Leadership

Kevin has an extensive background in Local Government spanning over 30 years with the Whanganui District Council. Initially employed as a Regional Planner he progressed through the organisation, ultimately serving as the Chief Executive for 7 years, before retiring at the end of 2015. In his various roles within the Council, he has had considerable experience dealing with most sectors of the community and in later years has focussed on developing genuine and committed partnerships with local Iwi. Kevin currently chairs the Tararua District Council Audit and Risk Committee.

He is also a member of the Whanganui Bushy Park Sanctuary Board and was a member of the 2017 World Masters Games Company that recently brought 25,000 athletes to Auckland, participating in some 24 sports.

While he represented New Zealand in Badminton a number of years ago, Kevin’s son Christopher represented New Zealand in Cycling at the London Paralympics.

John completed his undergraduate medical training at the University of Auckland and subsequently completed orthopaedic training as part of the New Zealand Orthopaedic Training Programme in orthopaedic surgery completing the formal Fellowship in 1992. After time spent in overseas Fellowships in the United States and Great Britain, returned to join the consultant staff at Christchurch Hospital in 1994. He remains active in both private and public practice both in Christchurch and on the West Coast.

John has interests in lower limb orthopaedics including joint replacements and revision surgery of the hip, knee and ankle, deformity correction, post-traumatic reconstruction and leg lengthening, and paediatric orthopaedics.

Kate has a real-world perspective on the services needed by New Zealanders living with limb loss. At the age of 5, Kate had her leg amputated due to fibulae hemimelia and has not let the loss of her leg define or limit her. She has gone on to be a dual Paralympian in athletics and cycling, winning Silver in the 200m at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games and has her sights on para cycling at the 2020 Paralympic Games which would be her fourth Paralympic Games. Kate is also a proud mum to 3 boys and a grandma to a beautiful granddaughter.

Kate has a wonderful appreciation for the importance of activity for people living with a disability. In her role with ParaFed Wellington, she developed and implemented activity initiatives that have empowered many people leading to improved self-esteem and general wellbeing. Notably, at ParaFed Wellington, Kate and the team have developed an amazing youth activity program that supports 100 families which will have life-long social and health benefits for those involved.

Kate brings valuable experiences on what is required to deliver a patient-centred service and the role that technology can play in removing the barriers to participation. She looks forward to supporting her fellow amputees to achieve their full potential.

Stuart is an experienced Chartered Accountant with extensive governance experience. Throughout his professional accountancy career, he has held Partner and Chief Executive roles throughout the Lakes district.

He has also held numerous Board and Trustee positions with many trusts and private companies while also Chief Executive of the Rotorua Trust. These companies and trusts range from Medical and Health Board positions, philanthropy, fisheries, and foodstuffs.

Stuart brings a strong and diverse expertise in audit and risk management and a new financial lens to the Peke Waihanga Board, guiding our financial practices along with our CEO and CFO.

Dawn-Louise is a Rehabilitation Medicine Physician with a special interest in spinal cord injury and amputee care. She is an associate fellow of Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators and Lead Fellow Māori Health for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. She also has other key committee and leadership roles within national and local trauma rehabilitation and Māori Health within Te Whatu Ora. She is actively involved in rehabilitation research.

She is a passionate Māori doctor (Ngati Whatua – Ngā Ruahine) keen to improve the health of her own whānau and the communities she serves. She brings a wealth of disability lived experience knowledge from within her own whānau as well as frontline day to day clinical experience of the challenges faced by many who require rehabilitation services.

Patrick O’Doherty is one of the foremost leaders of major digital transformations across Australia and New Zealand with additional experience in senior global operational roles.

He led the overall design of the highly successful Business Transformation of the New Zealand Inland Revenue Department (IRD) and has a proven track record of delivery in highly complex mission critical and very public facing environments.

Patrick is recognised as a thought leader across Australia and New Zealand when it comes to how to utilise technology to drive digital transformation at an enterprise scale. Drawing on this experience, he has frequently advised other Government agencies globally, including those of the UK, Netherlands, and Finland, on how to drive real and sustainable business change through the innovative use of technology.

Sean Gray is a successful leader with a passion for life and helping others. He has held various senior positions in different industries, including CEO of Peke Waihanga/Artificial Limb Service and Managing Director of the Peer Support Service and Orthotic Service. Sean also has experience in governance, including serving as Board and National Council Chair of Scouts Aotearoa and President of The Rocks Chamber of Commerce, Sydney.

Sean has a strong background in health, medical devices and services to vulnerable patient groups, with a particular focus on innovation and disruptive technologies in this field. For example, Sean has chaired several sessions at the Australian Orthotics & Prosthetic Association (AOPA) Congress, as well as presented and published scientific research in the area of medical devices, prosthetic and orthotic service delivery, health consumer user satisfaction, and improving patient outcomes through technology adoption.

Sean holds several qualifications, including a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Applied Science. His success is based on bringing people together to achieve a common purpose.

See more information on Sean here.

Jeremy joined our National Office team in May 2016.

Jeremy is a Chartered Accountant with a Business Advisory background through KPMG. Since leaving KPMG, Jeremy has spent the major part of his career working in the private sector, which has given him a strong commercial background. Jeremy has a passion for working alongside organisations as a trusted business partner.

As Chief Financial Officer, Jeremy provides financial, analytical, governance and operational guidance to Peke Waihanga to ensure scarce resources are utilised in the most effective manner and to provide the foundations for a world class patient-centred service delivery across New Zealand.

See more information about Jeremy here.

Sarah has a background in recruitment & generalist HR in the health sector, having extensive experience recruiting health professionals internationally and providing generalist HR support in not-for-profit organisations.

She joined Peke Waihanga in 2019 as a Recruitment and Projects Advisor and then became a Human Resources Advisor in 2021. Over this time, she supported and led Peke Waihanga’s recruitment, onboarding and HR processes through a time of significant growth.

In 2023 Sarah became Human Resources and Communications Manager, with a broader purpose of leading the HR and Communications function within Peke Waihanga. She enjoys her role focusing on creating a positive work environment, attracting and retaining talented employees, ensuring our leaders are well supported and peer support is a respected and well-used element of our service. Sarah appreciates the challenges and rewards of working in an organisation that is continually changing and evolving, and supporting our kaimahi through this journey.

See more information about Sarah here.

Stephanie has a nursing background spending most of her career in health management and leadership roles with experience in both service delivery and development including co-design.

Having joined the organisation in October 2018 she is excited to be working in such a dynamic environment with highly skilled staff who are all focused on ensuring the best possible outcomes for patients.

See more information about Stephanie here.

Kate Livesey is a leader who is passionate about enabling people to reach improved outcomes meaningful to them.

With over 30 years of experience in the health and disability sector, Kate Livesey is a seasoned professional who has developed expertise in both clinical and leadership roles. Holding a Master’s in Health Science, she began her career as an Occupational Therapist specialising in rehabilitation before transitioning into leadership roles.

Kate has focused on implementing innovative services and models of care which improve outcomes for individuals and communities.

Her passion for advancing healthcare also led her to academia, where she worked as a Research Fellow. In this capacity, she gained experience managing national research evaluations which informed improved service delivery change.

With a focus on people, Kate is committed to driving change, improving service delivery, fostering collaboration across teams and strengthening workforce development. She combines a deep clinical background with a forward-thinking approach to address the evolving needs of the health and disability sector. Kate thoroughly enjoys working as part of the Peke Waihanga team and being part of an organisation focused on making a difference.

See more information about Kate here.

Penny joined the Peke Waihanga team as the central regional manager in April 2023. Penny has an extensive healthcare career, commencing as a registered nurse. Over the last 10 years, she worked in many private and public sector organisations to lead and deliver projects to improve service design and delivery. She is analytical and has an ability to swiftly understand complex problems, identify core issues and instil confidence to bring about practical solutions.

Penny loves the diversity of the Peke Waihanga whānau. Penny likes that staff and patients come from all walks of life, often from different countries and cultures. All of these come together to generate positive health-enriching outcomes – She says, ‘it’s pretty special’.

See more information about Penny here.

Matthias Blattner is a German-trained Orthopaedietechnik Meister, certified Orthotist and Prosthetist with more than 15 years of experience in manufacturing and fitting artificial limbs.

Matthias has worked for various companies in Germany, first as a Technician and then as a Clinical Orthotist and Prosthetist. He joined Peke Waihanga as a Clinical Prosthetist and was appointed as Southern Regional Manager in August 2016.

Matthias wants to make a significant contribution to Peke Waihanga.

He has an absolute commitment to the best possible care for our patients and a passionate interest in improving the service.

See more information about Matthias here.