President
Sophie Saweirs
Home: Edinburgh & Te Tai Tokerau
Hobbies: Running, reading and giving dogs belly rubs!
Goals: Most importantly, spreading JOY! But also lead the WHPSA team and improve kotahitanga and approachability in our cohort.
Email: president@whpsa.org.nz
VP-Secretary
Lily Cooper
Home: Pōneke
Hobbies: Also giving doggos belly rubs, sports, food and hanging out with the fam!
Goals: Build connections across different cohorts, make WHPSA more approachable, being Sophie’s wing-woman and having tons of fun!
Email: vp-secretary@whpsa.org.nz
Treasurer
Navjot Singh
Home: Te Puke
Hobbies: Going back to the orchard, hunting and going on long scenic drives!
Goals: Budget funds so that students get the best bang for their buck, promote new activities and source new funding avenues for WHPSA.
Email: treasurer@whpsa.org.nz
NPH Leader
Sara Aruquipa
Home: a very cool place
Hobbies: something fun
Goals: something important
Email: maori@whpsa.org.nz
Pacific Rep
Analina Namoa
Home: Tonga and Tāmaki Makarau
Hobbies: playing music , volleyball with friends and baking!
Goals: Advocacy for our Pacific students, organising tutorials, supporting and building connections between Pacific students and staff.
Email: pacificisland@whpsa.org.nz
NZMSA Rep
Ben Prendergast
Home: Pōneke
Hobbies: Going back to the orchard, hunting and going on long scenic drives!
Goals: Transparency, accesbility and safety! Ensuring you are all equipped with the supports, knowledge and resources you need to thrive in medical school
Email: benprendergast@NZMSA.org.nz
TI Education Rep
Ryan Zhou
Home: middle earth
Hobbies: aurafarming and looksmaxxing (also teaching the 4th years in TI-led tutes)
Goals: being an absolute badass.
Email: ti.education@whpsa.org.nz
TI Education Rep
Kay Harper
Home: Pōneke
Hobbies: spending time in nature or with my cat Noor. I also enjoy pole dancing and making things like knitting, pottery, baking, painting, drawing etc.
Goals: Be approachable and receptive to feedback from you all and to advocate for student wellbeing in education meetings.
Email: ti.education@whpsa.org.nz
TI Education Rep
Rachel Swindell
Home: Otāutahi, Tāmaki Makarau and the US
Hobbies: going on a walk, playing sport, at the beach, or hanging out with family and friends!
Goals: Continue the amazing study buddy for 5th years before exams and ensure that the curriculum enables TIs to transition into confident PGY1
Email: treasurer@whpsa.org.nz
5th Year Education Rep
Beth Arnold
Home: Pōneke
Hobbies: I love my pets, reading, and putting all my time (and money) into a new hobby!
Goals: Bridge communication between students and staff, ensuring that your feedback is taken into account to improve the curriculum and teaching.
Email: fifthyear.education@whpsa.org.nz
5th Year Education Rep
Olivia Stevens
Home: Pōneke
Hobbies: Going tramping with my partner and our dog, and volunteering in the community!
Goals: Gather feedback from 5th year students and represent their perspective professionally in academic meetings with staff.
Email: fifthyear.education@whpsa.org.nz
5th Year Education Rep
Elijah Bathan
Home: Phillipines and Levin
Hobbies: I love to exercise, go on sponty adventures with friends and serve in church!
Goals: identify gaps in teaching (e.g inconsistent tuts, poor supervision) and advocate for fair workload and reasonable expectations
Email: fifthyear.education@whpsa.org.nz
4th Year Education Rep
Lauren Healey
Home: Otāutahi
Hobbies: going on day walks, thrifting, hanging out friends, running and cooking!
Goals: Be a friendly face for you to voice your concerns and help your medical student experience to feel safe, supportive, and inclusive for all genders, cultures, and abilities
Email: fourthyear.education@whpsa.org.nz
4th Year Education Rep
Katherine Nicolls
Home: Pōneke
Hobbies: getting outdoors, tramping, hanging out with friends, reading, sipping on a good matcha, thrifting and crafting!
Goals: Be approachable points of contact for any concerns and helping to provide learning opportunities and tutorials for students. throughout ALM!
Email: fourthyear.education@whpsa.org.nz
4th Year Education Rep
Caleb López-Sánchez
Home: Paraparaumu
Hobbies: running, playing bridge on a weeknight, social netball, and exploring the local cafe scene!
Goals: Strong communication between our cohort and the faculty and providing feedback that is reflective of our current and past learning experiences.
Email: fourthyear.education@whpsa.org.nz
Physio Rep
Isla Burgess
Home: Pōneke
Hobbies: going to the gym, get outdoors with my doggies and explore Welly and working for Põneke Football Club!
Goals: Improve the interprofessional interaction between the health professional students in Põneke and gather student feedback to improve future initiatives.
Email: physiotherapy@whpsa.org.nz
Physio Rep
Lucas Lee
Home: Pōneke
Hobbies: exercise and hanging out with friends, and overall socialising with people!
Goals: Get as many physio students involved in the WHPSA events this year and act as advocates for the physio cohort in Wellington.
Email: physiotherapy@whpsa.org.nz
1st Year RT Rep
Sebastien Ong
Home: Tāmaki Makarau
Hobbies: staying active, ice hockey, trying to be a gym bro, and all sports, playing the guitar, and binge watching a show and catching up with mates.
Goals: Organising events to increase exposure for RT students and building connections within the RT and wider cohort.
Email: radiation.therapy@whpsa.org.nz
2nd Year RT Rep
Aishwarya Sethumadhavan
Home: Kirikiriroa
Hobbies: hanging out with animals, spending time with friends and family, going out for walks near the beach and discovering new places to satisfy my sweet tooth!
Goals: Encourage more RT students to be involved in WHPSA events through the year and be the voice of the RT students.
Email: radiation.therapy@whpsa.org.nz
3rd Year RT Rep
Molly O'Connor
Home: Golden Bay
Hobbies: all things outdoors includes tramping, gardening, cooking, yoga and being in and on the water!
Goals: Get the RT students involved in WHPSA and events throughout the year and advocating for the RT student’s needs.
Email: radiation.therapy@whpsa.org.nz
Home: Sri Lanka
Hobbies: staying active, hiking, long walks with friends, or waterfront runs. Also cooking, baking and playing the piano too.
Goals: Organise fun, well-run events throughout the year that people genuinely look forward to.
Email: social@whpsa.org.nz
Social Rep
Savindi Vithanachchi
Home: Tāmaki Makarau
Hobbies: a bit of everything including lots of random side quests and rebuilding the WHPSA website.
Goals: make sure that everyone gets the most bang for their buck at events and that the website works fine!
Email: social@whpsa.org.nz
Social Rep
Jathu Gunaseelan
Communication and Sponsorship Rep
Maria Ward
Home: Kāpiti Coast
Hobbies: avid animal lover, beach enthusiast, and musician. Not only piano/guitar, but also curating Spotify playlists and trying to save up for a CDJ!
Goals: Revamp our social media presence – both Instagram and Facebook and build up a sense of connectedness with our fellow RT and PT peers!
Email: communication@whpsa.org.nz
Home: Taranaki
Hobbies: the outdoors, reffing rugby, hiking, tramping through native bush, playing social netball and running along the waterfront!
Goals: Ensuring a well-informed cohort going into this November’s General Election and continuing past Advocacy Rep’s appropriate submissions to Government and Local Council.
Email: advocacy@whpsa.org.nz
Advocacy Rep
Sam Landers
Home: Tāmaki Makarau
Hobbies: working on creative projects, keeping my hands busy and the sense of accomplishment seeing something I’ve made come together.
Goals: continue working with staff across the Health Professional courses to increase queer representation, ensuring we graduate comfortable and confident working with our Rainbow Communities and celebrating the diversity and pride of the Rainbow Communities through fun events like the Drag x Quiz night.
Email: lgbtqia@whpsa.org.nz
Rainbow Rep
Jamie Salemink-Waldren
Rural Rep
Mia Gerrard
Home: Wānaka
Hobbies: everything outdoors, sewing, reading, baking and hanging out with friends!
Goals: Advocate for rural students, promote rural opportunities and rural health and organising the wilderness weekend.
Email: rural@whpsa.org.nz
Home: Tāmaki Makarau
Hobbies: getting outdoors, going to the beach, running, trying new recipes, reading and exploring Pōneke.
Goals: Organise events that support the wellbeing of medical students and members of the Poneke community.
Email: welfare-cultural@whpsa.org.nz
Welfare Rep
Chloé Hickin
Home: Tāmaki Makarau
Hobbies: crafts, whether it be painting, knitting, or embroidery, as well as getting lost on beautiful bush walks and dozing off during movie nights!
Goals: Promoting and prioritising the wellbeing of students across ALM4, ALM5 and TI and encouraging our tauira to get involved and to give back to the community.
Email: welfare-cultural@whpsa.org.nz
Welfare Rep
Riya Sarker
Sports Rep
Zara Patterson
Home: Kāpiti Coast
Hobbies: being active, how that looks has changed over the years!
Goals: Help out with Relay For Life, have an epic tramp and a good uptake of social sport!
Email: sports@whpsa.org.nz