Pete Watson Email & Phone Number

Pete has over 25 years experience as a specialist medical practitioner and medical leader. Pete is an authentic transparent leader who honours Te Tiriiti o Waitangi working in partnership with iwi, hapu and whanau to improve health outcomes for all. Pete has a wide range of specialist clinical, health executive, operational and strategic skills and is outcomes focused, tackling complex health sector challenges with energy, experience and expertise delivering results that make a meaningful difference.First working as a Consultant Paediatrician Pete developed a specialist practice in Adolescent Medicine and Youth Health holding academic, clinical and leadership roles at the School of Medicine, University of Auckland and at Middlemore Hospital, Counties Manukau Health. Pete was the initial Principal Investigator for the Youth2000 the first national school survey of 10,000 students in 2001. Pete led the development of numerous youth health sector strategies and initiatives and provided expert youth health and development advice to Government, NGOs, philanthropic organisations and researchers.Pete then moved into Child and Adolescent/Youth Mental Health moving onto lead as the Clinical Director for Counties-Manukau Health Mental Health & Addiction Services. Pete played key roles in developing and implementing national suicide prevention strategies, regional youth mental health initiatives and local state of the art acute adult inpatient facilities.Following a year of working in Wellington as a clinical advisor to the Ministry of Health, Pete stepped into the Counties Manukau Chief Medical Officer role. Within the first week of this role Pete was a part of the local and national leadership team that responded to the Whakaari White Island disaster. A few months later COVID-19 emerged and Pete became a key clinical lead of the pandemic response. Pete provided the clinical leadership to setting up Managed Isolation and Quarantine as well as the development of many hospital and community pandemic responses.Pete's leadership within the Counties Manukau DHB saw him take up the deputy CEO then the acting CEO roles. On July 1 2022 Pete took on the inaugural national clinical leader role for Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand. Pete completed 12 months in this role reporting to the Chief Executive and working alongside the new national executive team, the Ministers office and providing the national professional and clinical governance leadership to a clinical workforce of over 50,000 doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.