It is with great pleasure the SYHPANZ Executive Committee shares with you the exciting news that Anita Balhorn, the SYHPANZ Chairperson for the last four years, has accepted the role of SYHPANZ Director of Operations.

This is a new role, one that the Executive Committee voted for after extensive discussion due to the ongoing work and contracts that SYHPANZ had taken on to benefit Youth Health and the Youth Health Workforce. We could no longer run without a team and rely solely on volunteers to do the important mahi we want to achieve for our rangatahi.

To ensure a seamless running of SYHPANZ at this busy time it meant that our Executive Committee needed to make a quick robust decision to find a Chairperson to take Anita’s place, we were grateful to be able to find an amazing and dedicated member from within our Executive willing to step-up into the role of Chairperson, Dr Jess Allen.

Jess’s experience within the workforce and her passion for equitable care ensures she will be a steadfast Chairperson for the Executive Committee. We are incredibly grateful to Jess for taking on this additional responsibility on top of her busy work as a Paedatrician, member of the Executive, and last but not least a mom.