Tāmaki Hands was established by Elaine in 2011, in the Mt Wellington Integrated Health Centre, to provide Hand Therapy to the local area. As demand grew, we re-located to our purpose-built premises in Sylvia Park 2015.
Meet the Tāmaki Hands team below.
Director, Registered Hand Therapist
Elaine has many years’ experience as a Hand Therapist in both the UK and New Zealand. She graduated as a physiotherapist in Edinburgh 1988 and started her life-long learning in Hands in 1996 at the Royal United Hospital, Bath. Here, she developed the Physiotherapy Hand Service while providing in-house and external teaching. In 2003 she became a Hand Specialist, working alongside the Hand Surgeons in elective and trauma clinics. Elaine & her young family moved to Auckland in 2006. She worked in a private hand clinic until 2011 and was a guest lecturer and examiner at the AUT Hand and Upper Limb Therapy post-graduate paper until 2016. Elaine became a Certified Hand Therapist (USA) in 2008 and a New Zealand Registered Hand Therapist in 2009. From 2011 to 2020 she shared her time between Tāmaki Hands and the Counties Manukau Super Clinic, where she was also the lead investigator in a 3-year clinical research project comparing rehabilitation methods following thumb tendon surgery. Elaine is now solely at Tāmaki Hands and continues as an examiner at the AUT Hand and Upper Limb Therapy post-graduate paper.
Registered Hand Therapist
Steph is a New Zealand registered Hand Therapist and Physiotherapist having graduated from the University of Otago in 2008. She initially worked as a physiotherapist at Counties Manukau Health in Middlemore Hospital and started hand therapy while at the Manukau SuperClinic in 2011. Steph then travelled overseas to both UK and Cambodia from 2013 to 2016. In the UK she was part of the hand therapy team at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, and in Cambodia she covered all areas of physiotherapy from musculoskeletal to neurological conditions. Since returning to New Zealand in 2016, Steph has been working entirely in hand therapy, in both public and private clinics. She completed her Post Graduate Certificate in Health Science and gained her Registered Hand Therapist status in 2018. Currently she works between Tamaki Hands and Middlemore’s burns and plastics unit. Outside of work she enjoys walking and spending time with family and friends. Steph can also speak conversational Cambodian (Khmer).
Registered Hand Therapist
Greg is a New Zealand registered Hand Therapist and Physiotherapist. He completed his Physiotherapy degree at the University of Otago in 2005, and then went on to complete his Masters in 2011. He initially worked in musculoskeletal and sports physiotherapy, including being the physiotherapist for the Otago Volts cricket team and Otago Nuggets Basketball team. He has also worked in clinical education, at the School of Physiotherapy at Otago University. Here he supervised undergraduate and post graduate physiotherapy students on their clinical placements, as well as working in the university clinic. In 2020 while living in Melbourne he developed an interest in hand therapy following his own hand injury. Since then, he has worked full time in hand therapy in both NZ and Australia. He has experience in both private and public setting. Outside of work he enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, surfing and is a keen basketball fan.
Associate Hand Therapist
Helen is a New Zealand registered physiotherapist and associate hand therapist. After graduating from AUT in 2001, she has been working in private practice treating a wide range of general musculoskeletal injuries. Helen also has experience in elderly rehabilitation, as well as working with local sports teams and students in colleges. She undertook the Hands and Upper Limb paper at AUT, completing her Post Graduate Certificate in Health Science in 2022, then joined the team at Tamaki Hands in early 2023 to pursue her interest in hand therapy. Helen has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and brings this experience into her hand therapy practice. Helen is also fluent in Cantonese.
Associate Hand Therapist
Nicola is a New Zealand registered physiotherapist and associate hand therapist. In 1996, Nicola graduated as a physiotherapist from the University of Pretoria, in South Africa, and has worked in South Africa, Canada, America and now New Zealand. Her area of expertise is in major trauma, treating clients from initial injury through return to work. In the late 1990’s, Nicola developed an interest in treating hand patients while working in a Gold Mining hospital in South Africa. She is excited to now be pursuing her passion for hand therapy, fulltime.
To be close to family, Nicola and her husband immigrated to New Zealand in 2018. She is passionate about empowering her clients so that they can get the most out of life. In her spare time, Nicola enjoys crafts, particularly making quilled greeting cards.
Nicola is also fluent in Afrikaans.
Administration
Martine is the friendly face you see at the front desk. She manages our bookings, enquiries, phone calls, paperwork and the countless other tasks to keep our office running smoothly. In her spare time, Martine enjoys watching sports especially tennis, music, quiz nights, baking, reading and going on roadies to soak up New Zealand’s breath-taking views. Martine always looks forward to speaking with you and booking your next appointment.
Our professional registrations:
We donate to St John