I joined Tend in June 2025 as a GP and Group Clinical Director for the Bay of Plenty, and I know that joining a large organisation can feel like a step into the unknown. So I want to share honestly
what it is really like to be part of this team.
Yes, Tend is a large organisation. But it is an organisation that genuinely lives by its purpose. Tend was founded with a vision to transform healthcare for current and future generations, and that shows up every day in two ways: a real commitment to equitable, accessible care for patients, and an equally real commitment to looking after the people who deliver it. Tend understands that a sustainable business is built by caring for the teams within it, and you feel that.
Tend is an innovator, using technology to improve the experience of both patients and clinicians. It is also a collaborator. Your opinion is wanted and your voice is heard, from frontline teams through to the executive. Everyone, from the CEO to contractors, is expected to live up to our values, our Tendencies, and they do. I remember my first visit to the head office, when I met our Co-CEO, Cecilia Robinson. She was polishing the office windows and vacuuming the floor, simply part of the team. That humility has stayed with me.
People here are valued for what they bring, and contributions are openly celebrated across the whole company. There is a genuine sense of fairness. I have worked in small GP owned practices and in large corporations, and Tend is the first place I have found where scale and values truly sit together. Not everything always goes to plan, and Tend is not afraid to acknowledge that and change direction when needed. That honesty matters.
I can also speak personally. Since my cancer diagnosis, Tend has looked after me with flexibility, generosity and real care. It is one thing to read an organisation's values on a website; it is another to feel them when life gets hard. There is collaboration across Tend clinics nationwide, and despite our size it feels like a family rather than a corporate organisation. I am proud of being part of this team.