Veterans' Health Advisory Panel members

The Panel is made up of a maximum of nine members. The legislation requires that one is an ex officio medical practitioner nominated by Chief of New Zealand Defence Force, one is an ex officio appointed by Veterans’ Affairs, and one is a Veterans’ Advisory Board ex officio appointee.

Ms Cathy O'Malley, Chair

• General Manager Strategy, Primary and Community of the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board
• Group Manager, Regional System Integration Te Waipounamu, Health NZ
• Deputy-Director General Sector Capability and Implementation in the Ministry of Health, 2012 to mid-2016
• management roles in the health sector including CEO of Compass Health and other Primary Health Organisations, from 1993
• 10 years working for YMCA and as a management consultant
• past governance roles on Capital and Coast District Health Board; Wellington Free Ambulance, Primary IT, and MATPRO as a board director
• leadership programmes completed including Leading High Performing Health Organisations at Harvard Business School, 2012; Global Health Leadership Forum at the University of California Berkley's School of Public Health, 2015
• Bachelor of Physical Education at Otago, 1979, followed by studying health systems in UK, USA and Europe.

Dr Ian Civil, Deputy Chair

• internationally recognised trauma surgeon; certified specialist in vascular surgery; clinical lead of the Major Trauma National Clinical Network
• previous senior medical positions including Director of Surgery on the Auckland District Health Board; Senior Lecturer in Trauma and Military Surgery at University of Auckland
• a veteran of Desert Storm, commanding officer of First NZ Army Medical Team
• extensive research into war surgery.

Dr Marie Bismark, Member

• qualifications as public health physician and health lawyer
• research experience as Associate Professor for the Centre for Health Policy, University of Melbourne
• fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, with governance skills developed over 10 years as a company director
• previous service on Ministerial Advisory Panel on Veterans’ Health, ACC, and Dispute Resolution Services.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Duncan, Chief of Defence Force ex-officio nominee

• military Medical Officer (general practitioner) for over 25 years in both the British and New Zealand Armies
• experience in developing health policy, allocating resources, and planning and delivering health training and education
• operational deployments in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, the Middle East and Cyprus
• sound understanding of the medical issues affecting military personnel and the impact of these issues on leaving the Forces.

Professor Te Kani Kingi, Member

• internationally recognised academic and researcher, of Ngāti Awa and Ngāti Pukeko iwi, with specialist expertise in Māori health, psychometrics, and mental health research
• Executive Director Research and Innovation at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi
• 20 years working in senior leadership roles at Massey University, including 6 as Director of the Academy for Māori Research and Scholarship
• current Māori lead on NZs largest and most comprehensive research programme, "Growing up in New Zealand", a 21-year longitudinal study of New Zealand children
• extensive board experience, including as current Chair of Ngā Kanohi Kitea Committee (HRC), and the Te Pou Matakana Whanau Ora Grant Committee, and member of Statistics New Zealand’s Māori Advisory Board, the HRC International Indigenous Research Committee, Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga International Research Advisory Panel, the White Paper on NZ Children expert panel, and the Glen Inquiry on Domestic Violence and Child Abuse.

Dr Michael O’Reilly, Veterans’ Affairs ex-officio appointee

• Military medical doctor with thirty years service in the NZDF, twenty in the Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps, including as  the Principal Medical officer and a Strategy Advisor/Projects Officer within the Defence Health Directorate.
• Currently employed as the Medical Advisor in Veterans Affairs New Zealand.
• Previous roles in primary care, hospital medicine and health leadership.
• A veteran who has deployed to Timor Leste, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mr Daniel Patrick, Member

• Director, New Zealand’s Biological Heritage National Science Challenge I Nga Koiora Tuku Iho
• Executive Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga at New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence hosted by Auckland University
• extensive leadership and research experience, including in data analytics and management
• previous Research Programme Manager for the Social Statistics Research Group, co-founder of the Centre of Methods and Policy Applications in Social Sciences at Auckland University, founder and manager of the New Zealand Social Statistics Network
• developed and established New Zealand’s Social Science Data Service
• Master’s in Health Sciences with Honours.