Stewart Smith

Interim National President

I grew up in Christchurch where I met my wife. We have two daughters who are both at high school now, and keeping us very busy. I am a Medical Laboratory Scientist working in Canterbury at the Hospital Laboratory. My specialty is Immunology and I find the challenge stimulating even though it is more than 20 years since I qualified. I enjoy the challenges of the job and am strongly motivated to ensure that medical laboratory workers in diagnostic laboratories are valued for our work and that Medical Laboratory Science has a bright future in NZ.

Dr Kevin Ellyett

National Vice President

Dr Deborah Powell

National Secretary

Deborah holds the overall management responsibility for the office with a particular interest in Collective Employment Negotiations and Personal Grievances. She represents health practitioners in claim situations with both employers and individuals. She holds a BSc from Victoria University and a Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery from University of Auckland.

Pam Aitken

National Treasurer

My name is Pam Aitken. I am married with 2 kids. I trained at Unitec back when the course campus was in Point Chevalier in Auckland. I was in the class of 2000, and graduated in November 2002. At that time, we had to remain as students throughout the summer holidays until the MRTB received all our paperwork from Unitec, and then we got back-paid since it was clear we passed and were qualified. I worked all of one midnight shift before being asked to join the theatre roster, which consisted on evening shifts and oncall afterward for DCCM/ICU new admissions, and the odd acute theatre case. I worked in this environment for approximately 2 years before I was offered a training position in CT. It was around this time that I was seconded into helping out as a delegate for ADHB. I had no idea what a steep learning curve I was about to participate in! I have been through the worst of times (strike action and 2nd wave vs 1st wave – finally a MECA) and I have been part of the good times, which has seen true progression of our terms and conditions. I have experienced positive collaboration through our workstreams and MRTAC and our union delegate training conference days held biannually. I trained in angiography in 2007 and became dual-modality trained – I was super flexible! In amongst all this my partner and I had our 2 kids, and after another 7 years and some stabs at post-grad training I was offered the role of temporary Clinical Specialist for Emergency Radiology (I was looking to secure less evenings and less oncall). This fitted in perfectly with my need to regain my life/work balance – I had a young family! My current role is to provide support and teaching – mostly for our students, but for qualified staff also. We went DR at the end of 2015 and I had to ensure all staff were trained/orientated to the new equipment. We also got a Cone Beam OPG machine for which I have created protocols and training checklists to ensure staff feel comfortable and confident. Like most ED departments, we are at the mercy of the public: patients present to ED and get triaged, nurse specialists request x-rays, and we have to ensure justification for each and every examination requested — no easy feat. Doctors/nurses don’t/can’t wait for private x-rays to be sent, asking for joint above and below the actual injury! You name it, we experience it, and challenge it EVERY DAY! I pride myself on trying to instil a level of confidence in our young MRTs – yet my underlying message is communication and collaboration. We MRTs know our side of the frustrations, but I cannot imagine what the doctors go through!

Brenda Szabo

President, Dietitians

Roger Neilson

President, Biomedical Engineers

Hi, I’m Roger, and I’m a Biomedical Engineer at Waikato Hospital. I became a union delegate because I pushed the change to move to APEX and wanted to become more involved with the union. We’re a reasonably new group for APEX, having joined in 2016, and I’m looking forward to getting involved in bargaining and supporting my coworkers.

Shelley Myers

President, Audiologists

Mark Ashburner

President, Medical Physicists

Christopher Mitchell

President, Anaesthetic Techs

Hi, I’m Chris, President of the AT division of APEX. I live in Tauranga with my wife and two awesome boys. I trained as an Operating Department Practitioner in the UK before moving to NZ in 2002 to work as an Anaesthetic Tech.

Rajeev Kumar

President, Clinical Physiologists

Janelle Frith

President, CSSD

Deborah Hynes

President, Dental Therapists

I am a Dental Therapist employed by the Auckland Regional Dental Service. I am based in West Auckland. Here the facilities that we practice in include Hub Clinics, Diagnostic Vans, and Transportable Dental Units. I have been a member of APEX for many years, and a delegate for six years.

Bryan Raill

President, Medical Laboratory Workers

Hi I’m Bryan Raill, somewhat of a fixture on the National Executive (since 1994). I was born in the place where cheese and rugby were invented – Taranaki. I was a little bit of a later starter as a MLS, becoming a trainee at age 30 after varied working experiences: fisherman, barman/wine steward, dishwasher, pie-maker, scrub-cutter, and construction worker in the Think Big projects. I’m now in my 26th year in our profession, employed at CMDHB as a section head in Biochemistry. The pace of technical change and advance, as well as a great team, keeps the job interesting and challenging – and enjoyable. My work-life balance is enhanced by living free of the motorway and being able to go home for lunch in Auckland. Family, a teenage son, reading and a recent obsession with the history of my ancestors are some vices. My role on the Executive in maintaining, protecting and advancing our conditions is immensely rewarding – the quality and potential of the new MLS graduates and MLTs including phlebotomists that are attracted to our laboratories flows directly from all of the challenges and sheer hard work in bargaining.

Sheena Hewitt

President, MRTs

Sheena qualified as an MRT in 1985 from the Christchurch School of Radiography. She then worked for two years at Kaitaia before moving to Hawkes Bay where she has worked for the HBDHB ever since. She is the DSA/Cardiac Cath Lab Team Leader and divides her time between there and general. Sheena has been an APEX delegate since 1998.

Donna Rae Sheehan

President, Occupational Therapists

Nathan Ibbott

President, Perfusionists

Virginia Smith

President, Pharmacists

Hi, I’m Gini Smith. I’m a pharmacist at Tauranga Hospital in the Bay of Plenty. I’ve been a pharmacist for 20-odd years now, having trained in the UK specialising in oncology and haematology. I’ve previously work in the Auckland DHB as clinical team leader for oncology and haematology. Since moving to Tauranga, I’ve worked in a variety of areas, but most recently in clinical trials.

Nikki Laker

President, Physiotherapists

Hi, I’m Nikki. I have been the physiotherapy president since the formation of the division within APEX. I live in Hamilton and work as a physiotherapist at Waikato Hospital on the paediatric wards. I work part time Wednesday to Fridays and enjoy the rest of my time as a Mum to my awesome son.

Rajan Gupta

President, Psychologists

Rajan Gupta works as Clinical Lead Programmes/Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Auckland Regional Forensic Psychiatry Service, Mason Clinic, Waitemata DHB. He has practised as a clinical psychologist (and psychotherapist) over a number of years, across private, non-governmental organizations, and public mental health systems. He holds a subspecialty interest and expertise in working therapeutically with clients with character pathology dynamics and clients with sexual offending behaviours, including those who have high/complex needs and/or intellectual disability. In addition to his work as a Clinical Psychologist, he is an approved psychotherapy supervisor (Psychotherapists Board of Aotearoa New Zealand – PBANZ) – with a Master’s of Health Science degree in Psychotherapy (Adult). He maintains ongoing professional membership of the New Zealand Psychological Society, and its Institute of Criminal Justice and Forensic Psychology, and is immediate past Chair of the Institute of Criminal Justice and Forensic Psychology (2013–2015).

Tania Ferguson

President, Radiation Therapists

I’ve been President of the RT Division of APEX since 2007. I qualified as an RT in 1991 at Palmerston North Hospital before working overseas as an RT from 1993 to 2005 in The Netherlands, UK, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. I have been back in New Zealand since 2005, currently working as a Specialist RT in Planning at Auckland DHB. The role of the APEX executive is largely one of governance, whereby we need to be aware of members’ concerns, workplace trends, and issues affecting members. The primary point of contact is the elected APEX Delegates at each DHB.

Dr Andrew Laurie

President, Scientific Officers

Vanessa Galloway

President, Sonographers

I have been a qualified sonographer for 17 years at both Auckland DHB and now at Counties Manukau. I became an APEX delegate in the early 2000s, and have been on the National Executive for the last four years. I’m actively involved in sonographer bargaining within the Auckland region; we’ve experienced some good results with bargaining for sonographers, including improvements to weekend rates and CME provisions.

Heather Campbell

President, Social Workers

I've lived in Whangarei for the past 25 years. Originally from Upper Hutt, I trained as an upholsterer and worked in this trade on and off for nearly 30 years. With a strong sense of what is right and fair, I retrained as a social worker where I initially worked in the community and now work on the medical wards at the Whangarei Hospital.  The chaos of work is offset by living out of town on a small three acre property.

Denise Tairua

Advocate

Denise has worked in various laboratories in Auckland, including Medlab, DML, Middlemore Hospital and Lab+, and has also worked in Quality Assurance for an Auckland Cosmetic company. As a past long-time New Zealand Medical Laboratory Workers’ Union (NZMLWU) member, strike co-ordinator and NZMLWU delegate, she brings a broad knowledge of operations and industry-specific issues, including Health & Safety and Quality, to her role as advocate.

David Munro

Advocate

David has thirty years’ experience working in employment relations. That experience began at Shortland Freezing Works where David was a shop-floor delegate, and progressed to senior positions with the Distribution Union and then the Engineers Union. For the last decade he has consulted to a wide range of clients in the public and private sector, and from both sides of the employment table. David specialises in complex bargaining and holds a First Class Honours degree in political science from Auckland University. In his spare time David is active in his local community on school Boards of Trustees and in the Karekare Surf Lifesaving Club. With only one daughter still living at home David and his wife Susan are now also enjoying being grand-parents for the first time.

Luke Coxon

Advocate

Luke has more than 15 years’ experience as a union advocate, starting as a delegate in the hotel sector and then working as an organiser /advocate for three different unions representing employees in a number of different sectors (paramedics, finance, oil refinery, retail, food transport and logistics). He has specialised in greenfields union organising – the establishment of union organisation and membership in sites/companies where no union existed. He also has experience in the international trade union movement, working with the Centre for Trade Union and Human Rights and as a consultant for the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF). He has Master’s degree in Development Studies from Auckland University and before working for CNS he took a break from the union movement and was a volunteer with humanitarian / development organisations in the Philippines.

Melissa Dobbyn

Advocate

Melissa has been in a part time role with CNS since 2006. She currently handles RDA member issues and doctors’ run reviews. We attribute Melissa’s excellent organisational and communication skills to her previous work in the fashion industry, and to her two gorgeous daughters.

Samantha Mcleod

Administration

Sam joined the team in late 2010 in a part time role. She currently handles accounts and insurance administration. Sam previously worked as a Treasurer for Plunket since leaving full time work as an Accountant to have 2 lovely boys. Sam is also the secretary for the NZRDA Education Trust.

Jono Whyte

Associate Advocate

Jono joined us full-time in 2018 having completed an LLB and BA (Hons) in History at the University of Auckland. Jono has a strong interest in employment law, especially in drafting and bargaining for collective agreements, and is passionate about advancing workers’ interests and expanding democracy in the workplace. In his current role, he offers support to our advocates and responds to member inquiries.

Abbey Trewavas

Associate Advocate

Abbey joined us full time in 2018 after completing a conjoint LLB/BA majoring in politics and history from the University of Waikato. Whilst at university, Abbey was heavily involved in a number of competitions as the Competitions Officer of the Law Student Association, namely negotiation and client interviewing. Abbey has a strong interest in employment law and after 7 years in retail, is passionate about ensuring employees are treated with fairness and respect. In her current role, she offers support to advocates and responds to member inquiries.

Deepana Ponnampalam

Associate Advocate

Deepana is an experienced pharmacist, She worked as a pharmacist in both community and hospital settings prior to joining our team in 2018. In her current role she is responsible for run reviews and providing support to advocates. Coming from a health background, Deepana has a thorough understanding of the struggles faced by health professionals in the workplace, and she is passionate about being part of an organisation that stands up for employee rights in the health sector.

Omar Hamed

Advocate

Omar joined us in 2016. He has a Masters in History from Auckland University and an LLB from AUT. His post-graduate research looked at how workers and communities stopped the privatisation of New Zealand’s public health system in the 1990s. He has six years’ experience as a union official representing call centre, fast food, cinema and hotel workers.

Bill Manning

Legal Counsel

Bill Manning is a barrister based in Auckland. He has had more than 20 years experience in civil litigation. He has worked with Deborah and the RDA on employment and industrial matters since the early 90s. For the last few months or so he has been a member of our medico-legal team representing RMOs and other health professionals facing investigation or disciplinary processes. When not working for us, he seems to spend an inordinate amount of time swimming, cycling and running; none of which can be terribly healthy.

Alex Sclater

Associate Advocate

Alex Joined us in October 2019 at the end of her LLB degree, specialising in legal subjects that promote human rights, from Auckland University of Technology. Alex was previously working at the Glen Innes Citizens Advice Bureau and has a strong interest in advocating for individual’s whose rights are being unjustly breached. Alex looks forward to being part of a team that advocates for employees’ rights, so that she may contribute to a more equal Aotearoa.