Dr Claire Isham, who also works as a specialist GP in Tauranga, received the honour from RNZCGP at a ceremony in Auckland on Saturday.

Dr Claire Isham, WBOPPHO’s Clinical Director and specialist GP at Ngāti Kahu Hauora ki Tauranga, has been awarded the Community Service Medal by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) at a ceremony in Auckland on Saturday 1 August 2026. The honour is presented to members who have made an outstanding contribution to the communities they serve.

Dr Isham said the recognition belonged to many. “This is a huge honour, but it doesn’t belong to me alone. Everything the College has recognised is the work of a team. Our general practice teams, our PHO kaimahi and our community partners who show up every day for whānau. I just happen to be at the forefront of it sometimes.”

The award reflects a long record of steady work across primary care in the Bay of Plenty. Through her clinical leadership, governance and commitment to equity she has helped shape services to better meet the needs of Māori, rural and high-needs communities, embedding cultural safety and whānau-centred care across delivery. At WBOPPHO, she has also led the development of integrated referral pathways and strengthened relationships between primary and secondary care, improving both access and quality across the region.

Turning to the work that matters most to her, Dr Isham pointed to the communities she serves. “I’m proudest of the outreach clinics we run as a collaboration between Ngāti Kahu Hauora and the Hauora of  Matakana and Mōtītī islands. That only happens because of the people around me and the trust of the communities we serve. This medal is really theirs to share.”

Her influence extends well beyond the region. As Chair of the Clinical Leadership Group for General Practice New Zealand (GPNZ), and through a range of other national forums and advisory groups, she has been a strong advocate for primary care and for high-needs populations in system design and funding.

She also spent ten years as part of the Forensic team at Tautoko Mai Sexual Harm Support, providing compassionate care to patients at some of the most vulnerable times in their lives. More recently, she has contributed to the Atawhai research group, helping to advance research into interpersonal violence and improve models of care and service responses.

About Dr Claire Isham

Originally from Jersey in the Channel Islands, Dr Isham has lived in New Zealand since 2003. She completed her medical training at Birmingham University in the UK and her vocational training in general practice in both the UK and New Zealand. She leads WBOPPHO’s Clinical Advisory team, which works across the organisation to enable the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based and equity-focused programmes by WBOPPHO services, general practices and the community provider network. She also works as a specialist GP at Ngāti Kahu Hauora ki Tauranga.