Presenters
Dr Orna McGinn
Orna is a UK‑trained GP who moved to Aotearoa in 2011 and now works as Primary Care Women’s Health Clinical Fellow at the University of Auckland. With a strong national profile, Orna is well known for her work in women’s health, medical education, research, and advocacy. She brings a sharp clinical mind, warmth, humour, and a gift for connecting people and ideas to make primary care work better
Numbers are limited
Supported by
Nelson Bays Primary Health
RNCGP
NZ Nursing Council
Learning objectives
What does it really mean to speak up for primary care - and when is it worth the risk?
Orna shares her journey as a GP (and self‑confessed chronic “bear‑poker”) who has found her why among the challenges of primary care.
This thought‑provoking session moves from why to how:
How storytelling and writing shape the narrative
How relationships and coalitions build influence
How initiatives like NZWIM have grown into powerful collective voices
Together, explore what effective advocacy looks like in our small, interconnected health system - when to push, when to pause, and when to drop the bone.
And finally: after the why and the how - what now?
A reminder that clinicians often have more impact than they realise.