Health and Disability Commissioner Morag McDowell The main role of the Health and Disability Commissioner is to ensure that rights of consumers are upheld. This includes making sure that complaints about health or disability service providers are taken care of fairly and efficiently. Morag McDowell, Health and Disability Commissioner, began her term in September 2020. Morag took up the role after serving nearly 13 years as a Coroner based in Auckland. She was formerly a Crown Prosecutor, Director of Proceedings for the Health and Disability Commissioner’s Office, and a Senior Legal Adviser at Crown Law. Since completing her Master of Laws degree, her legal practice has had a strong focus on healthcare law, and she has appeared in different courts and tribunals on a variety of health-related litigation. She has also lectured and published on a range of medico-legal issues. Morag is committed to promoting and protecting the rights of health and disability services consumers where the Code sets the benchmark for good practice, and opportunities for learning and quality improvement are embraced. She strongly values the importance of fair, timely, transparent, and culturally appropriate processes where people are engaged, and given the opportunity to be heard.

Tēnā koutou. Ko Mt Dandenong te maunga. Ko Port Phillip Bay te awa. Ko Qantas te waka. Ko Sonja Eriksen toku ingoa. No ahiti reiria ahau, engari kei Aotearoa toku ngakau! Sonja brings significant experience with an extensive background in nursing, research and lecturing across the health and disability sector both as lived experience partner; as a Research Fellow at the University of Otago School of Medicine and as consultant for multiple government agencies and NGOs, before moving to MSD a year ago as the Principal Disability Advisor. As part of this role, she leads a number of cross-government networks and services which work to increase accessibility for our disabled and tangata whaikaha Māori populations.

Minnie Baragwanath is a renowned access innovator in Aotearoa and globally. Her work and study in this space spans 25 years and has included many diverse roles. She is also a highly sought after independent author, coach and consultant. Minnie recently released her book about her life and work as a blind woman and social entrepreneur, ‘Blindingly Obvious’ into New Zealand and overseas. Not only is this a book about social change and accessibility in our world today, it also strives to be the most accessible book ever produced in Aotearoa. It is already available in a wide range of accessible formats but Minnie wants to expand this even further! In addition to her work as an independent consultant, coach and author through her consultancy Minnie B consulting, Minnie is currently the Chief Possibility Officer and Founder of the newly established Global Centre of Possibility . This organisation has a unique emphasis on “possibility leadership, design and innovation” as the key to future social transformation. The concept of “designing with” is absolutely fundamental to this approach. It is distinct from 'designing to' or 'designing for' which are the common defaults when approaching any type of design with the access community. The ‘possibility lens’ is unique to Aotearoa Over the last few years Minnie has been awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit, the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award, the Westpac Women of Influence Diversity award, the Zonta women’s award and was placed as a top 10 finalist for the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.

Erica is an Auckland-based general surgeon with a subspecialty practice in breast cancer who is now in non-clinical practice as the Chief Medical Officer for Southern Cross Healthcare, and also sits on the boards for Te Tāpui Atawhai Auckland City Mission and BBM Trust. Erica has also been a consultant and national auditor for the Breast Screening Programme, and involved in multiple breast specialist groups within Australasia and the UK. Erica was the founding Chair of the Advisory Board for InZone Girls, is a Fab 50 leader with Be Lab advocating for accessibility, and is a member of New Zealand Global Women.