NZSA Staff
The NZSA team is responsible for the operational functions of the organisation which includes supporting our members.
NZSA Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of the NZSA is the Governing Board of the organisation.
The Executive Committee is made up of
President, Immediate Past President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and six elected members.
Extra members can be co-opted between AGMs as per the NZSA constitution. The trainee roles are a shared portfolio.
We welcome interest from members who would like to find out how they could join the Executive and/or contribute to specific projects. Please contact president@anaesthesia.nz
NZSA President
Jonathan Panckhurst is a Consultant Anaesthetist at Nelson Hospital. He is keen to represent the anaesthetic interests and issues of regional centres, and to project these at a national level.
As the President, Jonathan represents NZSA’s view to government agencies, represents us at various councils and committees of our affiliated organisations, and is our spokesperson for the profession, advocating for patient safety and the wellbeing of New Zealand anaesthetists.
Immediate Past President
Morgan Edwards is a Consultant Anaesthetist at North Shore Hospital. Morgan was the President of the Society from 2022 to 2025. She joined the Executive Committee in 2016 as a Trainee Representative and has held the NZSA portfolio for Assistants to the Anaesthetist. She is an NZSA representative on the National Obstetric Anaesthetists network (NOA) and produced online content to provide guidance to women on epidurals. She also hosts our Podcast and creates and develops a lot of our patient resources.
Dr Willem Odendaal has a wealth of experience in both public and private practice and is currently a specialist at Health New Zealand – Capital, Coast, and Hutt Valley and maintains private practice in the Wellington region. Willem is the Treasurer for the NZSA Executive Committee. As Treasurer, he oversees the finances of the organisation and works with the Chief Executive Officer to ensure audited and accurate accounts are presented to the Executive Committee.
Renee Franklin is a Consultant Anaesthetist in Tauranga. She works in both public and private practice. Renee is the clinical lead for the pre-assessment clinic at Tauranga Hospital and has a strong interest in perioperative medicine. She is the NZSA’s perioperative representative and a member of the NZ Perioperative Network and the Perioperative Medicine SIG Executive. Renee was part of our organising committee for the NZSA conference held in October 2020 in Wellington.
Dr James McAlpine is a consultant anaesthetist at Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley, working in Wellington where he alternates between the general and obstetric call rosters and is a Supervisor of Training.
James holds the NZSA Education portfolio and is the NZSA representative on the Aotearoa New Zealand Anaesthesia Education Committee (ANZAEC).
Dr Dairshini Sithambaram is an Advanced Trainee Anaesthetist based in Auckland. Dairshini moved to Aotearoa after completing nearly four years of anaesthesia training in Scotland. As a trainee representative, Dairshini hopes to contribute to the NZSA as a platform to listen to and voice concerns on the changing needs of the specialty, from the perspective of trainees’ needs.
Dr Anne Chiang is a Trainee Anaesthetist based in Palmerston North. Currently in her first year of basic training Anne is a trainee representative on the Committee. Her aim is to lead initiatives that increase trainee involvement and their sense of community within the NZSA.
