Carefirst Bell Block

Ear Suction Nurse

Craig is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors NZ, Chairs the Taranaki IoD Branch committee, and also serves on the IoD National Council. 

He enjoys developing strong Environmental, Social and Governance capabilities in businesses and is passionate about the positive impact that General Practice can make to a local community. To achieve this, his focus is on the well-being of clinical and non-clinical staff at the practices in the group.

Craig holds a number of Independent Director roles and he is currently Chair of Edison Consulting Engineers and is a non-executive Director of the FBT/Osflo Group, Egmont Seafoods and OurCloud. He lives in Oakura in Taranaki and has had varied interests over the years including being a private pilot, and continues to be a dedicated outdoor adventure fan!

My hometown is Christchurch, and I studied at the University of Otago School of Medicine. I began my career as a junior house surgeon in New Plymouth (despite being an avowed Cantabrian!) and quickly fell in love with Taranaki.

I’m a proud mum to three wonderful children – Christopher, Isabella, and Claudia – and share my home with Elsa, our loyal German Shepherd, and two very mischievous Burmese cats.

I love the outdoors and anything adventurous: skiing, white-water kayaking, mountain biking, and just about anything that involves being in the surf.

The best part of my job is the privilege of caring for my patients, alongside an incredible team, the Carefirst staff.

Originally born and raised in Auckland, Brittany moved to New Plymouth during her final year of medical training. After graduating in 2018, she spent four years gaining experience in various specialties at Taranaki Base Hospital, acquiring a Diploma in Paediatrics along the way. She is now pleased to commence her career in General Practice at Carefirst. Outside of medicine, she enjoys sewing, yoga, rock-climbing and hiking.

A proud New Plymouth local, Dr Connor Oliver-Rose (MBChB, PGDipPaed, FRNZCGP) is a general practitioner at Carefirst Westown Medical Centre who is passionate about providing high-quality healthcare for individuals and families across Taranaki. After graduating from the University of Otago in 2016, Connor returned home to complete five years of hospital-based training at Taranaki Base Hospital, gaining experience across a wide range of specialties before moving into general practice. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Paediatrics and works in urgent care, bringing a broad skill set to the patients he cares for every day.

Connor enjoys the variety that general practice offers and values the opportunity to build long-term relationships with his patients. He has a particular interest in children’s health and family medicine, while also enjoying the challenges and rewards of caring for older adults. In 2026, he achieved Fellowship of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (FRNZCGP), recognising his advanced training, clinical expertise, and commitment to delivering specialist-level primary care. For Connor, the most rewarding part of the job is helping people feel supported, understood, and confident in managing their health.

Deeply connected to the Taranaki community, Connor lives in New Plymouth with his wife, a primary school teacher, their children and two labradors. Outside the clinic, he’s a passionate football supporter and player, competing in the local premier competition. When he’s not on the football field, he enjoys spending time with family and making the most of Taranaki’s active outdoor lifestyle.

Duncan was born and raised in New Plymouth. He left after 2009 to attend medical school in Auckland. Upon graduation in 2015 he returned to New Plymouth to spend his junior doctor years in Taranaki Base Hospital. He spent the following 4 years working as a Medical Officer for the Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps, a role that enabled him to gather more experience in Musculoskeletal medicine and sexual health. He has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Sports and Exercise Medicine and has spent a year in a primary care clinic with a focus on providing sexual health services to the Rainbow community. Outside of work, he enjoys a raft of sporting activities (but mainly Soccer), Travel, and spending time with his two dogs. 

Drawing on both her strong family connection to medicine and her own academic and clinical achievements, Dr Emily Allen (MBChB, DipPaeds, BBioMedSc, FRNZCGP) provides expert, patient-centred healthcare at Carefirst Westown Medical Centre in New Plymouth. A Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, Emily graduated from medical school in 2017 with the top award for general practice, reflecting an early commitment to the specialty she continues to champion today. Her Fellowship represents one of the highest professional achievements in general practice and recognises her advanced clinical expertise, leadership, and dedication to delivering exceptional care.

A proud Taranaki local, Emily comes from a long line of medical professionals in the region, including her father, a practising family physician. After studying medicine in Auckland, she returned home to work at Taranaki Base Hospital, gaining broad experience across multiple specialties, including two years in paediatrics. She joined the Carefirst Westown team in 2022 and enjoys the unique opportunity general practice provides to make a meaningful, long-term impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals and families throughout Taranaki. Her clinical interests include children’s health, adolescent health, women’s health, sexual health, and preventative care.

Emily holds a Diploma in Child Health from the University of Otago and is passionate about continuous learning and clinical excellence. Outside the clinic, she enjoys pilates, creating art, gardening, exploring the outdoors with her dog Winnie, sharing great wine with friends, and spending time with her family and whānau. Her combination of deep local roots, specialist expertise, and compassionate approach makes her a trusted GP for patients seeking high-quality family healthcare in New Plymouth and across the wider Taranaki region.

Building long-term relationships and caring for the whole person are the aspects of medicine that drew Dr Esther van der Harg to general practice. Since qualifying as a GP in 2012, she has cared for patients in a variety of communities across the Netherlands, Belgium, and New Zealand, bringing extensive primary care experience to her work at Carefirst in New Plymouth.

After graduating from Amsterdam’s Vrije University medical school in 2009, Esther began her career as a hospital physician before completing her specialist GP training. She enjoys the diversity that general practice offers and values the opportunity to support individuals and families through every stage of life. With a patient-centred approach focused on continuity of care, Esther works alongside her patients to help them achieve their best possible health outcomes and navigate both short-term and long-term health concerns.

Although originally from the Netherlands, Esther had a long-standing connection to New Zealand before making the move, having visited family and friends here over many years. Today, she is proud to call Taranaki home and to provide compassionate, community-focused healthcare for patients across New Plymouth and the wider region.

It has been my good fortune to have lived in New Plymouth for most of my life and my wife and I have brought up a large family here. I trained at Auckland Medical School and started at Westown Medical Centre in 1988. Nowadays, I am enjoying being able to do some Rest Home work and am gradually reducing my work hours overtime.

Hannah is a New Plymouth local who attended medical school at The University of Auckland. After graduating as a doctor in 2017 she returned to New Plymouth to work at Taranaki Base Hospital. During her time there she completed diplomas in both Child Health and Obstetrics and Gynaecology. In 2022 she moved into General Practice, joining the team at Moturoa Medical Centre. Hannah is expecting her first child towards the end of 2023 and plans to return to part time work in the not-too-distant future. In her limited spare time, she enjoys renovating and spending time outdoors. 

I was born and raised in a small village in the south of France and completed my medical training in Marseille. Postgraduate work took me to French Guiana, followed by a diploma in Tropical Diseases in Antwerp, Belgium. I met my Kiwi husband in France, where our first son was born, before working as a GP locum in rural France for eight years.

In 2008 we moved to Lower Hutt, where our twin daughters arrived just three weeks after landing, and later we welcomed another son. My career has included research in Wellington and locum work in New Caledonia, before joining the NZREX primary care program, which brought me to New Plymouth and CareFirst in 2023.

I have extensive experience working with people from diverse ethnic backgrounds and am eager to deepen my understanding of Te ao Māori. Passionate about social justice, conservation, and the environmental impact on health, I also enjoy gardening, swimming, baking, and fixing things in my spare time.

I graduated from Medical university in Russia in 2003.  I worked at Taranaki Base Hospital before my training as a GP here in New Zealand and have been working in Merrilands Medical centre since 2012 in General medicine. I have 2 children 9 and 7 years old and enjoy travel and gardening.

Kiyomi grew up in British Columbia, Canada and moved to New Zealand at the age of 21 to study medicine at the University of Otago, graduating in 2010. Her father is second generation Japanese-Canadian and her mother is New Zealand European from Ngāruawāhia.  Kiyomi worked at Taranaki Base Hospital for her first two years and subsequently joined the GP training scheme in New Plymouth and has remained with CAREfirst from 2012 onwards and is now a part owner of CAREfirst. Kiyomi holds a Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She has interests in Women’s Health, Lactation Support, Child & Adolescent Health and a passion for health gains from climate action and community health initiatives. Kiyomi lives with her husband and three young children. She enjoys being creative through graphic design, homemade fancy dress costumes and art with her children. She loves gardening for all the health benefits it provides and most of all spending time with her whānau. 

Dr Lucy Gibberd has been a partner at Carefirst since early 2002. She trained in medicine in the UK and then came to New Zealand as a junior doctor at Taranaki Base Hospital in 1991. After several years in hospital medicine, she decided to train as a GP, first in Cornwall in the UK and then back in Taranaki. She joined the Carefirst group when it was in its infancy and has since then been dedicated to providing high quality patient care. She has a special interest in dermatology having completed a diploma in that subject in 1999 and having spent some time working at Taranaki Base Hospital in the Dermatology outpatient department. She is also interested in GP training, having been the RNZCGP Medical Educator for the Taranaki region for a number of years. Currently she splits her time between her GP practice and her other role as a Medicolegal Consultant for the Medical Protection Society. She is married to Dr Geoff Tvrdeich and they have 3 children together. She enjoys the outdoors – skiing and tramping, but also enjoys sewing and knitting, when she can find the time.

Dr Marcel Fernando (MBChB, PGDipObs&Gynae, PGDipChildHealth, FRNZCGP) is a general practitioner at Carefirst Moturoa Medical Centre, providing comprehensive healthcare for individuals and families across New Plymouth and Taranaki. After graduating from Auckland Medical School in 2017, Marcel began his career at Taranaki Base Hospital, where he gained valuable experience in general medicine, obstetrics, and paediatrics. He has furthered his expertise through postgraduate qualifications in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Child Health and is a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.

Marcel enjoys the variety that general practice offers and values the opportunity to build lasting relationships with his patients. He has a particular interest in caring for young families, while also supporting older adults to maintain their health and independence. For Marcel, one of the most rewarding aspects of being a GP is helping patients feel heard, supported, and confident in managing their health through every stage of life.

Drawn to Taranaki by the lifestyle and strong sense of community, Marcel now lives here with his partner and two young children. Outside the clinic, he enjoys spending time with his whānau and making the most of the region’s beaches, lakes, and walking tracks.

Matt grew up in Whanganui before moving to New Plymouth via medical school in Dunedin in 2018. He is interested in how societal shifts and trends influence our health and wellbeing and how this presents in his clinic.

He lives with his wife, daughter and forever energetic dog . Outside of work he enjoys films, games, books, running and some very amateur photography.

Nelia is originally from South Africa and qualified as a medical doctor from Stellenbosch University in 2004. She lived in Aberdeen, Scotland from 2007 – 2019 during which time she mainly worked in general practice and also completed her GP training with the Royal College of GPs. In 2019 she moved to Taranaki with her husband and 2 boys. In 2020 she joined the team at Carefirst Merrilands. She has a family planning diploma and special interest in minor surgery. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family outdoors, cycling, camping and working on the golf!

Paul is from the UK, and came to New Plymouth for a short holiday in 2009. He has a wife and four daughters. Outside of work, Paul spends a lot of time with his family, enjoys all sport, painting and watching movies. His interests include foot and ankle problems, and sports medicine. He has been team doctor for the Taranaki Bulls since 2017, and has previously worked with the Wellington Phoenix soccer team, Chiefs Rugby, and the Central Pulse netball team.

Dr Punn Roongnirandon is a general practitioner at Carefirst Westown with a passion for preventative healthcare and helping patients stay well at every stage of life. Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Punn studied medicine at the University of Auckland and first came to Taranaki during his final-year placement at Taranaki Base Hospital. What began as a short-term move quickly became home, with Punn choosing to stay in New Plymouth and build his career in the local community.

After working across a range of hospital specialties, Punn found his calling in general practice, where he enjoys building long-term relationships with patients and supporting their health before more intensive intervention is needed. Alongside his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB), he holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Paediatrics and is currently completing a Diploma in Travel Medicine, helping him provide comprehensive care across a broad range of patient needs.

Outside the clinic, Punn is an active member of the Taranaki community. A representative badminton player and junior coach, he also enjoys hiking and is steadily working his way through New Zealand’s Great Walks. Punn is proud to be part of the Carefirst team and is committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care to the people of Taranaki.

Riaan was born in South Africa and  obtained his medical qualifications in South Africa as well as New Zealand.

He practised medicine in South Africa, Australia and Ireland, before relocating to New Zealand in 2013.

His special interest is Urgent Care and he is a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of Urgent Care.

In his spare time he likes to do gardening and landscape photography.

Dr Rita Karabedyan is a general practitioner at Carefirst Westown Medical Centre in New Plymouth, providing compassionate, patient-centred healthcare for individuals and families across Taranaki. Originally from Iraq, Rita completed her medical training overseas before moving to New Zealand, where she has built extensive experience in both hospital and community healthcare settings. Her work at Taranaki Base Hospital and in primary care strengthened her passion for general practice and the opportunity to support patients through every stage of life.

Rita enjoys the diversity of general practice, from preventative healthcare and managing acute illness to supporting patients with long-term health conditions. She values building trusted relationships with patients and whānau over time and believes that continuity of care is one of the most important aspects of being a GP. Having lived in New Plymouth for many years, she is proud to care for the community she calls home.

Outside of work, Rita enjoys spending time with her two children, exploring the outdoors, and making the most of New Zealand’s natural beauty. Her warm, compassionate approach and commitment to patient-centred care make her a valued member of the Carefirst Westown team.

Dr Sarah Haddon brings a diverse healthcare background and a strong commitment to patient-centred care to Carefirst Bell Block Medical Centre. Originally from Taranaki and raised on a sheep and beef farm in the Manawatū, Sarah first qualified as a physiotherapist, studying at the University of Otago and the University of Auckland, before going on to complete her medical degree. Alongside her medical studies, she worked in both public and private hospital settings, giving her a broad understanding of healthcare and rehabilitation.

Having completed part of her medical training at Taranaki Base Hospital, Sarah and her family have proudly called Taranaki home since 2019. She is passionate about general practice and values the opportunity to build long-term relationships with patients, advocate for their health, and provide continuity of care. Her hospital experience reinforced the important role of strong primary healthcare in keeping people well and supporting better health outcomes.

As a mother of three, Sarah brings empathy, understanding, and a practical perspective to her work. Outside the clinic, she enjoys mountain running, mountain biking, and spending time outdoors with her family. She is looking forward to commencing her GP specialist training and continuing to support the health and wellbeing of the Taranaki community.

Find out more about Dr Haddon here.

Dr Sarah Prior was raised in Masterton, and she is proud to be her family’s 4^th generation General Practitioner. She trained through University of Otago in Dunedin and Wellington. She joined Carefirst Westown in 2013, before relocating her practice to Carefirst Moturoa in 2021 after returning from maternity leave. She enjoys the continuity of care in general practice, and so caring for families is a real highlight. She also enjoys women’s and sexual health, paediatrics (children’s health) and transgender medicine. She enjoys teaching and supervises a GP registrar. She feels privileged to be a GP, caring for people and their families through life’s ups and downs. She loves living in New Plymouth with her husband, two children and dog, Otto. Her interests include art, travel, live music, good food and great wine. 

I am from a dairy farm just south of Hawera. My parents still live there so I visit regularly.

I trained through Otago university – spending my first 3 years in chilly Dunedin before moving up to Christchurch for my clinical training.

After university I returned to my home province and started working at Base hospital. I spent 3 years here in various departments before starting my general practice career at Merrilands at the end of 2019. I have joined the GP college this year as a GPEP1 which is the first step in achieving my goal of becoming a fellow of the college. Still new to the profession, I am focusing on building my skills in all areas of general practice rather than finding a special interest right away. I do have a passion for womens’ and reproductive health and hope to do further training in these areas in the future.

I love being a GP because I enjoy getting to know my patients and working with them to achieve their health goals.

Outside of my work I enjoy jogging, catching up with friends over a coffee and cooking. I love Taranaki not only because it is home, but also for the beautiful sea and mountain views and the relaxed lifestyle it offers.

Tēnā koutou katoa
Ko Ingarangi me Kanata nga whakapaparanga mai
Ko Hertfordshire te whenua tupu
Kei Ōākura au e nohu ana
E Mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Taranaki e noho nei au
He Tākuta tamariki au i Te Whatu Ora Taranaki
Ko Vicky George taku ingoa
Tēnā tatou katoa

I am an experienced paediatrician and mother of three wonderful children.

I graduated with my medical degree from Barts and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London, in July 2004. My first paediatric job was in the Waikato in August 2005 and I have been working in this area of care ever since.

I am a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (UK) and a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Paediatrics and Child Health division.

I have worked in Te Whatu Ora Taranaki Paediatric Department since January 2020.

I have also worked in general paediatrics, neonatal units, community and developmental paediatric clinics in Hamilton, Jersey (Channel Islands), London, Wellington and New Plymouth. I have specialist interests in neurodiversity including ADHD, ASD and child development. I have experience in supporting sleep issues and breastfeeding in babies and young children.

Having recently completed some Public Health papers this year at University of Auckland on Māori Health and Population Health. I strive to be a supportive, non-judgemental ally to all.

I look forward to meeting you.

Rachael is Carefirst’s clinical manager, working alongside nurses and primary care assistants across our clinics to support high-quality, patient-centred healthcare throughout New Plymouth and Taranaki. With a nursing career spanning hospital, emergency, occupational health, and primary care settings, she brings extensive clinical experience, strong leadership, and a genuine passion for helping healthcare teams thrive.

Rachael began her nursing journey at WITT and has worked in a diverse range of roles throughout New Zealand and Australia, including cardiology, orthopaedics, emergency nursing, occupational health, and clinical management. This breadth of experience gives her a deep understanding of healthcare delivery and the importance of creating environments where both patients and clinicians feel supported. What she enjoys most about her role is working alongside talented people who share a commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of others.

Outside of work, Rachael’s life is every bit as busy. A proud mum of three boys, she enjoys tackling DIY projects, spending time outdoors, and caring for a lively collection of animals, including goats, cats, a dog, and a kune kune pig. Her practical, down-to-earth approach, combined with her dedication to supporting both patients and staff, makes her an integral part of the Carefirst team.