Tōtara
Pegasus Health Pānui
Mahuru | September 2026
Putanga | Issue 11
Welcome to Tōtara Pegasus Health Pānui Pegasus House stands on land which was previously a dense Tōtara forest. The name Tōtara honours our home’s past. Just like the Tōtara tree thrives in the forest, soaring towards the sky and Ranginui, we create this newsletter with the aim of highlighting excellence in primary care and to support others to similarly flourish and strengthen. Each issue of Tōtara Pegasus Health Pānui features stories, interviews, and new initiatives from across Waitaha Canterbury.
If you have a story, you would like our team to cover, please email communication@pegasus.health.nz. Tōtara Pegasus Health Pānui is produced by the Communications Team at Pegasus Health. Content within Tōtara Pegasus Health Pānui has been included with the approval of content providers. If you wish to reproduce, alter, or transmit any of the information or images contained within, please contact communication@pegasus.health.nz.
Who we are Pegasus Health (Charitable) Ltd is one of the Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest and most progressive PHOs and practice networks, supporting general practice in Waitaha Canterbury and the health system throughout the South Island. At our core we exist to support practices – and through this to help provide better health o utcomes to people living in Waitaha. Our purpose is by 2030, the health outcomes for people in our takiwā have improved substantially with a
significant reduction in inequities in access and outcomes. Our values of Inclusive, Strive, Connection, and Integrity, are underpinned by our guiding principle of Manaakitanga, to create the fabric of our ways of being as an organisation. Pegasus has a commitment to ensure that we overtly, purposefully, and strategically thread equity and Te Tiriti o Waitangi through all we do and how we operate.
Te rārangi take Contents
A message from Kim Sinclair-Morris Manukura | CEO
4
Winter Wellness initiative supports immunisation and heart health
5
Clinical Advisor: Dr David Pilbrow
6
Practice managers find support over coffee
7
Scholarships celebrate 25 years of supporting future health leaders
8
Clinical Connect Canterbury Impact Report 2025
10
Practice Managers attend coffee group for connection and peer support.
Cashel Health Registered Nurse, Melissa Sheridan.
Recipients of the 2026 Pegasus Health Workforce Development Scholarship. Tōtara Mahuru 2026 - Page 3
A message from Kim Sinclair-Morris Manukura | CEO Kia ora koutou, Improving health outcomes is about much more than what happens in a consultation room. It is also about making care easier to reach, supporting the people who keep general practice running, and building a workforce that reflects and understands the communities it serves. Several stories in this issue show what that can look like in practice. Cashel Health Centre’s Winter Wellness initiative combines cardiovascular risk assessment with flu vaccination, making preventative care more accessible for people who may otherwise miss out.
A workforce that better reflects our communities can strengthen trust, understanding and the way services respond to people. Pegasus is proud to play different roles in these examples, whether supporting a practice-led idea, bringing people together, sharing expertise or investing in the future workforce. Together, they reflect a key part of our role: helping reduce barriers and strengthen primary care so it can respond well to the people and communities it serves. Ngā mihi nui, Kim Sinclair-Morris Manukura | CEO Pegasus Health (Charitable) Ltd.
Support within general practice matters too, particularly for those responsible for keeping practices running day to day. The Practice Manager Coffee Group gives practice managers a place to share challenges, learn from others and build connections with people who understand the realities of the role. Dr David Pilbrow’s work with our Practice Enablement team reflects a similar approach, drawing on practical experience to support practices facing similar challenges. Clinical Connect extends that idea further, giving clinicians access to shared learning, peer support and practical knowledge that can strengthen care across practices. There is also a longer-term dimension. Twenty-five years of the Pegasus Workforce Development Scholarship prove the value of creating pathways into health and social service careers. Tōtara Mahuru 2026 - Page 4
Winter Wellness initiative supports immunisation and heart health A new Winter Wellness initiative at Cashel Health Centre is helping higher-risk patients access immunisations and heart health checks in a single, free appointment. The initiative offers free 15-minute nurse appointments for eligible patients, including Māori, Pacific Peoples, Southeast Asian patients, and people with a family history of heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, or stroke. Each appointment offers a cardiovascular disease risk assessment (CVDRA) which includes a blood test, blood pressure check, and height and weight measurements, alongside a flu vaccination. Blood testing is completed on site for patients with mobility challenges. Patients are booked for a follow-up appointment with a health coach to discuss their results and receive practical advice on healthy lifestyle changes.
its overdue CVDRA population by 56%, with three weeks of the campaign still remaining. ‘We’ve had patients outside the funded group asking whether they could book and pay for a Winter Wellness check because they valued the concept so highly,” Practice Manager, Penny Case, said. Pegasus Health supported Cashel Health Centre to deliver the initiative through funding for practice-led heart health projects and tailored guidance from Kaitūhono Manawa Ora – Heart Health Connector, Koral Fitzgerald. The Winter Wellness initiative shows how innovative approaches to care can improve patient engagement, support preventative health, and help practices reach people who may benefit most from early support.
The practice wanted to make preventative heart health care more accessible for its patients. “Our population is from a predominantly low socioeconomic background, so we wanted to pair CVDRA with something patients were already coming in for,” Registered Nurse, Melissa Sheridan, said. Eligible patients were proactively contacted by text, and those attending also received a free winter wellness goodie bag with personal hygiene items. Uptake has been strong, with the practice recording its highest flu immunisation uptake and reducing
Tōtara Mahuru 2026 - Page 5
Clinical Leader: Dr David Pilbrow That experience now informs the advice David offers other practices. Rather than arriving with a prescribed solution, the Practice Enablement model creates an opportunity to work through problems with people who understand both the operational pressures and the clinical consequences.
Dr David Pilbrow is a general practitioner (GP) and practice owner with more than 20 years’ experience in general practice. As Clinical Lead to the Pegasus Health Practice Enablement team, he works alongside Practice Relationship Managers, bringing a practising GP’s perspective to the challenges facing practices across the network. It is a role grounded as much in experience as in expertise. “Sometimes practices want to talk directly to a GP or someone who works in a practice,” David said. “Because I’m a practice owner and a GP, I see many of the same problems they see.” In 2010 and 2011, his own practice worked with the Pegasus Practice Enablement team to change its model of care. The practice made greater use of capitation funding, changed how it managed acute care and long-term conditions, and reduced emergency department attendances by 50 percent. “We wouldn’t have actually done it properly if we hadn’t had their support,” he said.
David also draws on ideas shared through Pegasus’s Clinical Improvement Peer Group, where practices discuss approaches to recurring challenges including triage, acute care, nursing workflows and care planning. What works in one practice can then inform conversations with others facing similar problems. For David, that exchange is particularly important in a profession where teams can easily find themselves solving difficult problems on their own. “General practice can be really isolated,” he said. “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. It’s about sharing what works with other practices.” His clinical work with Pegasus reflects a broader contribution to the organisation. David was recently appointed to the Pegasus Health (Charitable) Ltd Board, bringing to the role his experience as a GP and practice owner and his understanding of the pressures facing practices, patients and whānau. However, his work with the Practice Enablement team remains rooted in the day-to-day realities of general practice, listening to what practices are experiencing, sharing what others have learned and helping teams find practical ways forward.
Tōtara Mahuru 2026 - Page 6
Practice managers find support over coffee
L-R Karyn Doherty - Barrington Medical Centre, Christine Stewart - Innes Road Medical Rooms, Bethany Jones - Qestral Health Hub, Penny Case – Cashel Health Centre, and Ellen Entwistle – Hornby Medical Centre. Being a practice manager is a demanding, and at times, isolating role. Practice managers carry responsibility for operations, compliance, staff support, and the systems needed to help practices deliver care.
“It’s really nice to be amongst other practice managers. It can be a lonely job at times, and it’s great to talk through shared challenges,” she said. “You wear 600 hats as a practice manager. You need to be able to get support from others.”
To help practice managers connect, share experiences, and learn from one another, the Pegasus Health Practice Enablement Team launched the Practice Manager Coffee Group in 2024. The group meets quarterly and gives practice managers space to talk about successes and challenges, share ideas, and build relationships.
For Innes Road Medical Rooms Practice Manager, Christine Stewart, connections have continued outside the meetings.
Originally created for new practice managers, the group has now grown to also include those more established in the role.
The Practice Manager Coffee Group is one of the ways the Practice Enablement Team supports practice managers across Waitaha Canterbury. Practice managers needing support, or interested in joining the coffee group, can contact their Practice Relationship Manager.
Hornby Medical Centre Practice Manager, Ellen Entwistle, finds the group a valuable way to connect with people who understand the realities of the job.
“If I have a question or want to get a different perspective, I will get in touch with the others from the group,” she said.
Tōtara Mahuru 2026 - Page 7
Scholarships celebrate 25 years of supporting future health leaders For 25 years, Pegasus Health’s Workforce Development Scholarships have helped people enter health and social service careers, supporting a workforce that better reflects the communities it serves. The 2026 awards brought together recipients, whānau, alumni and community leaders to celebrate the latest scholarship recipients and the programme’s wider impact across Waitaha Canterbury. Former recipient Toleafoa Malu Tulia, now Regional Manager Canterbury at Vaka Tautua, received a scholarship in 2009 while completing a diploma in mental health. She told recipients the support had provided more than financial assistance. “When I received this scholarship, it meant I could focus on my study. It pushed me to finish because someone believed in me,” she said.
Pegasus Health Chief Executive Kim Sinclair-Morris said the anniversary highlighted the scholarships’ enduring impact on individuals and communities. “Over 25 years, these scholarships have supported people to step into health careers, continue their studies, serve their communities and inspire others to follow,” she said. The scholarships reflect Pegasus Health’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to supporting Māori, Pacific and culturally and linguistically diverse workforce development. The 2026 recipients now join a generation of scholarship alumni whose skills, experience and cultural knowledge are helping shape the future of health and social services.
Many recipients combine study with employment, clinical placements, family and caregiving responsibilities. For some, the goal is not only to build a career, but to become a role model for their whānau and community. Hisham Eldai, Engagement Specialist at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, said a health workforce that reflects the people it serves can strengthen trust and improve care. “A diverse workforce helps people feel seen. It helps families ask questions they might not otherwise ask and helps build services that are responsive to the needs of the people,” he said. Toleafoa Malu Tulia delivers her keynote speech. Tōtara Mahuru 2026 Tōtara Hui-tanguru 2025--Page Page811
Jack Clough, Ngāi Tahu Bachelor of Medicine Ruby Wilson, Ngāi Tahu (Ngāti Ruahikihiki) Bachelor of Nursing Anika Gates, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Hauiti, Whanganui, Te Whakatōhea Bachelor of Social Work Maioha Haimona-Ngawharau Taleni, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Awa, Tainui, Te Arawa Bachelor of Medicine Emma-Jane Hepi, Ngāti Wai Bachelor of Midwifery Meleuini Winnie Tufui, Tongan Bachelor of Medical Imaging Tumama Tulia, Samoan Bachelor of Social Work Meleane Ulugia, Samoan Bachelor of Osteopathy Patricia Puni, Samoan Bachelor of Nursing Virginia Tominiko Lelevaga, Samoan Bachelor of Nursing Forough Ebrahimzadeh, Iranian Master of Nursing Science
Kisanet Fessehaye Zere accepts her scholarship
Sally Wang, Chinese Bachelor of Nursing
Kisanet Fessehaye Zere, Eritrean Bachelor of Medical Imaging
Leila Mohebbi, Afghan Bachelor of Nursing
Laura-Adriana Stan, Romanian Bachelor of Social Work
Tōtara Here-turi-kōkā 2026 - Page 9
Clinical Connect Canterbury Impact Report 2025 The Clinical Connect Canterbury Impact Report 2025 highlights the programme’s reach, impact and achievements over the past year. Highlights from 2025 Key findings from the report include: • 94% of clinicians reported that the programme improved their clinical decision-making. • 97% of clinicians reported that Clinical Connect provides a safe space to connect with peers. • Clinical Connect supported best-practice care through improved screening, referrals and management of long-term conditions. • Clinicians from 97% of Canterbury general practices attended at least one session in 2025. • Sessions received an average overall quality rating of 4.7 out of 5. Clinical Connect continues to strengthen workforce resilience by fostering peer connection, shared learning and team-based care across Canterbury. Sustained engagement
from clinicians across primary care reflects the value of opportunities to learn together, collaborate and support improved health outcomes for communities. Looking ahead to Te Waipounamu The next phase of the programme will build on the strong foundations established in Canterbury through the Te Waipounamu programme. This expansion will strengthen connections between clinicians across the South Island, support equitable access to education and peer learning, and create new opportunities for collaboration across regions. By connecting clinicians and enabling knowledge and experience to be shared more widely, the Te Waipounamu programme will support ongoing learning, stronger professional networks and improved health outcomes for patients and whānau throughout the South Island.
Tōtara Mahuru 2026 - Page 10
We want your feedback If you have feedback on this issue or would like to share a suggestion for a story in our next issue please contact communication@pegasus.health.nz. Tōtara Pegasus Health Pānui is produced by the Communications Team at Pegasus Health. Content within Tōtara Pegasus Health Pānui has been included with the approval of content providers.
If you wish to reproduce or alter and transmit any of the information or images contained within, please contact communication@pegasus.health.nz.
Contact us Phone: +64 3 379 1739 401 Madras Street Christchurch 8013 New Zealand