Dr. Deborah Powell

National Secretary

Deborah holds the position of National Secretary for NZRDA and has the overall management responsibility for the union with a particular interest in Collective Employment Negotiations and Personal Grievances. She represents health practitioners in claim situations with both employers and individuals. She holds a BSc from Victoria University and a Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery from University of Auckland.

Melissa Dobbyn

Advocate

Melissa has been in a part time role with CNS since 2006. She currently handles RDA member issues and doctors’ run reviews. We attribute Melissa’s excellent organisational and communication skills to her previous work in the fashion industry, and to her two gorgeous daughters.

Sarah Barker

Advocate

Denise Tairua

Advocate

Denise has worked in various laboratories in Auckland, including Medlab, DML, Middlemore Hospital and Lab+, and has also worked in Quality Assurance for an Auckland Cosmetic company. As a past long-time New Zealand Medical Laboratory Workers’ Union (NZMLWU) member, strike co-ordinator and NZMLWU delegate, she brings a broad knowledge of operations and industry-specific issues, including Health & Safety and Quality, to her role as advocate.

Omar Hamed

Advocate

Omar provides advice and representation for union members, particularly during collective bargaining, with individual matters and on health and safety issues. He has an LLB & MA (History) and joined us in 2016.

Samantha McLeod

Administration

Sam joined the team in late 2010 in a part time role. She currently handles accounts and insurance administration. Sam previously worked as a Treasurer for Plunket since leaving full time work as an Accountant to have 2 lovely boys. Sam is also the secretary for the NZRDA Education Trust.

Holly Whittfield

Associate Advocate

Holly entered the union advocacy world in early 2022 after completing a Bachelor of Applied Management and gaining experience in HR in the kiwifruit industry. Having worked in hospitality during her university years, Holly is no stranger to poor working conditions. Her time in HR further expanded the need for employee advocacy, especially as Covid continues to challenge workplaces. Rest and meal breaks, and safer hours remain two of her crucial ER focus points.

Sammy Heimsath

Associate Advocate

Kauri Williams

Associate Advocate

Natalia D’Souza

Policy Advisor

In her role as Research and Policy Advisor, Natalia leverages her expertise to provide in-depth research analysis and a robust evidence base to advance the collective interests of RMOs. With an academic background – previously a Senior Lecturer – she has a strong research and personal interest in promoting healthy and decent work environments. Natalia holds a PhD in Management from Massey University and joined our team in 2024, bringing a passion for impactful research and policy development.

Jo Ingham

Advocate

Jo has a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in History) / Bachelor of Laws conjoint degree from the University of Auckland. She joined us in 2023 after working for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as a Labour Inspector/Senior Labour Inspector for 15 years. While at MBIE, she was also a union delegate for 10 years. Given her work history, Jo has a particular interest in the Holidays Act 2003 and Holidays Act compliance.

Divya Varghese

Membership Officer

Divya holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management and was with Deloitte, India for three years. She later moved to New Zealand and worked with Health New Zealand – NRA before joining us in 2024. Currently she manages membership by processing applications and resignations, updating and maintaining records related to payments and other details in system.

Beth Vale

Administration

Beth has vast administration experience in different industries, having started out in the hotel industry in Cape Town. She then spent 18 years with Kantar, also in Cape Town, and arrived in New Zealand in 2015. Here she worked for a mystery shopping company for 7 years before joining us in early 2024. Beth handles travel bookings, new delegates, Active choice, conference bookings, claims, posting and a host of other tasks.

Jono Woods

Accounts

Abbey Trewavas

Advocate

Abbey first joined us as an Associate in 2018 after completing a conjoint LLB/BA at the University of Waikato, she is now an advocate with a passion for industrial relations and employment law. Over the years, Abbey has negotiated collective agreements in both the public and private sector, with her portfolio now including Medical Laboratory Workers, Physiotherapists, Sterile Service Technicians and Dental Therapists to name a few. Abbey specialises in pay equity and jointly leads the conjoint Pay Equity claim for Allied, Scientific and Technical workers in the public sector.

Bill Manning

Legal Counsel

Bill Manning is a barrister based in Auckland. He has had more than 20 years experience in civil litigation. He has worked with Deborah and the RDA on employment and industrial matters since the early 90s. For the last few months or so he has been a member of our medico-legal team representing RMOs and other health professionals facing investigation or disciplinary processes. When not working for us, he seems to spend an inordinate amount of time swimming, cycling and running; none of which can be terribly healthy.

NZRDA Staff

The NZRDA is supported by both advocates and delegates, each playing a crucial role in serving our members. While delegates are RMOs working alongside you and act as the first point of contact for any queries or concerns, the advocates are based in the Auckland office and provide more in-depth support.

Your advocates are the ones who respond to your emails and phone calls, offering advice and support when needed. The Auckland office is responsible for handling membership communications, administration, as well as holding an overview of the RMO workforce and addressing big-picture issues across the country.

For more information on the advocates and support staff please explore the profiles below.

Dr. Deborah Powell

National Secretary

Melissa Dobbyn

Advocate

Sarah Barker

Advocate

Denise Tairua

Advocate

Omar Hamed

Advocate

Samantha McLeod

Administration

Holly Whittfield

Associate Advocate

Sammy Heimsath

Associate Advocate

Kauri Williams

Associate Advocate

Natalia D’Souza

Policy Advisor

Jo Ingham

Advocate

Divya Varghese

Membership Officer

Beth Vale

Administration

Jono Woods

Accounts

Abbey Trewavas

Advocate

Bill Manning

Legal Counsel

Get in touch with NZRDA

If you have any questions or general enquiries, get in touch with us using the contact details below or the form on this page.

Membership queries: membership@nzrda.org.nz
General & contract queries: ask@nzrda.org.nz

Freephone: 0800 803 993