Our people

Our Chair - Dr Rachelle Love

MB ChB 2002 Auckland, FRACS 2017

Dr Rachelle Love is of Ngāpuhi and Te Arawa descent, and lives in Christchurch. Dr Love was appointed to Council in August 2020 and was elected Chair in February 2024.

An otolaryngology, head and neck surgeon, Dr Love is a member of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Māori Health Advisory Group. Dr Love is also an elected member of the National Board of RACS, the executive of the NZ branch of the Australasian Sleep Association, the Urutā National Māori Pandemic Group, and is a Trustee of the Hearing Research Foundation. She is a cultural advisor to the ORL Training Board.

Dr Love’s research interests are in Māori health, particularly cultural competency and cultural safety in surgical education, and in sleep surgery, where she is part of a multinational research group.

Dr Love is the Deputy Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Our Council members

Dr Marie Bismark

MBChB MPH MPsych MD FRANZCP FAFPHM (RACP)

Professor Marie Bismark was elected to Council in 2024.

She 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 addition 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.

Dr Stephen Child

MD 1986 Ottawa, FRCP(C) 1991, FRACP 1995

Dr Stephen Child is a Canadian-trained General Physician with an interest in Respiratory Medicine working in NZ since 1987. He is a consultant with the Department of General Medicine at Auckland DHB and continues a weekly private practice.

Stephen’s previous roles have included: Chair of the New Zealand Medical Association, DHB National Workforce Strategy Group member, the Minister of Health’s Medical Training Board member, Northern Clinical Training Network Board member, and Health Workforce New Zealand Clinical Advisor. Currently, he works part time as Chief Medical Officer for the Southern Cross Health Society and sits on the Clinical Governance group for Homecare Medical Ltd.

A recipient of the NZMA 2018 Fellowship award, Stephen continues to make an impact in the health sector. He is particularly committed to professionalism in medicine throughout his clinical, teaching and advocacy roles.

Dr Child is a member of Council's Audit and Risk Committee.

Dr Kenneth (Ken) Clark

MB ChB 1981 Otago, FRANZCOG 1989, FRACMA 2012

Dr Clark was appointed to Council in August 2020.

Dr Clark is vocationally registered in both Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Medical Administration. He is currently a practising gynaecologist in Palmerston North. Dr Clark is a past president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Dr Clark was Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of MidCentral DHB for 17 years and he chaired the national DHB CMO group for nine years until leaving his CMO role in 2019.

Dr Clark is the Chair of Council's Education Committee. He has been involved in many of Council initiatives over recent years around improving prevocational medical education.

Dr Ainsley Goodman

MB ChB 1994 Otago, FRNZCUC 2006, FRNZCGP 2017

Dr Goodman was first elected to Council in 2018 and was re-elected for a further three year term in 2021.

She graduated MBChB from the University of Otago in 1994 and completed fellowships in Urgent Care in 2006 and General Practice in 2017. Her career experience has been diverse, working in both primary and secondary care, in the military as a civilian doctor, in telehealth, and in New Zealand, Ireland and Australia.

Dr Goodman was elected to the Executive Committee of the Royal New Zealand College of Urgent Care from 2015 to 2018, and from 2020. She is Convenor of the College's Education Committee and serves on several working groups.

Dr Goodman was a member of Council’s Professional Conduct Committee from 2015 to 2018 until elected to Council. She is currently the Deputy Chair of Council’s Education Committee, member of Council's Health Committee, and is Council’s representative on the Australian Medical Council’s Progress Monitoring Subcommittee.

Dr Charles Hornabrook

MBChB Otago 1985, FRANZCP 1999

Dr Hornabrook was appointed to the Council in November 2019.

He graduated from Otago University in 1985, and completed his medical training in Wellington. He did majority of his training in psychiatry in Wellington and completed this whilst working in Newcastle, NSW becoming a Fellow of the Royal Australian and NZ College of Psychiatry (FRANZCP) in 1999. Dr Hornabrook returned to Wellington to a post in Consultation – Liaison Psychiatry after working as a consultant psychiatrist in an evolving neuropsychiatry service and then as clinical director in the Hunter Valley Mental Health service.

Dr Hornabrook has held a number of roles during his career, including Director of Psychiatry Registrar Training for the greater Wellington region, Deputy Director of Mental Health, and as a psychiatrist in the regional pain service.  He has also operated in private practice for over a decade. Currently he works predominantly in Consultation–Liaison Psychiatry within the Wellington Regional Hospital. He also works with ABI Rehabilitation assisting people recovering from traumatic brain injury and continues to have a part time private practice.  

Dr Hornabrook has always been interested in neuropsychiatry, professionalism, ethics and collaboration between specialist services when dealing with complex patient problems. 

Dr Hornabrook’s interests outside of work include entomology (beetles), family and travel.

Dr Hornabrook is a psychiatrist member of the Health Committee.

Dr David Ivory

PhD, MEd (Leadership), MEd, LLB, BA (Hons)

Dr Ivory was appointed to the Council in November 2022.

He is experienced in holding governance roles and is a commercial practitioner.

Dr Ivory has experience in a variety of governance roles within the education sector ranging from community centred education through to the tertiary level.

He is the current Chairperson of Haeata Community Campus (Otautahi) and a board member of the Southern Regional Health School.  He is currently an appointed Commissioner working alongside the Christchurch City Council and is an established member of the Kaunihera Manapou - Paramedic Council. 

Dr Ivory is also a Trustee of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, Rata Foundation, and Lottery Canterbury/Kaikōura Community Committee.

Dr Hinamaha Lutui

MB ChB 2010 Auckland, FRNZCGP 2017

Dr Hinamaha Lutui is of Tongan and European descent. Her mother's family hail from Lapaha, Tongatapu and her father’s family are from Glasgow and Hull. Lutui is her husband’s name and hails from Ha’apai.

Dr Lutui was appointed to Council in July 2023.

Dr Lutui is a GP and fellow of the RNZCGP and one of the founding members of a Pacific provider Southpoint Family Doctors in Manukau Auckland. She is also clinical teacher for trainee interns through the University of Auckland, a GPEP teacher for the RNZCGP, the Clinical Director at The Cause Collective, and is member on the Pacific Senate (Fatu Fono Ola) at Te Whatu Ora.

After completing a science degree at Otago, Dr Lutui was still a bit lost as to which career path to follow and went on to do further studies and gained a BCA at Victoria University, before deciding to attend medical school to become a GP. After graduating from Auckland University, she trained at Middemore Hospital, and had the opportunity to experience a CBA (Community Based Attachment) as a House Officer at Baderdrive Doctors Clinic in Mangere.  This experience cemented her career path into general practice. After completing PGY2, she went straight into GPEP training and fellowship. Dr Lutui says "I love General Practice and became a medical teacher to help others decide if this is a path they might want to follow". 

Dr Alexandra Muthu

MBChB Auckland 2000, FAFOEM (RACP) 2013, CMInstD

Dr Alexandra Muthu was elected to Council in 2024. She is an Occupational & Environmental Physician with a career long interest in worker health and wellbeing, sustainable work, and healthy workplaces.

Dr Muthu is Clinical Director OH&SS Waitemata and interim National Clinical Lead OH at Health NZ, and provides advisory and clinical services through Dynamic Health and Life Edit. She is a Doctors Health Advisory Service Trustee and Chair of the RACP Safety, Health & Wellbeing of Healthcare Workers Working Group. Her research interests include clinician and organisational wellbeing. 

Dr Muthu has had a diverse career in healthcare and industry including National Telehealth Service Clinical Director, Air New Zealand Physician, Mayo Clinic USA researcher, RACP Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM) Councillor, Aotearoa NZ AFOEM Chair, Faculty Education Committee, Masters paper co-ordinator and NZ Dust Diseases Taskforce co-Chair.

Kim Ngārimu

BBS

Ms Ngārimu is a former senior public servant, having held positions as Deputy Secretary Policy, Te Puni Kōkiri, Acting Chief Executive of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Acting Director of the Waitangi Tribunal.  Since 2014 she has been Director of her own public policy consulting business, and holds a wide range of governance roles, including Chair of Hauora Tairāwhiti, Deputy Chair of Te Pūkenga, is on the boards of Northtec Ltd, EIT Ltd, Heritage New Zealand, the Māori Heritage Council and Te Māngai Pāhō, and is a member of the Waitangi Tribunal.

She is of Ngāti Porou descent, and lives in Gisborne.

Professor Ron Paterson

LLB(Hons) 1979 Auckland, BCL 1981 Oxford, FRACP (Hon) 2014

Prof Ron Paterson grew up in South Auckland, of Scottish and Ngāti Raukawa descent. Ron is a health law and ethics expert, with a diverse career as a law professor at Auckland University, Deputy Director-General of Safety and Regulation, Health and Disability Commissioner, Parliamentary Ombudsman, and Visiting Fellow at Melbourne University (teaching Patient Safety & the Law). He is a board member of the Health Quality & Safety Commission and former director of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians board and chair of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme.

Ron has led several major inquiries and reviews in New Zealand and Australia, in patient safety and quality, medical regulation, veterans’ support, maternity care, aged care, mental health and the regulation of lawyers. He is the author of The Good Doctor: What Patients Want (2012).

In his spare time, Ron enjoys off-road running, tramping and helping on a farm near Lake Waikaremoana.

Mr Simon Watt

LL.B (Hons), B.A. (VUW), LL.M (London)

Simon Watt was appointed to the Council in November 2022.

He is currently a consultant at the law firm Bell Gully, where he was previously a partner from 2000-2021, leading the health, public sector and climate change practices.

Simon has been a legal adviser to Pharmac since 1997, as well as to District Health Boards, the Ministry of Health and more recently Te Whatu Ora. He also led New Zealand’s Covid-19 vaccine contract negotiations.

Simon’s governance experience includes ten years as a Trustee of the PHO Tu Ora Compass Health and as a director of its practice ownership and GP services subsidiary, Latitude Health Limited. Those roles have helped him better understand the operating environment for doctors, its challenges, and dynamics, and to recognise the significant equity issues in the health sector.

Simon has been a Trustee of the Asia New Zealand Foundation for nine years, and a board member of Bell Gully for five years.  He was also the firm’s Deputy Chair and Chair of the Wellington office.  He is a member of the Institute of Directors.

Simon is the Deputy Chair of Council and a member of Council's Health Committee.

Our Manukura (Chief Executive) - Ms Joan Simeon

Joan was appointed Manukura | Chief Executive in 2017, having spent the previous 14 years in various senior executive roles at Council.

Joan holds a Master’s in Public Management and a post-graduate qualification in Dispute Resolution. Joan is the Chair of the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA).

Joan has a strong interest in using medical regulatory levers, alongside influence to improve professionalism, ensure competence and ultimately public safety. Joan is an advocate for equity in healthcare and sees the regulator as having a key role in achieving this.

You can follow Joan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-simeon-b026214a/

Our Pouroki (Registrar) - Mr David Dunbar

LLB, B.Com

David Dunbar is the Council’s Pouroki (Registrar) and is a qualified lawyer. In June 2016 he was elected as Wellington Branch President of the New Zealand Law Society 

Before joining the Medical Council, David was the Registrar at the Dental Council of New Zealand. David was heavily involved with the development and implementation of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 in his role as a senior analyst with the Ministry of Health. Prior to this, David was an Adviser on Regulatory Services with the Business Improvement Group at Wellington City Council and before that worked for 12 years as Senior Parliamentary Officer with activities including legislative drafting. 

David is the author of "Health Practitioners (Reissue 1)": A title in the Laws of New Zealand series (LexisNexis)