College President Dr Sam Murton has announced the resignation of Acting Chief Executive Terina Moke (Waikato, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Te Rarawa).
“Late last year Terina indicated her intention to resign. The Board reluctantly accepted Terina’s resignation which comes into effect on 29 March 2019,” says Dr Murton.
“We are extremely grateful for the huge contribution Terina has made since she joined the College in 2015. During this time she has been a core part of the College’s leadership team serving as Tumuaki Māori, Acting GM Membership Services, Acting GM Learning, GM Learning and, most recently, as Acting Chief Executive,” she says.
“Terina has provided much-needed stability and continuity – particularly during the past five months as Acting Chief Executive – but she has decided that now is the time to hand over the reins.”
Reflecting on her time with the College Terina says she is encouraged by the focus and energy of the current Board.
“The College is a unique organisation in that it has a real ability to influence and improve health outcomes for all New Zealanders. I’m very proud of the work the College does developing and supporting our GP workforce,” says Terina.
“Members and the sector place high expectations on the College, and it can be challenging meeting these expectations, but we have made significant gains in recent years,” she says.
“In particularly I’m proud of the work we’ve done building our capacity in the Māori and health equity space, including updating our Māori Strategy and improving the relationship between Te Akoranga a Māui and the College.
“During my time in the Learning space we reorganised the teams, brought on specialist educators, completed a health literacy review of the curriculum, strengthened the GPEP admissions and examination processes.
“I’m grateful to have had the support of the Board and I’m heartened to see a renewed focus on valuing the people working for the College.
“The College management team is going through a period of rebuilding, but the underlying goals of the College remain the same. We set the standards for general practice, and we support our members and the patients they serve.”
Dr Murton has confirmed the Board has appointed former Southern Cross Chief Executive, Peter Tynan, as interim Chief Executive until a permanent replacement can be made. This recruitment process is under way and it is hoped an appointment will be made by June. Peter’s short term contract with the College starts 11 March 2019.