Media release
10 September 2009
New president for the Royal New Zealand College of GPs
Rotorua GP, Dr Harry Pert, was officially welcomed as the new president of the Royal New Zealand College of General
Practitioners (RZNCGP) at the college Conference in Wellington this afternoon.
Dr Pert is joined by deputy president, and former editor of the New Zealand Family Physician, Dr Tony Townsend.
Dr Pert said New Zealand was in a position to lead the world in the delivery of patient-centred professionalism, and
general practice should be at the heart of safe and effective health care.
“New Zealand is small enough, innovative enough and smart enough to do so, so why shouldn’t we lead the world?”
Dr Pert said the pair’s vision for general practice is for it to be the preferred career choice for young medical
graduates.
“If general practice continues to be professionally satisfying and we ensure it is well resourced and well rewarded then
we will attract more and more New Zealand trained doctors.”
Dr Pert runs a busy practice in provincial New Zealand. He founded the Rotorua General Practice Group, an innovative and
successful Independent Practitioner Association, and has been a member of the college’s quality committee and council.
Dr Townsend is a GP based in Whangamata and is a former academic with extensive teaching experience in the United Arab
Emirates.
At the conference, Dr Jonathan Fox and Dr David Whittet completed a four-year term as president and deputy president
respectively.
RNZCGP chief executive, Karen Thomas, said the college thanked the pair for more than two decades of service to their
peers in a variety of roles.
“Dr Fox and Dr Whittet’s many achievements over the years are testament to their ability to pull together a governance
team and work closely with college staff to get many jobs successfully done.”
Over 500 health professionals and industry delegates from around the country and overseas are expected to attend the
college conference which finishes on Saturday.
Experts are speaking on a variety of topics including quality accountability and trust, engaging successfully with
communities in health research, practice nurse work in New Zealand, families living with addiction and disability and
injury.
ENDS