About Us
Committee
Anne McMahon
Chair person
Moving and Handling Consultant – Auckland
Reason for joining the committee:
To create and develop a professional forum for this very under resourced science in New Zealand. I have worked in a Moving and Handling focused culture before and have experienced the benefits it can bring for healthcare providers and receivers alike. As we do not yet have the legislation, MoH directives or treasury funding to really embed this, it is up to us the healthcare professionals to get the ball rolling. We do very difficult jobs and this is one area that risk can really be reduced for our patients and us.
Eleanor Barrett
Treasurer
Moving and Handling Advisor - Wellington
Reason for joining the committee:
To create and develop a professional forum for this very under resourced science in New Zealand. I have worked in a Moving and Handling focused culture before and have experienced the benefits it can bring for healthcare providers and receivers alike. As we do not yet have the legislation, MoH directives or treasury funding to really embed this, it is up to us the healthcare professionals to get the ball rolling. We do very difficult jobs and this is one area that risk can really be reduced for our patients and us.
Patron
Michelle A’Court
Website: www.micheleacourt.com
MHANZ Patron
Winner of “Female Comedian of the Decade” at the 2010 NZ Comedy Guild Awards, Michèle A’Court is a stand-up comedian, freelance writer and best-selling author. Michèle is the Patron of the Moving & Handling Association of NZ (MHANZ) which cares for carers in the health sector. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity, and a Life Member of the NZ Comedy Guild. more about Michèle
Life and Honorary Members
David R Thomas
David Thomas is Emeritus Professor in Social and Community Health at the University of Auckland. His academic career was in Psychology, Social Sciences and Public Health. Before he retired, he taught postgraduate courses in public health covering research methods and evaluation. Areas of research involvement include evaluation of health and education services and included several injury prevention programmes. His publications include 67 articles published in research journals, multiple book chapters and three books. He is a Fellow of the New Zealand Psychological Society. David coordinated the writing of Moving and Handling People: The New Zealand Guidelines published by ACC in 2012, and another ACC-funded project, Guidelines for Moving and Handling People in Home Care, completed in 2012. His involvement in the ACC-funded projects, led him to write a review paper; Interventions to reduce injuries when transferring patients: A critical appraisal of reviews and a realist synthesis, which was published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies in 2014. He is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Safe Patient Handling and Mobility. His publications and reports are available at: www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Thomas11
Sian Gaunt
Ann Newsom
Physiotherapist and Moving and Handling Trainer/ Advisor Therapy Professionals
Post Grad certificate in Health Sciences, Occupational Health Physiotherapy and Clinical Teaching
“I have had a special interest in Moving and Handling for many years. I am passionate about promoting safe practice for nurses/careers and patients. My enthusiasm increased after attending the Inaugural AAMHP (Australian Association for the Manual Handling of People) conference in Adelaide in 2003. This continued with their conferences in Brisbane and Melbourne. A highlight was helping to establish MHANZ (Moving and handling Association of New Zealand) in 2009 and a joint conference with AAMHP. More recently I have been working and running training programmes in Aged Care Facilities and in the Disability sector. I was also responsible for establishing the Canterbury Regional Group and chairing it until last year
Now that I am nearing retirement I would like to act as a resource person and pass on my knowledge to people new to the area. I will also continue to have an interest in MHANZ and the dedicated people who belong to it”
