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Consumer Council

Te Whatu Ora - Waitematā works hard to provide the best possible patient experience to the many people who use our services.

Our Consumer Council was set-up to assist us in our ongoing drive for excellence – helping us focus on a patient and whānau-centred approach to everything that we do.

The Consumer Council provides a strong and viable voice for the community and consumers, working in partnership with the DHB on healthcare planning, quality improvements and service delivery.

Consumer Council members have varied backgrounds and areas of interest within the community including women's health, men’s health, child health, older persons health, disabilities, chronic conditions, mental health and addictions, LGBTI, Māori health, Pacific peoples’ health and Asian health.

Meeting 6 weekly, members are appointed for a fixed term (normally two years with the potential for reappointment up to a maximum of three terms).

Consumer Council Terms of Reference

The Te Whatu Ora - Waitematā Consumer Council works collaboratively with the Chief Executive, and Board to develop effective partnerships in the design, planning and delivery of high quality, safe and accessible health care services for the Waitematā community.

Read full terms of reference here

 Learn more about our Consumer Council members below

Lorelle George

Lorelle George

(Consumer Council Chair)

Lorelle George is an inaugural member of the Consumer Council who has lived on the North Shore for over 30 years. Lorelle holds a Bachelor of Social Science and a Post Graduate Certificate in Public Health. She has a broad interest in health promotion and community engagement, particularly as a Consumer Representative on North Shore Hospital projects. She is also a member of Age Concern Auckland’s Health Promotion Regional Advisory group and the Harbour Hospice Clinical Governance Group. Prior to her recent retirement, she was Health Promotion Manager at Comprehensive Care. She also served as a Health Voice Coordinator, Board Member and Chair for Health Link North as well as being a member of the Board of the North Shore Women’s Centre and Yes Disability.

Neli Alo

Neli Alo

Neli Alo is an inaugural member of the Consumer Council. He was born and raised in West Auckland. A graduate of University of Auckland, he also lived in Samoa where he graduated from Malua Theological College. Neli is a strong advocate for Pacific Health and is currently employed by Vaka Tautua, a national “by Pacific for Pacific” health and social service provider. Having served as a Youth Worker for many years, he is a National ambassador for the A-OK Suicide Prevention Programme. He enjoys supporting his three children while also serving as a co-founder of Legacy - a company that uses performing arts as a mechanism to raise mental health and suicide prevention awareness.

Insik Kim

Insik Kim

Insik Kim is an inaugural member of the Consumer Council. An Engineering Graduate from Seoul National University, he also served as a non-commissioned medical officer in Korea. He moved to New Zealand in 1994 and gained extensive experience working in community healthcare. Since becoming a Bowel Cancer survivor in 2006, Insik advocates for communities and NGOs and served as Community Engagement Coordinator for Waitematā DHB’s Bowel screening pilot program. A grandad of seven grandchildren, he also volunteers for the Citizen Advice Bureau and serves as a Consumer Representative for Waitakere Healthlink while pursuing his interests in photography, travel, writing and music.

Jeremiah Ramos

Jeremiah Ramos

Jeremiah “Ian” Ramos is an inaugural member of the Consumer Council. Ian was father to a medically-fragile child who passed away in December 2018. As a way to keep his son’s legacy alive, Ian immerses himself in the community as a health care supporter to the elderly, people with disabilities and to medically-fragile children. He spent five years accessing the services of Waitematā DHB and established a wealth of experience in health care services. He has strong connections with the Filipino community in the Waitematā area. Prior to working as a property broker, operating after-school care centres and operating a café, Ian was a creative professional who worked in the print and television graphics industries.

Ravi Reddy

Ravi Reddy

Dr Ravi Reddy is an inaugural member of the Consumer Council. He comes from Fiji but now calls West Auckland home. Ravi has worked for government and Crown agencies both here and overseas. He now works as a lecturer in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland where he specialises in the areas of community health outcomes, access to health services as well as health promotion. Apart from his academic pursuits, Ravi has a keen interest in sports - especially rugby league.

Kaeti Rigarlsford

Kaeti Rigarlsford

Kaeti Rigarlsford is an inaugural member of the Consumer Council. Her passion for equality, equity and inclusion is driven by her experience of having had to rely on a wheelchair since she was 24-years-old. She has been working in the disability sector for more than 45 years, advocating for people with disabilities to be seen and treated as equal contributing members of society; promoting equal access to health care, employment and accommodation; and as promoting wellbeing - particularly for the elderly. Kaeti lives a healthy and active lifestyle and could well be the oldest female playing wheelchair basketball.

Vivien Verheijen

Vivien Verheijen

Dr Vivien Wei Verheijen is an inaugural member of the Consumer Council. Having migrated from China in 2002, she served at Shakti Women’s Refuge and Asian community services in the mental health sector and then worked as a Senior Diversity and Engagement Advisor at the Office of Ethnic Communities in the Department of Internal Affairs. Those roles supported her passion for women empowerment, community development and championing diversity and inclusion. Vivien is qualified in project management and strategic planning and has obtained a Masters in Social Policy from Massey University and a PhD in Public Policy from AUT. She currently works as a Senior Community Advisor at Waste Solutions, Auckland Council.

Samuel Cho

Samuel Cho

Samuel has always been passionate about supporting people and the community. With counselling and public health background, he has built working relationships with the broader community and key stakeholders in healthcare and social support services. He has been working for over two decades promoting health messages and supporting the community to develop their capacity and resilience, fostering inter-sectoral collaborative opportunities, advocating for inclusive and accessible service provision in public health.

Samuel has broad experience of participating in a range of governance and advisory roles at NGOs and government agencies. He leads a health promotion team at The Asian Network Inc and has been serving as an executive member for over a decade at Waitakere Health Link working in partnership with Waitematā DHB to bring the voice of the Waitakere community. 

Outside of work, he enjoys tramping with his wife and looks forward to the control of kauri dieback disease, so people can walk along the whole Waitakere range tracks again.

Janet Fitzgerald

Janet Fitzgerald

Janet Fitzgerald has lived in the Rodney area all her life, growing up in Orewa and now lives in Little Manly. Janet has served the Community on both the Rodney District Council having roles of Chair of the Hibiscus Coast Area Committee on Rodney District Council and Deputy Chair of the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board. Janet was Welfare Officer for the Silverdale and Districts Returned Services Association for 10 years. Over the years, Janet has been involved in many local organisations advocating for youth to the older people in our community. Janet chaired the Penlink Now Team lobbying local and central government for funding and construction of O Mahurangi Penlink and attended the sod turning to finally see the start of construction. Janet is a real people person who enjoys communicating with her community with drive and passion to achieve a successful outcome.

Dan McCool

Dan McCool

Te Whānau o Waipareira

Born and raised in Te Awakairangi in the Wellington region where I studied at Victoria University Business School and spent time in a range of roles within central government, kaupapa Māori NGO and mainstream charity; I now reside in Tāmaki Makaurau with my partner, and our four tamariki.

My experience and role at Te Whānau o Waipareira Trust enables me to identify and support outcomes for our Waitematā whānau Māori, so within the Consumer Council context I can highlight and advocate for the voices of our community to ensure they are reflected in decision-making. I see this as an opportunity to challenge perspectives on behalf of our whānau to ensure strategy and outcomes are aligned to realities.

I am excited to engage with the Te Whatu Ora Consumer Council from the whānau ora lens, and ensure our community voice is heard, understood and reflected in the kōrero and desired outcomes.

Boyd Broughton

Boyd Broughton

Hailing from Te Tai Tokerau, Tainui, and Te Tai Rawhiti. Raised in Whirinaki, in the Hokianga.

Currently on secondment to lead the Northern Region Iwi Māori Partnership Board as GM. Current Director of Health for Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua.

Previously GM for Te Hā Oranga, the health and social services arm of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua. Two decades of experience in public health, and in 2022 seconded into the Ministry of Health / Te Whatu Ora as part of the Equity Team during the Covid-19 response. 

A recent graduate for the Atlantic Fellowship for Social Equity with a Master’s in Social Change (Equity).

Privileged to know that each fight for equity today is one less fight our mokopuna must have tomorrow. Most importantly he is a father of five and a stepfather of three beautiful reo Māori speaking tamariki and young adults.