Airway Leads Network
The Airway Leads Network, chaired by Dr Paul Baker, has been established to foster collaboration in airway management across New Zealand.
An Airway Lead has been identified in nearly all hospitals in New Zealand that provide anaesthetic services. The Airway Lead is an anaesthetist who promotes safe airway management within their hospital.
The Airway Leads Network was initially started in the UK following recommendations from the National Audit Project 4 (NAP 4) on airway complications (and this role was suggested many years prior by the Difficult Airway Society in 1996). Given the constantly evolving practice of airway management and introduction of new equipment, coordination is required to ensure training is kept up-to-date and that kit is appropriate to ensure optimal patient safety. Standardisation of kit within a hospital, training and audit/quality assurance are key roles which the Airway Lead will coordinate.
You can read an article about the Airway Leads Network published in the NZSA magazine here.
The Network held its first meeting for the year on 13 February 2019 and held a full day face to face meeting on 29 July. Future meetings will ideally rotate round the bigger centres – Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Inaugural Airway Leads meeting in Auckland March 2018
Airway Leads for NZ hospitals:
DHB | Hospital | Name |
Northland DHB | Whangarei Hospital | Lucy Stone |
Northland DHB | Kaitaia Hospital | Randall Cork |
Waitemata DHB | North Shore Hospital | Subita Nobre |
Auckland DHB | Auckland City Hospital | Paul Baker (Chair) |
Counties Manukau DHB | Middlemore | Jeanette Scott |
Waikato DHB | Waikato | Chris Jephcott |
BOPDHB | Tauranga Hospital | No Lead |
BOPDHB | Whakatane Hospital | Lutz Sauer |
Lakes DHB | Rotorua Hospital | Laura Kwan |
Tairawhiti DHB | Gisborne Hospital | Germanicus Malmberg |
Taranaki DHB | Taranaki Base Hospital | Charlie Brown |
HBDHB | Hawkes Bay Hospital | Allanah Scott and Sarah Phipps |
Whanganui DHB | Whanganui Hospital | Derek Barrett |
Mid Central DHB | Palmerston North Hospital | Vik Singh |
Wairarapa DHB | Wairarapa/Masterton Hospital | Chris Smith |
CCDHB | Wellington Hospital | Sheila Hart (Secretary) |
Hutt Valley DHB | Hutt Hospital | Peter Tobin |
Nelson Marlborough DHB | Nelson Hospital | Alistair Mark |
Nelson Marlborough DHB | Wairau Hospital, Blenheim | Dave Sandford |
West Coast DHB | Grey Base Hospital | Graham Roper |
Canterbury DHB | Christchurch Hospitals | Nick Abbott |
South Canterbury DHB | Timaru Hospital | Alex Khrapov |
Southern DHB | Dunedin Hospital | Chen Ong |
Southern DHB | Southland Hospital, Invercargill | Zhao Koo |
If you would like any further information regarding the Airway leads Network or have any suggestions for the members of this network please email: airwaynz@gmail.com.

Date | Meeting details | Location | Website | |
2019 | All day face to face meeting on 29 July | Wellington | ||
13-16 Nov | World Airway Management Meeting WAMM | Amsterdam | http://wamm2019.com/index.html |