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FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES PLEASE DIAL 111

Staff Bios

Dr Andrew Fang at Hamilton East Medical Centre

Dr Andrew Fang - General Practitioner

Andrew graduated from Otago University of Medicine in 2009. He moved to Hamilton after working a couple of years in Palmerston North Hospital.
He worked a few years in Waikato Hospital mainly in the medical fields, before becoming a GP. He enjoyed this transition very much, and thinks it is the best decision he has made in his medical career.
Originally from Malaysia, Andrew is now married and has settled down in Hamilton.

Dr Asit Parekh at Hamilton East Medical Centre

Dr Asit Parekh - General Practitioner

Asit completed his medical training in India and worked in the Middle East before moving to New Zealand in 1998.  He joined Hamilton East Medical Centre in 2005 after a few years as Registrar in ENT at Waikato Hospital.
Asit has special interests in ear, nose and throat (ENT) and minor surgery.
A good listener, Asit enjoys the scope of general practice and the opportunity it provides to know the patients and help them remain well in all aspects of life.

Dr Bala Newton at Hamilton East Medical Centre

Dr Bala Newton - General Practitioner

Bala qualified in India (1987) and worked in the United Kingdom as a specialist (Obstetrics and Gynaecology). He became interested in general practice with the challenge it provides, and retrained in 2000 and worked as a GP until 2005. Bala moved to New Zealand in 2005 and worked in Putaruru and Te Awamutu before moving to Hamilton East Medical Centre. Bala enjoys preventative medicine, managing elderly patients, women and children’s health. He was involved in teaching medical students, interns and registrars. Bala is married and has two children. He enjoys tramping, sailing, cooking, gardening and playing tennis in his spare time.

Dr Bala Newton at Hamilton East Medical Centre

Dr Christina Khouri - General Practitioner

Christina was born and raised in Hamilton.  She originally trained as a clinical dietitian and worked in Auckland and Whanganui before returning to Otago University to complete her medical degree. 

 Christina graduated in 2019 and worked at Waikato Hospital before beginning her training in General Practice. 

 She has a special interest in children’s health after completing a diploma in this field.  Outside of work Christina enjoys cooking (and eating!), reading and gardening. 

Dr Dean Hannay - General Practitioner 

Originally from the UK, Dean graduated from The University of Manchester in 2015. He spent time working in England before moving to New Zealand to work at Waikato Hospital.


At the hospital, he worked in both medical and surgical fields, predominantly in general medicine and ENT. In 2020 he returned to the UK to undertake GP training (MRCGP). Having completed his UK training, Dean has since relocated back to Hamilton to settle and continue his career.

Dr Denzil Berchmans - General Practitioner 

After graduating from St. John's Medical School, Bangalore, India, Denzil worked and studied for 8 years in Singapore and achieved his degree in Family Medicine from National University of Singapore.
He worked for 4 and a half years in Paediatric Emergency before becoming a general practitioner.
In 2021 Denzil, his wife and 2 young children moved to New Zealand and spent 2 and half years in Napier before moving up to the Waikato.

He has special interests in preventative medicine, public health, paediatrics and sports medicine (which he is working towards a degree in).
In his spare time, he loves playing squash, cricket and hockey, His 2 very young children also keep him very busy.

Dr Richard Ellison at Hamilton East Medical Centre

Dr Hans Claassen - General Practitioner

Hans was born and raised in the Netherlands. He graduated from the University of Amsterdam in 2016, having gained valuable experience in the Emergency and Psychiatric Departments, before completing his General Practice training.

Working as a GP is, to him, one of the most rewarding professions. Hans feels privileged to continue his career at Hamilton East Medical Centre. He has a special interest in preventative medicine, sports medicine, and minor surgery.

Recently arrived in New Zealand with his wife and three children, he is excited to learn more about the New Zealand culture and healthcare system. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family and keeping active through trail running and cycling.

Dr Manisha Saini at Hamilton East Medical Centre

Dr Manisha Saini - General Practitioner

Manisha hails from India and did her medical training in India. She and her family have been in New Zealand since 1994 and in Hamilton since 1996.
She has been working as a general practitioner since 1999 and she has been with Hamilton East Medical Centre since 2006. She is a fellow of Royal NZ College of GP and has postgraduate qualifications in travel medicine. She provides up to date and relevant advice to travellers.  She also has particular interest in women’s health, adolescent, teenagers and children.
She enjoys holistic family medicine and other than medicine when time permits, she enjoys cooking, reading and travelling.

Dr Manisha Saini at Hamilton East Medical Centre

Dr Manju Jagadeesan - General Practitioner

After completing her primary medical training in India, Manju moved to the UK in 2002. She completed her postgraduate training in London and qualified as a GP in 2010. Since then she has worked in various practices across England. She has post graduate qualifications in dermatology, women’s health and child health nevertheless she enjoys all aspects of general practice. She moved to NZ in 2018 along with her family and loves nature trails, enjoys painting in different media in her free time. 


Dr Nishkala Pasupati at Hamilton East Medical Centre

Dr Nishkala Pasupati - General Practitioner

Nishkala was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka and has lived in New Zealand since 1988. She graduated from the University of Auckland in 1994.
Nishkala has done postgraduate training and obtained diplomas in Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She is a Fellow of New Zealand Royal College of General Practitioners and has been part of the Hamilton East Medical Centre team since 2001.
Nishkala’s special interests are in women’s health, child health, minor surgery and preventative medicine.
Her personal interests include music, reading, gardening, dressmaking, knitting, sports, cooking, travel, astrology and cultural activities – when time permits!

Dr Richard Ellison at Hamilton East Medical Centre

Dr Tina Ledingham - General Practitioner

Tina grew up in Christchurch and graduated from the University of Otago in 2007. She completed her hospital training in Auckland, which included experience as an orthopaedic registrar.

As a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, Tina has special interests in orthopaedics, musculoskeletal medicine, women’s health, paediatrics, medical education, clinical governance, and health equity. Tina is also an honorary senior lecturer at the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Waikato.

Outside of work, she is married with two children and enjoys rugby and music in her spare time.

Dr Tamatoa Blaiklock at Hamilton East Medical Centre

Dr Tamatoa Blaiklock - General Practitioner 

Tama grew up in Auckland and graduated from the Auckland Medical School in 2010. He is of Samoan/NZ European decent and has his families chief title, Vui, from his mother’s village in Samoa. He did his hospital training at Waikato Hospital where he worked for 18 months as a plastic surgery registrar. He is a fellow of the New Zealand College of General Practitioners.
His special interests include skin cancer surgery, paediatric medicine, and medical education.
Tama is married to a physiotherapist, has three young boys and a daughter.
His hobbies include weight lifting, guitar, and more recently golf (although at times this is more of a frustration than a hobby).

Dr Zig Khouri at Hamilton East Medical Centre

Dr Zig Khouri - General Practitioner 

Zig has been in general practice for over 20 years. He qualified in Otago and has worked in Hamilton since. Married to Helen, he has two children. His interests in general practice include sports medicine, dive medicine, adolescent and geriatric medicine, minor surgery and all other facets of general medical practice.
His work has included being the doctor to the Junior All Blacks, the Maori All Blacks, the Chiefs and the Waikato Rugby Teams.