Dr Renee Liang 梁文蔚 MNZM FRACP is a poet, playwright and essayist of Cantonese heritage. A practising paediatrician, she is Asian Theme Lead on Growing Up In NZ and conducts research into youth health using creative methods at the University of Auckland. As senior NZ artist, Renee explores the migrant experience; she wrote, produced and nationally toured eight plays; makes operas, musicals and community arts programmes; her poems, essays and short stories are studied from primary to tertiary level. The Bone Feeder, a play adapted into opera (AAF 2017), was one of the first Asian mainstage works in NZ and one of the opening works at the Waterfront Theatre.

Lucy is a general practitioner/rata hauora, mentor and writer. She has written a column for New Zealand Doctor, Rata Aotearoa since 2017 and is finishing a book a called Doctor,Patient Story. She has recently released a set of audiostories written during the pandemic. You can listen to 'Waiting for Covid' here. https://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/article/news/waiting-covid-podcast-lucy-ohagan More information available on her website lucyohagan.com Lucy works as a GP for a kauapa Māori provider in Porirua and teaches GP trainees. This includes mentoring GP registrars who need extra support including the Whakatipu roopu who are international graduates who registered in New Zealand via the NZREX pathway.

Professor Marie Bismark is a psychiatrist, public health physician, health lawyer, and company director. She divides her time between the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia. In additon to her clinical work, Marie leads a research team at the University of Melbourne, focusing on the interface between patient safety and clinician wellbeing. She serves as a Director of several health sector organisations including the Royal Women’s Hospital and Summerset aged care. Her research has influenced regulatory policy in Australia and internationally. Marie completed a Harkness Fellowship at Harvard has been named as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence.

Kathryn Ryan has been a journalist for 30 years . She spent six years in the Parliamentary press gallery for Radio New Zealand, the last three as RNZ's political editor. She hosts RNZ's mid-morning current affairs and feature interview programme, 'Nine to Noon'.

David was previously the Chief Executive of the Canterbury and West Coast District Health Boards – responsible for the health services for over 600,000 New Zealanders, and the leadership of over 12,000 direct employees and over 9,000 NGO health sector workers contracted by the DHB. David was previously the Chief Executive of the Canterbury and West Coast District Health Boards – responsible for the health services for over 600,000 New Zealanders, and the leadership of over 12,000 direct employees and over 9,000 NGO health sector workers contracted by the DHB. He is a big picture thinker and has particular skills in system thinking and design, leading, enabling and delivering large scale system transformation including data driven workflow design, digital, platforms and human centred designed facilities. People are at the heart of any system and David has inspired, motivated and mobilised people to be part of the transformation. David has overseen the creation of what has been internationally recognised as one of the most integrated health systems. David has led the Canterbury Health system response to NZ’s largest disasters including earthquakes, fires and terror attacks. The success of the response to these disasters has been underpinned by the fully integrated Canterbury health system. In 2011 David was awarded the highest standing award by the NZ Medical Association for exemplary leadership for the devastating earthquakes in Canterbury. In 2014 David was made a member of the NZ Order of Merit for services to health. Originally from Canterbury, David has worked in both the private and public sectors, in NZ and the UK. He brings a wealth of experience as to the requirements of leadership and governance that are essential to support sustainable system transformation. Recently David worked as a Specialist Healthcare System Advisor for Lightfoot Solutions UK Ltd and is a senior associate with the Kings Fund. He is currently leading Rowing New Zealand through to the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Lara is a specialist anaesthetist who has been drawn into clinical information management and the associated skill sets to make patients and clinicians lives better. She cut her teeth in the Northern Region where she engaged in multiple regional and national projects including electronic orders, regional repositories for results and documents, and patient administration systems. She is now still working as an anaesthetist and as the Chief Clinical Informatics Officer in Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora in the Data and Digital area alongside people with wonderful skills. She heads a team of 60ish people all of whom come with equal skill and determination to continuously improve our working lives through technology.

Karl Cole's career spans 29 years in the medical field, enriched by a fellowship with the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. His tenure as a General Practitioner in Papatoetoe, South Auckland, and co-ownership of a multidisciplinary Health Hub, His recognition, includes awards such as the Health Informatics Leadership from HINZ and the ProCare Clinical Leadership Award in 2021, speaks volumes about his strategic mindset and contributions to the field. He notably was one of the first in a role of Chief Clinical Informatic Officer in Aotearoa in 2018. With extensive service in the New Zealand Defence Force, including deployments with the UN and as a medical officer to the New Zealand Special Forces, he embodies strategic leadership and adaptability. As a respected figure, Dr. Cole has roles on various clinical advisory boards, advocating for strategic ICT-enabled healthcare solutions that prioritize patient-centric, efficient care. His expertise in systemic thinking and strategy is poised to offer invaluable insights into navigating complex healthcare landscapes and driving impactful change.

Originally from the UK, Orna has been working as a GP in Auckland with a particular focus on women’s health and contraception, since 2011. She has held a variety of leadership roles including Clinical Director of East Health PHO and has been the Clinical Director of Primary Care Women’s Health at Auckland District Health Board since January 2019. She is an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Auckland and is on the Board of the newly formed New Zealand College of Sexual and Reproductive Health. She is firmly of the belief that collaboration, teamwork, kindness and a sense of humour can solve most problems and is currently trying to apply this philosophy to the issues of women’s access to contraception and abortion services in Aotearoa.