Our team

Dr Janine Bycroft

MBChB, Dip Obs, Dip Paeds, MPH (Hons), FRNZCGP (Dist)

Chief executive officer and editor in chief

Janine is the founder and CEO for the Health Navigator Charitable Trust that owns this website. She is also a GP, and clinical lead at ProCare Health for Hēre Toitu, a project with the Ministry of Social Development. Her areas of interest include collaborative care, care planning, self-management support, quality improvement, chronic care, digital health, health literacy and integrated care. She is involved with a number of projects to improve long-term condition management at a local, regional and national level and often presents at various forums. This includes being a member of the national PHO Clinical Leads group, the National Telehealth Strategic Advisory Board, and the Whakarongorau/National Telehealth Service Clinical Governance Committee.

Claire Budge

BA, MA, PhD

Editorial manager

Claire has spent many years as a health researcher and has published in a wide range of journals. She is particularly interested in people’s experiences of living with long-term conditions. As a content writer for Health Navigator NZ she aims to provide information to help all people in Aotearoa understand and manage their health better, thus enhancing their wellbeing and quality of life. When not at her desk Claire can be found walking, gardening, singing and paper marbling.

Rochelle Doyle

NZDipBusMngt, NZIMCertMngt, NZDipBusMktg, NZDipBusTsm, NZCertReo(L4)

Operations manager

Rochelle's role as operations manager is the glue that binds the team together and ensures we all work optimally, within our strengths, to improve the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders. She brings extensive team management experience (in local government, IT and BA teams across Australasia and within the charitable sector) and business and management skills and qualifications plus a genuine, lived-out love for community. Rochelle loves exploring new places, enjoying local Coromandel beaches, getting behind a camera, getting her head in the garden or her nose in a book. Her family, music and making beautiful things are what lift her soul.

Susie Hill 

BSc Physiology, Certificate in Journalism, NZCS (paramedical)

Communications director, WOVEN manager

Susie is the communications director and Whānau Ora Voices of Experience Network manager for Health Navigator Charitable Trust. Our resident brand stylist, her role is to make sure we put our best foot forward by overseeing external projects, managing media relations and generally championing our brand. A qualified journalist, experienced writer, editor and business manager, she advises the CEO on business development opportunities and runs her own communications company. With a finely-tuned radar for signs of stress, she strives to keep her life in balance through a healthy diet, lots of gym and cardio exercise, and a bit of mindfulness. Her motto is moderation in all things, including moderation.

Karōria Johns

Partnerships and community development lead

Karōria is passionate about health being reframed as wellbeing and addressing physical health as one area of many that contribute to an individual's holistic health. Other determinants (her preferred resource for this is Te Wheke by Dr Rangimarie Rose Pere) must be examined to enable wellbeing to flourish for Māori people, whānau and communities. She says embracing Māori models of care and whānau perspectives will benefit the system as a whole for both workers and consumers, while simultaneously ensuring intergenerational traumas are addressed and resolved. She believes this work will be transformational.

Jess Kelso

BPhEd: Exercise and Sport Sciences and Exercise Prescription & Management

Project manager

Jess is the project lead for pr rangatahi health platform pilot and National Health Content Hub, a collaborative venture with KidsHealth and the Canterbury District Health Board. Jess brings change and project management experience at various NGOs and PHOs in Canterbury and Auckland. She's passionate about improving the health, happiness and wellbeing of our communities by developing services or systems that enable better understanding, access and care. Jess’s personal life reflects the value she puts on being healthy and active, whereby she enjoys running, cooking and baking, beaches and walking – as well as trying to keep up with her busy young son!

Jeneffer Navarrete 

BSc Information and Technology (BSIT), Microsoft Certified Professional

Project coordinator

Jeneffer is the web and project coordinator, working across different projects for Health Navigator NZ. Always willing to lend a hand, she provides all-round support for the team, keeping the ball rolling on those essential IT, web and admin tasks, coordinating projects and assisting where needed. 

Maya Patel

MPharm, PG Dip ClinPharm

Medical writer

Maya is a writer and medicines information specialist whose dream is to achieve health equity in Aotearoa New Zealand. She's passionate about providing accurate, clear and up-to-date information. A trained pharmacist, Maya was persuaded by a bunch of friendly developers to follow her love of data and coding, which led to her work as an analyst in population health. In her spare time, she can be found tramping through dense bush, resetting pest traps to protect our beautiful taonga for a predator-free Aotearoa, campaigning for kōkako to be bird of the year again and riding her motorbike. She always has time to chat about cycling and native trees.

Sandra Ponen

B Pharm, Master of Public Health (MPH), PG Dip (Computing)

Pharmacist and senior medical writer

Sandra is the medications clinical lead and health app library manager for Health Navigator NZ. An experienced pharmacist with a keen eye for detail, she meticulously curates our medicine-related resources, including web pages, videos and brochures. She also manages the increasingly popular health app library and is instrumental in ensuring all apps are clinically reviewed and regularly updated. She fills her self-care bucket by spending time with family and friends and also enjoys tramping/walking, gardening, listening to music and doing crosswords.

Merle Samuels

Māori cultural advisor

Merle is the trust's Māori cultural advisor. Her whakapapa is Ngai-te-rangi (Katikati, Western Bay of Plenty). She is motivated by helping to make a difference in people’s lives and to provide input from a Māori perspective. She supports a holistic approach to healthcare, where family/whānau, physical, spiritual and mental wellness are considered together. She has roles as a patient/consumer advocate, Māori cultural advisor, Stanford self-management facilitator and master trainer of self-management education.  

Renee Schick

BA (hons), GradDip Marketing, MLIS

Content and marketing specialist

Renee is an information management and design professional with a passion for creating content that supports health literacy in Aotearoa New Zealand. She is part of the writing and communication teams for Health Navigator. She  manages our newsletters and social media. When not ferrying her children around to their many after school activities, she enjoys painting and pretending that she likes to exercise. As a trained librarian, she loves nothing more than immersing herself in a good book and encouraging others to find a passion for reading.

Sarah Travaglia

NZRCN, Dip Comp.Nursing, Dip Mgmt Studies, Dip Health (Case Mgmt), Certified Change Mgmt Practitioner (APMG International)

Project manager

Sarah's role as project manager encompasses several projects: The National Content Hub, the NZ App Library and the Digital Health and Wellness Accreditation Pathway development. Sarah comes to Health Navigator as a consultant with extensive experience in the health and disability sector. She has worked in executive management across a range of allied health arenas and was also the Regional Co-Project Director for the Integrated Primary Mental Health and Addiction Service role out in the Metro Auckland Region. Sarah’s experience also includes governance, having sat on several boards in the disability sector. She’s passionate about health and wellness and, in particular, gaining better access and equity for people.

Stephanie Zajkowski

BA Educ.

Website manager

Having worked for major media companies across Aotearoa and internationally, Steph brings broad expertise in content creation, digital content management, website CMS, analytics and project management. Steph also writes, directs/produces and video-edits creative content. In her spare time, Steph enjoys fitness, cycling, adventures and exploring the country with family and friends. She is known for her speed-reading abilities and always has a book on the go.

DISCLAIMER: Health Navigator NZ is intended to provide general advice only. If you have any medical concerns, you should see your doctor. Health Navigator NZ information has been selected from a variety of consumer health resources and countries, therefore it is likely there will be some variations. All medical information needs to be carefully reviewed with your healthcare provider. Learn more about where to get medical help.