John Peters

John brings to THINK Hauora a huge amount of experience in governance and executive leadership across the health, government, and corporate sectors. He was recently made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for his services to governance and palliative care - a great recognition of the impact he’s had. 

Currently, John chairs the Nelson Tasman Hospice Operating and Investment Trust Boards, is part of the national Board of Hospice NZ, and serves on the Technology Advisory Group. He also served as Chief Executive of Nelson Marlborough DHB (2004–2012), where he led the organisation through five consecutive years of financial surpluses, all while maintaining top rankings in patient satisfaction. 

John is a strong advocate for community-based care and the role of primary care clinicians in leadership, and he’s taken on a number of interim CE roles within the health sector through his consultancy work. On top of that, his governance experience includes time as Chair of the Nelson City Council’s Audit, Risk and Finance Committee. He’s a Member of the Institute of Directors, a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management, and a registered GATEWAY Reviewer for government projects. John is now based in Horowhenua. 

John is passionate about supporting THINK Hauora’s mission to improve health and wellbeing across the MidCentral region. He’s particularly focused on equity of access, stronger health outcomes, and building strong governance through effective succession planning.