Nau mai, haere mai, tauti mai

Nau mai, haere mai, tauti mai – welcome, come forth, come here.

It is a real pleasure to welcome a number of new trainee members to the Society this month. Thanks to the hard work of our operations team and the presence of Executive members at the ongoing Part Zero courses, we are continuing to share the message that the NZSA plays a unique and vital role in Aotearoa — championing education, advocacy, and the strength of our professional networks. Please encourage new trainees in your department to join us. Trainee membership is free.

Advocacy has remained a significant focus this past month. We have continued discussions with Southern Cross Health Society (Insurance) regarding changes to their exclusion criteria for dental and endoscopic procedures. Our recent meeting was encouraging in tone, but it also highlighted the distance still to travel between stated intent and the current written policy wording. We are not alone in our concerns and have been working alongside other societies, colleges, and professional bodies to ensure a coordinated response. Our shared objective remains clear: safe patient care, with decisions grounded in the clinician–patient relationship.

Our submissions workload has also been substantial. We have recently responded to the Dental Council’s updated Dental Sedation Standards and the Medical Council’s regulation of Physician Associates/Assistants (PAs) consultations on behalf of our members. Thank you to everyone who responded to our request for your feedback on the latter. We have expressed our appetite to remain engaged with the Medical Council as their mahi on the regulation of PAs develops. You can read a copy of each submission: To regulate Physician Associates/Assistants (PAs) survey response / Proposed Dental Sedation Practice Standard survey response.

In the education space, we are excited to announce progress on a new initiative: Te Aka Tauwhiro. This fellow and trainee event will be held in Queenstown on 27–28 November 2026. The convenors are designing a programme that offers tailored education and meaningful networking opportunities, with a particular focus on supporting colleagues through this important professional transition.

I also sit on the Organising Committee for this year’s Combined Scientific Congress (CSC26). To be held in the Hunter Valley during the October school holidays, 8-11 October. Our keynote speakers, Prof Marcy Rosenbaum, Prof Paul Bowie, Prof Denny Levett and A/Prof Andrew B Lumb will lead what’s shaping into an engaging scientific programme. I hope to see a number of you there representing our side of the Tasman.

This month, we also welcomed Dr Helen Abbott to the NZSA Executive. Helen will shortly commence her new anaesthesia role in Christchurch, and we are grateful for the insight and energy she has already brought to Board discussions. To ensure the long-term sustainability of our organisation, the Board is committed to supporting new Executive members with governance education and development. We are also keen to continue growing our leadership group — if you, or someone you know, would like to contribute at this level, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Ngā mihi nui,
Dr Jonathan Panckhurst
President, New Zealand Society of Anaesthetists – Ngā Ringa Tauwhiro o Aotearoa