NCSP Advisory and Action Rōpū members
Chairs
Tira Albert (Nō Te Whānau-A-Apanui, Ngāti Rahiri Tumutumu me Te Waipounamu o Aotearoa). Is the Kaiwhakahaere for Mana Wāhine collective, she has extensive experience in Māori health promotion, working towards equity in Breast and Cervical screening programmes and providing Māori specific cancer support services. She is a member of groups including the Māori Monitoring and Equity Group, NCSP Media Campaign & Resources Advisory Group, and Hei Āhuru Mōwai – Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa and a Board member of Takiri Mai Te Ata – Whānau Ora Collective ki te Ūpoko o te Ika and Cancer Society Wellington division. She has both a personal and professional commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which is clearly reflected in her work.
Jane O’Hallahan is the Clinical Director of the National Screening Unit and is Co-Chair of the Rōpū.
Members
Dr Bev Lawton (Ngāti Porou) is a Professor and Director of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine (National Centre for Women’s Health Research Aotearoa), a principal investigator for several HPV self-testing trials including a completed trial showing the acceptability of HPV self-testing for wāhine Māori and an implementation trial funded by the New Zealand Health Research Council and Ministry of Health. She is a member of the He Hono Wahine (RANZCOG Māori Committee), worked as a general practitioner in Wellington and co-founded the Wellington Menopause Clinic. She was previously a member of the National Kaitiaki Group (NKG) for the National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP). She was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2004, for services to women’s health, a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practice and received the RANZCOG Māori Women’s Health Award.
Carmen Rewi-de Joux (Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu, Waitaha, and Ngāti Kahungunu) is a Clinical Nurse Specialist for Women's Health with Te Whatu Ora (Southern), with extensive experience as a Registered Nurse in a variety of primary health care organisations. She is an active member of Te Runanga ō Aotearoa. She also contracts independently at a mobile women's health clinic, Te Waka Wahine Hauora.
Elizabeth Pringle Dip MLS; CTIAC; CTASC is the Scientist Unit Manager Clinical Support Directorate, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Anatomic Pathology Service Auckland Te Whatu Ora. She represents laboratories from the New Zealand Institute of Medical Laboratory Science and has 45 years of experience working in cytology laboratories in Wellington, Melbourne, and Auckland. While she participates in all areas of diagnostic cytology her area of expertise is cervical screening, having a passion for the discipline and women’s health.
Dr Emily Cavana is a first-generation New Zealander with predominantly Irish and Scottish heritage. She is a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) with special interests in adolescent, LGBTQIA+ and women’s health, she is a medical educator for RNZCGP and a clinician at Vibe Youth Service. She has been a cervical screening sample taker since the early 2000’s and has been involved in Cervical Screening Advisory and Working Groups since 2014.
Linda Moir is the Te Whatu Ora (Southern) Population Health Unit/Charge Nurse Manager for a number of services including: the NCSP, National Immunisation Register, Sexual Health, Population Health Administration Team, and Sexual Abuse Assessment and Treatment Service. Linda is a cervical screening sample taker, has extensive experience in nursing and hospital management and has an in-depth understanding and working knowledge of the Cervical Screening Clinical guidelines, polices and register functions.
Nerida Matangi-Griffiths (Te Atiawa) is the Speciality Clinical Nurse/Regional Coordinator for Te Whatu Ora (Waikato). She is a member of the NCSP Primary HPV Kaimanaaki Group and BreastScreen Aotearoa ICT Replacement Advisory Group. She has worked in various nursing roles in primary health care including a cervical screening sample taker since 1993. Previous to her current role she was Team Lead Breast and Cervical Screening Support Services for Te Puna Hauora Matua o Hauraki (Hauraki PHO).
Dr Ruth Swarbrick BSc (Hons) MBBS MFFP MRCOG FRANZCOG is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist working at Te Whatu Ora (Lakes). In addition to having completed specialist training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ruth also completed subspecialty training in Sexual and Reproductive Health and has over 25 years of experience in cervical screening and colposcopy. Ruth is also a member of Te Kahui o Nuku, the NZ committee of the Royal Australian and NZ College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Sandra Corbett Te Arawa, Ngāti Pikiao descent, and is currently the Kaiwhakahaere for Population Screening at Te Whatu Ora Te Matau a Māui (Hawke’s Bay). She has worked as a nurse smear taker for Hawke’s Bay NCSP Programme since 1995 and in her current role since 1999. She serves on a number of national health advisory groups including the National Kaitiaki Group representative from Te Ropu Wahine Maori Toko i te Ora – Māori Womens Welfare League, and the NCSP Advisory and Action group. She is also is co-chair of NZNO Te Matau a Māui Regional Council, and Te Runanga Representative on the NZNO governance committee. Sandra’s involvement in these rōpū provides opportunities for regular communication and offers a consultative forum and mandate to develop and progress priorities for Māori.
Tiffany Soloa'i (Ngāti Hauā, Tainui, Faleatiu, Samoa) is a practice Support Nurse with the National Hauora Coalition, across the Metro Auckland and Whanganui areas, with a particular focus on immunisations and cervical screening. She has extensive experience in primary health care, specifically in practice nursing and is also a member of various working and governance groups within the cervical screening and immunisation sector. She has a strong background in primary health in particular practice nursing; having both Māori and Samoan whakapapa she has a particular interest in Māori and Pacific health and improving health outcomes and equity for these whānau.
Dr Tua Taueetia-Su'a (Samoa) NZRN, PhD in Public Policy is a Senior Research Fellow Waipapa Taumata Rau (University of Auckland). She is a Pacific health advocate and current chair of the NCSP Pacific Campaign & Resources Advisory Group. She has extensive experience as a registered nurse, lecturer, management roles, and established the first Pacific Health Unit at Hutt Hospital in the 1990s. Tua is a member of the National Bowel Screening Programme Pacific National Network and Campaign Advisory Group.
Dr Wendy Burgess (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga) BHB, MBChB, FRANZCOG is an Obstetrician Gynaecologist at Waitematā Health and senior lecturer at Waipapa Taumata Rau (University of Auckland). She works as a public hospital colposcopist. Her passions include research, medical education, health communication, equity, improving health outcomes for Māori, responsiveness to Māori in healthcare and research and support of by Māori-for Māori. Wendy is a Trustee on the Mercia Barnes Trust, the co-chair of Te Aukume o Hine Te Iwaiwa (Health of Māori Māmā and Pēpi research network), and an Equity Advisor for the Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality Group.
Yvonne Little of the New Zealand College of Primary Health Care Nurses (NZCPHN), is a Nurse Practitioner in the Primary Health Care Sector in Hawke’s Bay (Te Matau-a-Maui). She has nearly four decades of experience in nursing in Australia and New Zealand. Yvonne is the editor the NZCPHN and is a member of the NZCPHN Executive Committee.
Her passion for improving women’s health saw her take on the college representation with the NCSP Advisory Group in 2017, which lead to being part of the NCSP COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Advisory Group and now the NCSP Advisory and Action Rōpū.