Judith MacDonald is the committee’s Southern North Island representative replacing long-standing member Kim Gosman. Jude was born and raised in the rural community of Taihape and returned following her education and marriage to a local working as a Registered Nurse establishing the Taihape District Nursing service, working as Charge Nurse Taihape Hospital and then moving into management roles which covered the three rural hospitals of the Whanganui District Health Board; Waimarino, Taihape and Marton.
For the past fourteen years she has been the CE of Whanganui Regional Health Network which operates as a PHO as well as owning and operating four integrated health service clinics including two rural, located in the Ruapehu and Taihape districts. She has been a strong supporter of rural health services (subsidiary clinics and private rural practices in Marton and Bulls) and championed the needs of rural communities during the nine years she has been an elected Whanganui District Health Board member. Currently she is a Director of the two rural general practice/ primary care subsidiary clinics and is a board member of Whanganui Age Concern. Within her CE role she is involved in ‘future proofing primary care locally’ and this includes procurement, design and rethink of service facilities and services both within our rural sites and within our provincial city. She is passionate about working with communities and Iwi to create true partnerships that produce improved health and wellbeing for all our people.