Interim Consumer Transition Committee (ICTC)
The ICTC provides Pharmac with input from a consumer point of view and will shape Pharmac’s future advisory function, the Community and Patient Advisory Committee (CPAC).
On this page
The Committee's role
The role of the ICTC is to give Pharmac a consumer perspective on its work. Members advise Pharmac on areas like:
- how and when it is best for Pharmac to engage with consumers on its work
- the Timely Assessment Improvement Programme and other related improvement work where consumer and patient advice is required
- the development and establishment of the CPAC.
Meeting records
Records of meetings will be made available here
Members of the Committee
Include three members from the previous Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) disestablished on 31 July 2026 and four members from the Consumer and Patient Working Group (CPWG) which ended on 30 June 2026. Members will serve on the committee for around six months, concluding when the CPAC is established in early 2027.
Members are from a range of cultures, backgrounds and ages and draw on their networks and experience to provide consumer and community perspectives to Pharmac. They have shared their bios:
Georgina Johnson (Ngati Porou, Ngati Raukawa) (Co-chair)
Georgina Johnson has more than 20 years’ experience working across government, non-government, health, community, and hapū/iwi settings. Based in Tairāwhiti, she is a Justice of the Peace and has held a range of governance and advisory roles focused on improving outcomes for whānau and communities.
Her current roles include membership of the Pharmac Consumer Advisory Committee, Te Whatu Ora National Palliative Care Steering Group, Manatū Hauora Support and Consultation for End-of-Life NZ Group, Royal Australian NZ College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists He Hono Wāhine member and recently appointed to Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora National Public Health Service Quality Sub Committee.
She also chairs the Fire and Emergency Māori Advisory Group and contributes to other organisations with a strong community and equity focus. Georgina is committed to supporting communities to access the resources, services, and support they need to strengthen health and wellbeing.
Dr Malcolm Mulholland MNZM (Ngāti Kahungunu) (Co-Chair)
Dr Mulholland is from Palmerston North and co-founded Patient Voice Aotearoa (PVA) with his late wife Wiki in 2019 to advocate for better access to medicines, after finding that the medicine she needed, Ibrance, was not funded by New Zealand’s health system.
Through PVA, several high-profile campaigns were launched by Dr Mulholland, including “The Right to Live” which presented petitions to Parliament for the funding of critical drugs for cancer, cystic fibrosis and diabetes patients. In 2023 Dr Mulholland launched the “Our Lives Matter” roadshow around NZ to raise awareness of the medicine crisis and co-facilitated the “Valuing Life NZ Medicines Access Summit” in 2024.
Dr Mulholland was named a Member of the NZ Order of Merit in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours list for his services to health and Māori. He was crowned as a Kiwibank Local Hero in 2024 for his advocacy work.
Leo Junior (LJ) Apaipo (Tainui, Kuki Airani)
LJ is from in Ōtepoti and has been involved in Ōtepoti hāpori for many years. LJ has worked extensively in Community Development and advocacy, locally and nationally, with vast experience in youth work, social services, health/mental health, addiction, and disability in central and Local Government, together with the NGO sector, in Otago and nationally.
Most recently he was Consumer Engagement Advisor, Pacific, within He Hoa Tiaki (Partners in Care) at Te Tāhū Hauora (Health Quality & Safety Commission), as well as supporting the Mental Health and Addictions programme. LJ Was the Secretary for Te Waipounamu Māori Rugby Board for their most successful years, creating opportunities for taiohi. LJ serves on Mana Pasefika (a National Pacific DPO for Mental Health Addictions & Disability) and has previously served on the Dunedin Night Shelter Trust, Pacific Trust Otago and the Ocean Grove Community Trust.
Pui-Yi Cheng
Pui-Yi has more than 10 years’ experience as a communications professional in the not-for-profit sector in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. She is currently Strategic Communications & PR Manager at Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
Pui-Yi is passionate about using storytelling for social change and providing a platform for marginalised voices to be heard, having worked with a diverse range of communities including people affected by cancer, people living with disabilities and mental health difficulties, indigenous peoples, and refugees and asylum seekers. Born in Malaysia, Pui-Yi immigrated to Aotearoa with her parents as a toddler and now calls Tāmaki Makaurau home.
Tim Edmonds
Tim lives in Auckland, has held senior leadership roles at health charities including Cure Kids, Well Foundation, and Blood Cancer NZ.
In his current roles as CEO of Blood Cancer NZ and member of the Blood Cancer Alliance, Tim works collaboratively with patient groups, clinicians, and policy makers to improve access to modern therapies and international standards of care for blood cancer patients. Tim is also the Chair of CANGO (Cancer Alliance of NGOs), an advocacy alliance of 10 prominent cancer charities representing the interests of all cancer patients.
Chris Higgins
Chris is from Wellington is CE of Rare Disorders NZ, which represents the collective voice of people living with a rare disorder and their whānau – some 300,000 New Zealanders in more than 150 disorder-specific groups.
Chris has strong relationships in the health sector and Government, having spearheaded an advocacy campaign calling on Government to urgently implement the national Rare Disorders Strategy.
Chris began as a health services researcher, then held senior manager roles in the Northland, Waikato and Lakes health boards, and leadership roles in not-for-profit organisations such as Presbyterian Support (Northern), Spectrum Care, Brain Injury Auckland, and Muscular Dystrophy NZ. He was a trustee of the Human Rights for All Trust for nearly seven years, and Chair of New Zealanders for Health Research Board for two years.
Chris has a Masters degree in Political Science, and post graduate diploma in Health Services Management.
Tracy Tierney
Tracy Tierney is Chief Executive of Epilepsy New Zealand, where she leads the organisation's work to support people living with epilepsy and their whānau to thrive. She is passionate about ensuring consumer voices and lived experience are central to health system decision-making, service design, and policy development.
Based in Christchurch, Tracy works with consumers, clinicians, community organisations, and government agencies to improve outcomes for New Zealanders affected by epilepsy. She brings extensive experience in advocacy, stakeholder engagement, strategic leadership, and cross-sector collaboration.
Prior to joining Epilepsy New Zealand, Tracy spent more than a decade in senior local government leadership roles, working closely with central government, mana whenua, and community stakeholders to address complex strategic challenges. Most recently, she was Director of the Greater Christchurch Partnership, a coalition of local government, mana whenua, and government agencies focused on collaborative solutions to regional opportunities and challenges.
Tracy brings a strong understanding of public sector decision-making and a commitment to ensuring consumer perspectives help shape effective and equitable outcomes
Who to contact
If you would like to find out more about the Consumer and Patient Advisory Committee
Email: cac@pharmac.govt.nz
Mail:
Interim Consumer Transition Committee
PO Box 10254
Wellington 6143
New Zealand