Office Bearers

Professor Ngaire Kerse MNZM
President

Ngaire is a well-established researcher with 350+ publications and 50+ research grants. She is recognised as an international expert in falls prevention, bi-cultural ageing, primary health care, and currently leads several research teams, each engaged in a number of research projects: -Te Puawaitanga o Ngā Tapuwae Kia Ora Tonu, Life and Living in advanced Age: a Cohort Study in New Zealand (LiLACS NZ) has produced over 80 outputs with a focus on equity, health service use, health and well being in advanced age, and led to several intersecting projects led by colleagues including; Kaumatuatanga (Prof Merryn Gott), Managing Health (A/P Janine Wiles), Whaioranga te Pā Harakeke – Iwi-driven injury prevention and recovery for Māori (Dr Joanna Hikaka), The SUPER trial (Dr Ruth Teh). - Falls and older people: studies of falls in older people after stroke, in residential care and in a large sample of primary care patients have led to collaborative teams aiming to prevent falls through intervention development and testing. The latest, Staying Upright in Residential Care will report in 2023 (Dr Lynne Taylor)

Dr Rosemary Gibson
Vice President

Rosie has a background in psychology and clinical sleep practice. She is a senior lecturer at Massey University, Manawatu, where she is affiliated with the Health and Ageing Research Team and the Sleep/Wake Research Centre. Her research focuses on sleep across the lifespan with a particular focus on understanding experiences of sleep with ageing, dementia and caregiving; factors affecting sleep; and non-pharmacological approaches to supporting sleep health. 

Orquidea Nallely Gabriela Tamayo Mortera RDRTh
Secretary

Orquidea is a Registered Diversional and Recreational Therapist. She is a well established therapeutic recreation specialist, a national and international presenter, currently engaged in supporting several organisations across New Zealand and other countries in the use of therapeutic recreation to enrich senior citizens wellbeing, optimize health and enhance quality of life. She is currently completing a project in the use of Diversional and Recreational Therapy to change the culture of care. 

Peter Matcham
Treasurer

Pete’s main area of interest is in the application of systems methodology to analyse complex ‘soft’ systems dominated by the weltanschauungen of actors. 

He has used this approach to develop monitoring systems to inform evidence based policy interventions for Ministry of Health and EECA, to develop organisational reviews, and inter agency knowledge systems.  As a result of his work at NZHIS and for the Governments of Nuie and Tuvalu, Pete developed a keen interest in public health as an effective and economically efficient approach to maximising health outcomes.  A past Vice-president of New Zealand Grey Power, Pete is particularly interested in research to inform advocacy and policy in areas where the well-being of older people predominates.

Pete’s current focus, apart from going for walks with his dogs, is in gaining inclusion in Government financial analysis for the national economic contribution of older people through voluntary and unpaid work.

Executive Committee

Katrina Bryant
Co-opted Member

Ms Bryant has been a practicing physiotherapist since 1995. She has been teaching at the University of Otago School of Physiotherapy since 2006, supporting the university's Māori Strategic Framework, Kaupapa Māori Research and is currently the Associate Dean Māori. She is also employed by Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, conducting Kaupapa Māori research addressing equity for aging Māori accessing ACC rehabilitative and preventative services, specifically community based strength and balance exercise and wellness classes for pakeke and kaumātua Māori. She has a special interest for integrating indigenous movement practices into rehabilitation and falls prevention community exercise classes.

Shanika Koreshi
Student Representative

Shanika has a background in organizational psychology and serves as a lecturer at Massey University, Manawatu. She is affiliated with the Health and Ageing Research Team and is currently in the final year of her PhD program. Her research is dedicated to the topic of maximizing workforce participation among older adults, specifically focusing on the reconciliation of paid work and caregiving responsibilities. Shanika's work explores the intricate dynamics between employment and caregiving, with a goal to better understand how these aspects intersect and impact the decision-making processes related to employment and retirement.

Rubina Bogati
Student Representative

Rubina is a Professional Teaching Fellow and a PhD Candidate at the University of Auckland. She is work, income, and retirement theme lead at the Centre for Co-Created Ageing Research. She is a Registered Nurse with experience in gerontology nursing. She is interested in the well-being of older people and people from minority ethnic groups. Her PhD research is on later life work decisions of older Asian people in New Zealand.

Dr Judy Blakey MNZM
Older Person Representative

Judy has a background in education, research, and community health organisations. She contributes with health consumer perspectives to diverse forums, has served on Precision Driven Health’s Independent Advisory Group (2016-23), and is a director of Comprehensive Care PHO. A member of Health Informatics NZ and the Digital Health Association, Judy provides age-friendly perspectives on Counties Manukau’s Brain Health in Older People Advisory Group.

Collaborative community leadership on Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland Council’s Seniors Advisory Panel (2014-19) secured Council support to engage with older people and community stakeholders to develop an Age-friendly Action Plan for the city. In March 2022 Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland joined the WHO’s global network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities. Appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to seniors in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List, NZAG acknowledged Judy’s contributions by making her a life member. Judy is also a life member of the Mairangi Arts Centre, having chaired their Board of Trustees 2016-20.

Dr Jo Hikaka (Ngāruahine)
Executive Member

Jo is a pharmacist and health researcher based at Waipapa Tauamata Rau - University of Auckland. She worked as a pharmacist at Waitematā DHB for almost two decades where she held pharmacy leadership positions in older adult medicine. Jo completed her PhD on quality use of medicines in Māori older adults and developing a culturally safe service model for community-dwelling Māori older adults. Her current research focuses on equitable access to medicines for Māori, iwi-driven injury prevention and rehabilitation for older Māori, and Māori experiences and expectations of kaumātua care.

Regional Hub Representatives

Kay Shannon
Auckland/Northland Regional Hub Representative

Kay Shannon is a nurse by training and a senior lecturer in the School of Nursing at Auckland University of Technology. In her research work she focusses on older people's health and wellbeing, and innovation in Aged Residential Care service delivery. Kay teaches older adult health and wellbeing to undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students, and leads the older adult health and wellness postgraduate pathway. She supervises postgraduate research students investigating topics relevant to older adult wellbeing. 

Dr Agnes (Agi) Szabo
Lower North Island Regional Hub Representative

Agnes is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Health at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, currently completing a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship awarded by Te Apārangi – The Royal Society of New Zealand for research titled: ‘Growing old in an adopted land: Cross-fertilizing ageing and acculturation research’.

Her research focuses on intersecting areas of health, ageing and immigration. Agnes integrates life course approaches and acculturation theory with critical gerontology and she is interested in the social and cultural determinants of health and wellbeing.

Dr Lara Vlietstra
Otago/Southland Regional Hub Representative

Dr. Vlietstra is a lecturer (Physical Activity and Health), School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin. She has currently graduated with her PhD and besides her ongoing research projects and her teaching, she is currently the co-director for CARE, Council member for the Australian and New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty Research (ANZSSFR) and an Associate Editor for the Australasian Journal on Ageing.

Susan Gee
Upper South Island Regional Representative

Susan is the lead researcher of the Psychiatry of Older Age Academic Unit at Health NZ I Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury. Susan is passionate about dementia mate wareware education, delirium prevention, and person-centred care. She also has roles as liaison officer for the New Zealand Dementia Foundation, and senior researcher with the Burwood Academy Trust.