Full name: Southern Health and Disability Ethics Committee
Short name: Southern HDEC
Abbreviation: STH
OHRP(external link) ref: IRB00008713
Please note it is inappropriate to contact committee members directly regarding HDEC matters.
Download HDEC Terms of Reference [PDF, 109 KB]
The 11 April 2023 meeting was cancelled due to inability to make quorum.
Membership category: Lay
Date of appointment: 08 September 2025
Current term expires: 7 September 2030
Emeritus Professor Edwina Pio ONZM is an accomplished chair, a widely travelled internationally recognised scholar and a woman of peace and prayer. She has extensive, real-world governance experience with strategic thinking across public, academic, and community sectors. A Fulbright alumna, recipient of Te Rangi Hiroa Royal Society Medal and Duke of Edinburgh Fellowship, and a Fellow at Oxford University UK, she anchors governance in a stewardship paradigm. She served on the AUT University Council and chaired the Academic Advisory Board of Te Kupenga and worked with the Royal Society Te Apārangi, on the selection panel for the prestigious Rutherford Discovery Fellowships. Her insights extend directly into government advisory, notably through her appointment to Kāpuia, the Ministerial Advisory Group formed to provide strategic guidance on education, inclusion, and community cohesion following the Christchurch Mosque tragedy. This robust policy footprint is anchored in a prolific academic publishing career and long-term planning skills. She currently chairs the Human Participants Ethics Committee at the University of Auckland, the Health & Disability Ethics Committee for the Ministry of Health (Southern) and the Local Advisory Committee (Auckland) for Fire & Emergency New Zealand - critical roles that ensure high-level research compliance, safety, and integrity, intersecting across academic disciplines and communities.
Membership category: Non-lay (Intervention and Observational studies)
Date of appointment: 09 June 2025
Current term expires: 08 June 2030
Dr Nicola Swain is an experienced academic and health researcher with over 30 years in the health sector. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Otago's School of Physiotherapy, where she conducts research. Her background is in Health Psychology and has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications. Nicola also teaches in the Master of Applied Health Sciences programme at Te Pūkenga | Southern Institute of Technology (SIT).
Her current governance roles include serving on the Human Rights Review Tribunal, the Medical Sciences Council, the Medical Sciences Secretariat, and the board of ADL, a youth mental health provider. Nicola was also a previous member of the Southern Health and Disability Ethics Committee (HDEC) from 2010 to 2018.
Membership category: Lay (Consumer/Community Perspectives)
Date of appointment: 15 September 2025
Current term expires: 14 September 2029
Tuifa’asisina Neta Tomokino – “O le ala i le pule o le tautua” The pathway to Leadership is through Service. Tuifa’asisina Neta is born, bred & educated in Tamaki Makaurau. She holds Matai titles from the villages of Vailoa Palauli & Savaiinaea from Salailua Savaii in Samoa. Why this is important, it’s the blessings of her ancestors that have guided her to where she is today. This proverb best describes her passion to serve. Neta started her working career within the Public Sector spanning over 30 years from Inland Revenue, Ministry of Social Development and eventually ending up at the New Zealand Immigration Service before joining a Non-Government Organisation, Whanau Waipareira & Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency for over 10 years. She continues through the obstacle course and roller coaster ride of life happily married with 4 children, heavily involved in the care of her 54 year old brother who has cerebral palsy as well as the main carer for her elderly mother who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
Membership category: Non-Lay
Date of appointment: 9 June 2025
Current term expires: 8 June 2028
Dr Matthew Moore (Ngāti Rangiwewehi) is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Medicine at the University of Auckland. His research interests include surgery, perioperative care, emergency medicine, and pain medicine. He completed a PhD in Psychology at the University of Otago. He is also a member of the Auckland Health Research Ethics Committee.
Membership category: Lay (Consumer/Community Perspectives)
Date of appointment: 3 July 2023
Current term expires: 2 July 2026
Dr Maree Kirk is a wellbeing and capability consultant. She has a considerable career background in health, education, disability advocacy and as contract Teaching Fellow at the University of Waikato. She was a member of the original Local Working Group for Individualised Funding and Self- Assessment and Assessment Processes for the New Model of Disability Support Services. She is the Director of the Bay of Plenty Down Syndrome Association Inc. a national charitable trust and the Director of the Network of Expertise, a national PLD approach to building educational capability across school teams.
Maree’s PhD focus was wellbeing and the concepts, across agency collaboration to improve life outcomes for children and young people and provided the foundation for the theory of wellbeing for children and young people with a disability. She has presented her research both nationally and internationally.
Maree is currently involved in facilitation, building capability, and developing networks across Government agencies, schools, community groups, allied professionals, and disability organisations for professionals, practitioners, individuals and whānau.
Membership category: Non-Lay
Date of appointment: 3 March 2025
Current term expires: 2 March 2029
Dr Geoff Noller is an Ōtepoti / Dunedin-based medical anthropologist. His research interests include psychotropic drug use, public health and harm reduction. He is an independent researcher, has a research coordinator role at DISC Trust, a national harm reduction service and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Otago's Department of Primary Health Care and Rural Health.
Membership category: Non-Lay
Date of appointment: 9 June 2025
Current term expires: 8 June 2028
Dr Sames has over 20 years' experience in the health sector and currently works as a Resident Medical Officer (RMO) at Dunedin Public Hospital while working towards a Postgraduate Diploma in Bioethics and Health Law.
Alongside his RMO role and studies he is also an Honorary Clinical Lecturer for the University of Otago, the Medical Director for ARC Safety and Medical, an Attending and Independent Medical Practitioner with the Assisted Dying Service for the Ministry of Health, and maintains registration as a Critical Care and Extended Care Paramedic.
Dr Sames has a Bachelor of Health Science from AUT University, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Auckland University, and a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery and a Postgraduate Diploma in Child Health from the University of Otago.
Membership category: Lay
Date of appointment: 15 September 2025
Current term expires: 14 September 2029
Dr Lyn Murphy has extensive experience in health governance, public-sector decision-making and tertiary education. She served for nine years as an elected member of Counties Manukau District Health Board, including as Chair of its Hospital Advisory Committee.
Originally trained as an occupational therapist, Lyn later lectured in leadership, management and public health. She holds a PhD in Accounting and Finance; her doctoral research examined the value of conducting sponsored clinical trials within a publicly funded New Zealand hospital.
Lyn is Chair of Ember Services Limited and a trustee of Ember Wellbeing Trust, which provide mental health, addiction and wellbeing services. She is also a member of the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Authority and a lay member of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. She brings a strong interest in ethical decision-making, health equity, natural justice, consumer and community perspectives, and the responsible use of data and emerging technologies.
Membership category: Lay
Date of appointment: 15 September 2025
Current term expires: 14 September 2028
[Bio to come]
Membership category: Lay
Date of appointment: 15 September 2025
Current term expires: 14 September 2028
Nicolina is autistic with over 15 years of experience in the disability sector. Her PhD research was inclusive with people with intellectual disability. She has been interested in research ethics since publishing Reflecting on an Unexpected Challenge in Obtaining Ethical Approval for Research with Adults with Learning Disabilities. Nicolina currently works in the Advocacy team at IHC, advocating for the rights, inclusion and welfare of all people with intellectual disability.
