae. Living in Waihi and working within pare Hauraki, I have a comprehensive understanding of the limitations small towns experience when requiring services in their area. Geographical challenges, attitudes and funding are but a few of the difficulties our whānau face when seeking support. This was my motivation for being on the Consumer Council. I intend to use my personal and professional experience in the sector, to provide a voice for all those whose lives have been touched by mental illness and addictions, to convey the perspective small communities face in access to and delivery of services and to be proactive in supporting further development in this sector.

I am a doctor with broad experience in general practice, specialist in general surgery and specialist in public health medicine [administration].  My career has placed me in leadership roles within the armed services, rural and district health, and at regional and national levels.  I have been involved in quality health initiatives such as hospital accreditation, certification and more recently the development of a multi-disciplinary clinical school.  I was a member of the original Waikato District Health Board being elected by the south-east Waikato communities.

I have worked in the New Zealand health system for a long time.  I have a unique understanding of how the sector operates and the concerns of all who work within it, or need to access it, particularly those who are most vulnerable or who live some distance from Waikato Hospital as I do.

I bring a sincere passion for health and healthcare.

Ngaire Te Ahu, MBA is married and is a mother to seven and has five grandchildren. Ngaire’s formative career was spent working within the Corrections Department as an administrator and in a punitive role. For the past 12 years and currently, Ngaire is working in the public health sector providing policy development advice, community development support and project / event management roles. Working in the health sector has further fuelled her passion to support the development of positive health initiatives for rural communities, Maori, those who are vulnerable or marginalised and their whānau.

Ngaire also has 14 years’ knowledge and governance experience in education, Maori land / farm trusts, marae and the not-for-profit sectors and has held various executive roles within the governance committees she has served on.

Ngaire’s hope for the foreseeable future is to see communities working in partnership with the public health stakeholders to increase equitable health and wellbeing outcomes for not only those most at risk but for the wellbeing of all New Zealanders.

Living in the South Waikato, Josiah is very passionate about the health and wellbeing of the people in his community. A descendant of Cook Island Māori and affiliates to Ngati Ranginui, Josiah has lived experience in accessing health services for himself and his whānau.

Josiah is an experienced governance practitioner, having chosen to apply his professional, community and cultural skills and experience to a range of roles locally and regionally.

With a strong background in both leadership and community roles, Josiah hopes to bring a voice for the South Waikato community, Pacific peoples and male population in his role as a Consumer Council member.

He is the general manager of the Tokoroa Council of Social Services and he thrives on the incredible positive mahi that the organisation is involved in. He is very proud of TCOSS, the leadership team, its staff and all its supporters.

Josiah is a very proud father of six beautiful children, five daughters and one son; he is strongly supported by his wife and extended whānau. Josiah has spent time as a radio sports host and is an accomplished provincial sports coach in rugby, touch and basketball.

The DHB Waikato Consumer Council is an exciting opportunity for me to raise aspects of health on behalf of the disability community.  I have the following expertise: 

• I’m a Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Board Director
•  I’m influential on  the RNZFB’s Policy, Strategy Planning and Advocacy Network Steering Committees
• Master of Social Sciences (Hons.)
• I’m a strategic thinker, project manager, leader and strong advocate
• I value the importance of public engagement with our community

I worked 12 years as a policy analyst in the Office for Disability Issues.  I currently work for Hamilton City Council managing small projects with the local disability sector and chair the Access Advisory Committee. Proactive engagement with the local disability community is key to my council role. For many years I have had an interest in my wider community. My Masters in Social Science thesis was a sociological study of blind people and how they identify themselves.

 I have a wide range of life experience as a mother, an analyst, and as a strong advocate, researcher, manager and decision-maker and look forward to sharing my expertise with the health sector.

I am an ex-physiotherapist with chronic medical conditions and lived experiences across many hospital services on both sides of the coin. Primarily my lived experiences are with diabetes and rheumatology services as well as mental health and neonatal. I am passionate about improving health outcomes for all across the lifespan and I am looking forward to contributing and serving on the Consumer Council. The right to health and improving healthcare has been a prime driver for my return to study - I am now completing my final year of law school at the University of Waikato and I aim to use my knowledge and understanding to help further the health of everyone living in the Waikato.  

I am also a mother to 2 young children, a wife, and live rurally in Putaruru. The Waikato has been my home for the majority of my life, I love the people, the community and the life here.

Ko Taranaki te maunga
Ko Huatoki me Pungarere ngā awa
Ko Aotea me Kurahaupo ngā waka
Ko Te Atiawa me Taranaki ngā iwi
Ko Ngati Te Whiti me Ngati Haupoto ngā hapu
Ko Ana Tamehana (nee Keenan) toku ingoa

Tēnā koutou ngā hau e whā o te motu.

My name is Ana Tamehana. I was born in Taranaki but raised in Taumarunui where I currently reside. I am a mother of 3 young children and a secondary school teacher now working in the field of learning support within the Taumarunui Kāhui Ako. I have strong passion for education, te reo me ōna tikanga Māori, my marae, whānau and community.

My experiences as a maternal mental health service user, a mother of a child with ongoing health care needs, an educator working with a wide variety of people, agencies and services, as well as living rurally motivates my desire to be a voice for others who may not otherwise be heard. My experiences have guided me to find ways to help improve areas of our health system, in particular receiving adequate care and support for those living rurally, for tangata Māori, mothers needing pre and post-natal mental health support and whānau that have children with ongoing high health needs.

Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.

Nigel Chetty, MBA is a passionate community advocate who is committed to supporting and enabling better health and social outcomes for our communities, with a particular interest in rural, youth and mental health. Raised in Otorohanga he considers it a privilege to have close links and affiliations with the wider King Country region and the local Iwi. 

As a user of both rural and urban health services Nigel has a lived experience of our health system and is across the heath, social and cultural needs of both our rural and urban communities/whanau.

He is hopeful that through the Consumer Council he will be able to serve effectively as an advocate for all consumers and be in a position to use his skillsets and experiences, gained through both the corporate and public world, to assist the council and the DHB with addressing/identifying opportunities to tackle inequities within our health system and to navigate any uncertainties and changes relative to “the future of DHBs” and the potential impact on our communities.

With a background in management, operations, leadership, and governance (across multiple sectors) Nigel is committed to optimizing organisational performance, delivering exceptional consumer experiences/outcomes, the development and execution of relevant strategies, utilization of ethical business/governance practices and the sustainable and holistic management of resources.

Nigel has previously served as an elected member of the Otorohanga District Council Community Board and is a former Trustee of Waitomo Energy Services Customer Trust (Owners of The Lines Company LTD). Married to Razia, a registered nurse, he is currently employed as a regional manager of a specialist multinational retailer.