A GP and partner at a medical centre in Whangaparaoa, Dr Marcia Walker is a member of the NZMA GP Council and Board. She is of Ngati Porou and Whakatōhea descent, and has a special interest in appearance medicine, women's health, and paediatrics. Marcia has held a variety of leadership positions, and approaches governance through a Tikanga Māori lens.

NZMA’s Deputy Chair and GP Council Chair, Dr Vanessa Weenink is also a partner in a moderate size GP practice in Christchurch. Vanessa has been on local clinical reference groups for the Pegasus PHO and part of the Clinical Governance group for HomeCare Medical (National TeleHealth Service) since 2015.

Dr Jocy Wood is a Nelson GP and practice owner, and an NZMA Board and GP Council Member. She graduated from Cambridge University, and spent her clinical formative years at the Royal London Medical School UK. From there she travelled and worked in the UK and Australia before coming to New Zealand, where she joined the Wellington regional GP programme. Jocy values the power of collaborative working and putting the individual and whānau at the centre of health care, and better health for all New Zealanders. She is passionate about leading the medical profession through excellence in clinical governance, and has experience as the Clinical Director, Community Mental Health at Nelson Marlborough and as an examiner for the Royal New Zealand College of GPs, as well as extensive experience across NZMA’s Board and GP Council.

Director / Financial Adviser – Investments CFP, GDipBus(Personal Financial Planning) Sue has worked in the financial planning industry since 2001. She completed the Graduate Diploma in Business Studies (Personal Financial Planning) in 2002 and qualified as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) in 2005. With a husband and daughter in the medical profession Sue understands the time pressures faced by health practitioners. With so much focus on their “day job” health professionals do not always have the capacity to maximise their own financial affairs. Sue’s first-hand experience allows understanding of the need to have a clear and cogent investment strategy to ensure that hard earned income is put to good purpose. It is natural to want financial security for your future years, but also essential to enjoy life on the way (and in Sue’s case this means following her children around the world!). The investment strategy that Sue will design for you will provide clarity of what is needed to accumulate sufficient wealth to be in a position to “retire your shingle” when you choose (through discipline and logic to your savings regime) and enjoy the standard of living you desire through what could be a 25-30 year retirement period. Sue and MFAS offer their clients a very personable and personal service. Sue takes special delight in developing the long term relationships that is such a rewarding part of successful financial planning.

Financial Adviser – Risk Insurance BBS, GDipBus(Personal Financial Planning) Director, Graduate, Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend, and Financial Adviser, Lynda is our in house risk expert, and happy to assist you, your family and your business with a well-structured and highly personalised risk plan. Retirement planning and a structured approach to wealth accumulation is so important, yet inherent in this planning is the assumption that you will enjoy good health, and therefore maintain and increase your earning capacity. As health professionals you are all too aware of the sudden calamities and illness that can beset us all. Insurances protect you against financial loss if along life’s journey you have health battles, become temporarily or totally disabled along the way; or worse still, pass away prematurely. Lynda’s expertise in financial services began in 2006 when she realised that she enjoyed the challenge of self-employment and had a head for figures. She has always enjoyed meeting new people and giving them positive experiences, and entry into the financial services profession gave her the perfect opportunity to combine these skills and interests. Equipped with a Diploma in Financial Planning from Massey University, Lynda gained experience working for Sentinel and UDC before starting her own insurance brokerage in 2009 and becoming a Financial Adviser. Since 2015 Lynda has been helping MFAS to provide specialised insurance advice to health professionals. Lynda’s focus from the first meeting is to find out about you, your hopes and dreams, your challenges and your fears, and then to set in place a protection plan that helps you mitigate the risks that are of most concern to you. It is clear that life is far from black and white when you are battling a terminal illness or unable to work for a prolonged period of time; and this is when Lynda’s help and advice is invaluable for you, as she helps you navigate the claims process. Our business philosophy is simple – have a protection plan that is robust to protect your ability to continue as a practitioner or will deliver the right amount of money, to the right people, at the right time if you can’t. Ensuring we set your risk plan up correctly at the outset ensures we deliver the results at claim time. A big part of our job is to revisit your plan regularly with you and adjust as you build and grow, and this often means decreasing levels of insurance when your assets have been built to cover – which can then lead to substantial premium savings. Walking our beaches and countryside, bashing a squash ball, and enjoying wine and food with family and friends are a few of Lynda’s favourite past times … and hopefully all help to provide some level of self-insurance!