College's top honour awarded to seven dedicated and inspiring members

Distinguished Fellowship of The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners is awarded for outstanding service to the College’s, or the Division of Rural Hospital Medicine’s, work and for making a sustained contribution to general practice, or the health and wellbeing of the community.

College President Dr Samantha Murton says, “This year’s Distinguished Fellows are inspiring GPs and rural hospital doctors who are strong advocates for their workforce, as well as the diverse needs of their communities and patients.

“These individuals have all worked tirelessly throughout their careers to improve health outcomes and reduce inequities through teaching and education, representation at a local, regional or national level, or providing specialised care in the community to those who might not otherwise be able to access it.

“Their commitment to the mahi of the College and the GP and rural hospital medicine workforce makes them all very deserving of the College’s top honour.”

At Saturday evening's Fellowship and Awards ceremony, Dr Murton had the honour of presenting seven members with Distinguished Fellowship:

Dr Tony Becker | Wairarapa

Dr Becker brings a considered and thoughtful approach to leadership but equally a willingness to learn. His ongoing commitment to supporting and mentoring the next generation of clinicians is determined and energetic.

He does this while also maintaining a full patient list and filling the clinical director role at Masterton Medical.

Whether working with colleagues or external stakeholders, Dr Becker looks to find the best outcome for all involved and truly exemplifies the core values of the College.

Dr Tony Farrell | Bay of Plenty

Dr Farrell has supported GP registrars as an in-practice educator for over 10 years and continues to provide mentoring and support for colleagues within his practice where he has worked for over 30 years.

He is a staunch advocate for supporting patients with addiction issues and started a stand-alone Primary Care opioid substitution programme including treatment of Hepatitis C. He has helped to improve the quality of care for patients and contributed to better health outcomes for some of the most vulnerable in his community.

He has served as chair of Alcohol Action NZ and is a long-term trustee of Hanmer clinic, an outpatient addiction service in Tauranga. He has been involved in advocacy and policy development with the Hepatitis C Treatment Action Group and the Hepatitis C Implementation Advisory Group.

Dr Ranche Johnson | Auckland

Dr Johnson (Ngā Puhi) has committed her career to eliminating health inequities for Māori. She has been the National Hauora Coalition’s clinical director for almost two years and has been a strong advocate within the media in addressing system-level inequities within childhood Immunisation, COVID-19 responses, and Te Aka Whai Ora.

At a College level, she has also influenced the Curriculum Review and the new Fellowship indicators to include reference to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Hauora Māori, health equity, and cultural safety. Dr Johnson has presented at Grand Rounds in the wider health community regarding cultural safety and clinical engagement with Māori patients.

As an active member of Te Akoranga a Māui, the College’s Māori representative group, she continues to demonstrate how relationships are fostered between tuakana and teina members. She has advocated for additional Fellowship Assessors to be trained to ensure that a Māori Fellowship Assessor can assess our Māori membership. At an individual level, this contributes to the growing pool of Māori Fellows who can advocate for systemic change to eliminate health inequities and ensure that our collective future is healthy and vibrant.

Dr Veronica Lamplough | Auckland

Dr Lamplough’s teaching, her work on the Medical Council’s Professional Conduct Committees and her role as a GPEP clinical examiner for many years showcases her passion for ensuring quality General Practice.

Her service and kaitiakitanga to patients, colleagues and the College is evident, ensuring issues of health equity are discussed and that cases are looked at with an equity lens. She often takes extra time in following up her patients and advocating for their health and wellbeing. She is generous in her support of colleagues and in the provision of mentoring and teaching and support for registrars and international medical graduates in her practice.

Dr Lamplough is seen as a team player, as evidenced in her role as Peer Group leader and in her time as Clinical Lead for her practice. In both roles she has created a supportive culture where there is mutual respect and collaboration.

Dr Mark Lankshear | Northland

Dr Lankshear, a committed specialist GP and rural hospital doctor, worked as the medical director for Hauora Hokianga / Hokianga Health Enterprise Trust from 2015 until 2023 and continues to be involved in maintaining high standards of care for the Trust as well as in the clinics where he works.

He maintains an interest in education and is involved in various workforce development initiatives including participation in the Rural Hospital Medicine Training Programme with Otago University. He provides expertise in the areas of de-escalation and mental health, providing on-site orientation for the 4th, 5th and 6th year students, as well as for registrars and new Kaimahi. He has also been involved in the establishment of the Takapau Wananga programme – a key rural health inter-professional programme in coalition with Auckland University.

Dr Lankshear has served on the College’s Northland faculty board, the Clinical Governance Committee of Te Tai Tokerau PHO and the Rural Service Level Alliance team.

Dr David Maplesden | Hamilton

Dr Maplesden has been a GP liaison since 2013 for the Midlands Health Network and spent 12 years in the role of the College’s chief examiner for the GPEP1 written examination, passing on the baton in 2019.

Alongside his colleague, he speaks on The New Zealand General Practice podcast on a variety of GP topics – ranging from medical conditions, experiences from the frontline and sharing perspectives.

Dr Maplesden is also passionate about quality, and for over 15 years has been serving as a medical advisor to the Health and Disability Commission (HDC) where he imparts calm and sensible advice on how to maintain our professional standards.

Dr Rory Miller | Waikato

Dr Miller is a leading researcher in the rural health space, having published multiple academic papers on improving health disparities, particularly in cardiology. He is the principal investigator on the Rural Accelerated Chest Pain pathway to reduce costs and improve health equity for rural New Zealanders.

He showcases education excellence in his role as the Director of the University of Otago’s Rural Postgraduate Programme, which includes much of the academic components of rural hospital training. His service to his local Thames and Whangamata community is well respected, as is his contribution at a national level to improve rural health inequity.