Tawa Medical Centre

The Tawa Medical Centre has been supporting the residents of Tawa with their health since 1965. Tawa Medical Centre has a wide range of services on-site including lab services and North City Physiotherapy. Our friendly team is ready to assist you with all your healthcare needs.

Opening Hours

Monday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed

Public Holidays: Closed

After Hours Care

If you need after hours care please attend the Kenepuru Accident and Medical Clinic in Kenepuru Hospital.

Kenepuru Accident and Medical Clinic
Kenepuru Hospital, Raiha Street, Porirua
04 918 2300

Our Team

Dr Catherine Rourke

MBChB MRCGP FRCNZGP DFFP DRCOG

Tēnā koutou katoa,
I tipu ake au ki Ingarangi.
Ināianei e noho ana au ki Te Whanganui a Tara.
Ko Rourke tōku ingoa whānau.
Ko Cat tōku ingoa tuatahi.
Tokorua aku tamariki.
He tākuta au.
Nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa
 
Catherine set off to travel the world after completing her medical degree in England. After travelling through South America, India and Malaysia she ended up working at Hutt Hospital. A love of New Zealand grew and, after working as a GP for several years in the UK, she returned to NZ with her husband permanently in 2009. She loves her job and the diversity it brings. She has a special interest in family planning and women’s health. Her passion for people and families has led to a hugely satisfying career in general practice.
 
Outside of work she can be found running, swimming and exploring the world and Wellington with her husband and two children.

Dr Brandon Casserly

General Practitioner MBBCh, DRCOG, MRCGP (UK), FRNZCGP

I qualified in South Africa in 1999 and after a stint of rural medicine and research I travelled to the UK where I gained my Membership of the Royal College of GP’s (MRCGP) in 2007. I came to New Zealand later that year for a brief stay and never returned! This is now my home.
 
I have only ever worked at Tawa medical and I have no plans to leave. I’m very proud and grateful to work with a wonderful team in a great community. I have been a partner/director since January 2010 having started as a locum. I gained my Fellowship of the Royal New Zealand College of GP’s (FRNZCGP) in 2011. I love the varied work and the human connection and have special interests in minor surgery / Dermoscopy and musculoskeletal medicine but enjoy all facets of General Practice. I am a proud father of two young children and have been happily married since 2010. I throw myself around on a mountain bike on the weekends and play guitar and sing the odd tune.

Dr Sharmila Dias

General Practitioner BSc (Hons), MB BS, MRCPCH, DTM&H, MRCGP

After completing my medical degree in London, I went on to do various medical specialities before undertaking a postgraduate career in Paediatrics in Oxford, London and the South coast. After several years in Paediatrics I entered General Practice and worked in leafy Sussex before having a year out with my family in Wellington. Instantly enraptured by this breathtaking country and its wonderfully diverse people, we decided to emigrate and make this amazing city our home.
 
I feel privileged to have worked at Tawa Medical Centre for 5 years and am proud to be part of such a dedicated and cohesive team. Paediatrics is still my favourite field of medicine and I have an unashamed soft spot for our junior patients (having two small children of my own has only amplified my natural affection for this subject) but I relish all the varied, and often unpredictable, aspects of General Practice.
 
My spare time is occupied with having fun with my noisy, busy family. If I have a few leftover minutes in the day I fill them with pursuits such as reading, visiting the theatre, playing the piano, painting and running.

Dr Richard Fuller

General Practitioner BMedSci(Hons) BMBS MRCGP

I went to university in Nottingham, England, and qualified as a doctor in 2002. Since then I’ve worked in a wide variety of hospital, GP and clinical research jobs in England and Australia.
 
I completed my GP training (MRCGP) in 2007 and really enjoy the diversity of this role. Every single day is different, yet we have the privilege of building ongoing connections, sharing life’s challenges and celebrating the successes along the way.
 
I moved to this beautiful country in 2015 and worked for the first five years in the sunny Nelson region. I joined Tawa Medical last year and feel honoured to be a part of this fantastic team and community. When not at work, I’m often running and mountain biking around Wellington’s awesome trails or spending time with my family and our energetic dog, Jigsaw.
 

Dr Bianca Yu

General Practitioner

We have recently moved from the UK and we are already in love with New Zealand. I am excited to get to know the area and settle in to the local community. I have an interest in all aspects of General Practice and getting to know my patients is what I love best about being a GP. I feel lucky to be able to work closely with my patients in their journey through health. 

 

I trained in the UK and have been working as a GP for 15 years down in Cornwall, the land of pasties, tractors, surf and mizzle (rain and mist!) 

 

Most of my spare time is spent playing with my two young boys splashing in the water or challenging each other to go down the highest slides we can find! I love being in the water –  swimming, bodyboarding or snorkeling. As a family we love trying new foods and cooking together – not always successfully!

Dr Su Domingo

GENERAL PRACTITIONER

Dr Katie Tinkler

General Practitioner

Dr Lisanne Vat

General Practitioner

I have recently moved to New Zealand and already enjoy living in this beautiful area.

It is a pleasure to be able to work with the team at Tawa Medical Centre.

I was born, raised and trained in The Netherlands. I have been a medical doctor since 2013.  After having worked in several departments of hospitals, I decided to become a GP because I am interested in not only one, but all aspects of medicine and health. I completed my GP training in 2018. I enjoy being able to meet and help people in various stages of life and health.

Outside of work I love to spend as much time as I can in the beautiful outdoors New Zealand has to offer. Together with my husband I enjoy hiking, mountain biking, running and scuba diving.

Dr Assaf Ben Shoham

General Practitioner

I went to medical school in Israel later in life after finally finding my path, and graduated in 2015.

In the five years before coming to New Zealand in 2023, I was a primary care physician in a large clinic and loved it. The patients, the staff, the interactions, the chance to discover, learn and assist that came up (almost) every day.

I am excited to have found a new team in Tawa Medical Centre, and am looking forward to meeting all my new patients.

The other axis I revolve around is my family. Most of my free time is spent with them, bouldering, hiking, cycling, listening to music and cooking.

It is the idea that ‘there is more to life than this’ that led us to this beautiful country. We are excited to learn, appreciate and absorb whatever is around us and we hope to be embraced and integrated in our new home. We just need to figure out how to grow tomatoes in our backyard!

Kate Hall

Nurse
Practitioner

With a Post Graduate Masters Degree in Nursing Science.
I qualified as a nurse in England in 1987 where I worked before travelling to India, Nepal, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. I immediately loved New Zealand, but I never thought I would end up living here! After travelling, settling down was hard to do so I taught myself French as I moved to Switzerland for a year to work as a nurse.
 
After marrying a New Zealander, we moved back to Wellington in 1993, and I have been here ever since. Whilst my children were young, I worked as a surgical nurse before moving to Tawa Medical Centre in 2014. Since then, I have enjoyed working with such a great team of people and I have recently expanded my role by completing my post graduate training and becoming a registered Nurse Practitioner.
 
Outside of work I enjoy travel, photography, running and watching football.

Amy

Paramedic

Gaye Kyne

Nurse Manager

My name is Gaye and I am the Nurse Manager at Tawa. Many of you will have seen me around Tawa as I have lived here since 1976, first with my parents and siblings then since 1983 with my husband and our family. 3 of our 5 children are currently residing overseas in Canada, Perth and London.  

Tawa Medical Centre has been my 2nd home for the last 15 years. Working and caring for my community over this time has been both a rewarding and challenging job. Outside of work hours you will see me walking my beagle around Tawa regardless of the weather.    

Vikki

Clinical Co-Ordinator

Amy

Triage Phone Nurse

Megan

Nurse

Kia Ora, my name is Megan.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing from Massey University in 2020.

I am passionate about working in Primary Health where I am able to provide both preventative health care to those who are well, and support and education for those living with long-term conditions.

On my days off I enjoy spending time with my family, movies and gardening.

Rosemary

Nurse

I qualified as a registered nurse in Christchurch in 1984.

I worked mainly as a surgical nurse prior to having some time off when we had four children.

I began work at Tawa Medical Centre in 2019. I feel priviledged to be part of this great team and enjoy the variety of practice nursing.

I enjoy spending time with my family. I like to run and go on bushwalks to keep fit.

Grace

Nurse

Malo Ni.

My name is Grace Tinielu and I am full Tokelauan. My parents migrated from Tokelau in the late 80’s.

I grew up and spent my schooling years in Porirua. I graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of nursing Pacific.

My hobbies are fishing and I love a bit of karaoke with my friends.

Keiko

Nurse

Olga

Nurse

Krishna

Community Support Worker

Kia Ora, my name is Bhargavi, but I prefer to go by Krishna.

I have completed my post graduate diploma in Health Promotion at Victoria University, Wellington. I have had several years of experience in diet counselling and promoting healthy lifestyle in my home country India.

I moved to New Zealand in 2020 and instantly fell in love with its beauty and the people. I was fascinated to know that the Maori culture share some similarities to my own culture. However, it is still a work in progress developing my knowledge of the Maori culture.

As a Community Support Worker, I strive to create a safe and non-judgmental space for individuals to explore their thoughts and emotions with compassion and respect. I believe in supporting individuals in their journey towards self-discovery, empowerment, and ultimately a more fulfilling life.

When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and exploring New Zealand with my loved ones.

Dionne Delacey

Outreach Nurse

Emma Fromings

Health Improvement Practitioner

Our Health Improvement Practitioner is a registered nurse, mother and sea swimmer. She enjoys supporting people to figure out the often small changes they might make to live more healthily and happily.
 
Book at reception for this fully funded service at no charge to you.

Sinead McCarthy

Health Improvement Practitioner

Based at Linden Surgery, available to see Tawa Medical Centre patients on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Kia ora. Ko Sinead toku ingoa.

My name is Sinead, and I grew up in Ireland. I moved to New Zealand in 2015 and quickly fell in love with this wonderful country! I love the outdoors – in particular, hiking, surfing, and swimming. I also enjoy reading and yoga. I am a registered nurse who is passionate about supporting people to improve their health and quality of life. I work collaboratively with people to create a plan that will support someone to make some small changes to improve their overall wellbeing.

Book an appointment through reception for this fully funded service.

 

Hilda

Accounts administrator

Talofa,
I was born in the beautiful island of Samoa and migrated to Aotearoa with my Family in 1995. I grew up in the suburb of Porirua.
I really enjoy working at Tawa Medical Centre and feel privileged to be a part of an amazing team and a great community.
In my spare time I enjoy hanging out with my little family, gardening and enjoying a glass of rose on the deck and enjoying the sunset.

Bridgette

Clinical Assistant

Alice

Clinical assistant

I was born in the Netherlands and moved to Nelson in 1999 soon after getting married to my kiwi husband. Prior to moving here, I have lived in the UK for a number of years working in customer service roles, mainly in the airline industry.

I joined the Tawa Medical Centre’s reception team in 2019 after moving to the Wellington region. I feel lucky to work with such a close-knit team where we all support each other.

Outside of work I spend time practicing my tenor horn and enjoy being a member of NZ’s premier brass band, Wellington Brass.

I am a mum to our son born in 2010 who keeps me busy outside of work. 

Angela Wilson

Practice Manager

I have been the Practice Manager of Linden Surgery and Tawa Medical Centre for over a decade.

It is inspiring and a pleasure to work with teams from both sites who are committed to providing the best medical care they can to the Linden and Tawa communities.

 

 

Yvette Hansen

Administrator

I have been at Tawa medical Centre for 12 years and in that time I have enjoyed helping our patients in any way I can. Being at Tawa over this long period of time has given me the opportunity to get to know our patients well and develop relationships with them. Out of work I enjoy relaxing with my husband, two adult children and extended family.

Our reception team

From left to right;

Alovale (team leader), Evet, Alex, Bridgette, Donna, Heseti.

Make an Appointment