19 Alpers Avenue
Newmarket
Auckland
NEW ZEALAND 1001

phone [+64] 09 524 5056
fax [+64] 09 524 5057

contact us

more...

- meet the dentists
- meet the staff

did you know...

Headaches and even migraines may be caused by disorders in the jaw joints. Find out more about jaw joint problems!

home : orthodontics : meet the staff

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves

Most of our staff [in December 2009] assembled for this photo. And I can tell you it's no mean feat getting a group this size together. In fact, Alison was held up and missed the photo altogether, but [thanks to the ability of Photoshop] there she is, back in the photo. Ilona [way in the back] was about to leave to become a mother, and her replacement, Natasha, is there next to Alison. In spite of all this - they are a pretty good looking lot, don't you think?

Kate is our general dental and hygiene manager. She was the mother of one of our orthodontic patients before she started working in the team. She is also one of only four of our staff born and bred in Auckland! Kate is also in charge of our Imaging section - she analyses all of our xrays.

Debra was a dental assistant in various Auckland dental offices. Debra has played badminton and tennis and golf - but now she prefers just to watch. She is also a one-eyed Auckland rugby and cricket supporter. Check out her teeth - they have recently been straightened out a bit - just shows you that ortho stuff isn't only for the kids!

Heather works with Bernard. Heather started dental assisting in the Army but you dont have to salute her when you meet her. She lived in Singapore for a while and has also worked in retail over the years. Look around our grounds - Heather is in charge of growing our trees and shrubs and she is doing a terrific job keeping the property looking just great.

Ilona - one of our Registered Orthodontic Assistants - has come all the way from Switzerland to our office. She was a dental assistant there and she also has a diploma in medical massage. Ilona has lived and worked in England, France, and Monaco and has been a bit of a world traveller. She has now settled down in Auckland [we are grateful for that!] and she married a good looking kiwi bloke in early 2009! Ilona is very popular with our orthodontic kids, and she would be happy to converse with you in English or French or German!Ilona has also sat courses and passed exams in the United States to become a Certified TMJ Assistant.

Kim first started working with us in 1997 when she moved from Seattle to Auckland with her Kiwi husband. Kim had worked with a dentist in the States who concentrated on treating TMJ disorders. And she was an very important member of the staff until she quit 10 years later as motherhood loomed. Now Kelly is 3 and Kim is back. She is working just two days a week working with John's TMJ patients.

Peter is another of our staff with an interesting background. He was born in Andover in England and came to New Zealand as a teenager. School in Papakura, then he became a dental technician trainee at Middlemore Hospital. He then worked as a dental technician in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, before joining Alpers Dental in 2008. In the 1990's Peter shifted to Sweden. Over 7 years he played music, produced 5 CDs [mainly for reiki, relaxation, and healing], became involved with alternative health therapies and sound healing, and built instruments [especially guitars and American Indian flutes]. And what instruments does he play? Acoustic and electric guitars, lakota cedar flute, occarino, pan pipes, piano, synthesisers, black flute, kantele, didgeridoo, tingshaws, lap harp - and, oh yes, he sings.
Now Peter lives on Waiheke Island with his wife and children.

Fern is another member of our dental technicians team. She grew up in Auckland and went to Avondale College before heading off to Auckland University to study biology for a while. This got a bit boring so she headed off to Agriquality to do food analysis. A couple of years later she moved on to do laboratory work for an orthodontist but after five years there she decided she wanted a change so she is now at Alpers for three days a week and spends the rest of the week doing clever laboratory work for an oral surgeon. In her spare time, Fern makes jewellry.

Marnie started with us early 2007. Prior to this move she had been a pharmacy technician in Auckland hospitals and private pharmacies for over 7 years. Since she has been with Alpers Dental, Marnie has completed her NZ Dental Association dental assistants course, and she has also completed courses in the USA on myofunctional and Buteyko therapy. Marnie is actually Alana's sister. Together they represented New Zealand in trampoline competitions singly and also together in synchronised trampoline events in New Zealand and also in Japan, Canada, the US, and Australia.

Natasha has been an Aucklander since 2001. Before then, she lived in Zimbabwe. She was born in a small town in the south of the country and grew up in Bulawayo and Harare. She thinks she is a bit of a tribal mixture with some Greek and Welsh heritage as well! At 15 she moved to New Zealand with her family and attended Massey High before going on to University of Auckland where she graduated with a BSc in psychology and biological anthropology. Natasha plays touch rugby and plays the guitar.

Kyra worked at Alpers for a couple of years after returning from being a dental assistant in the Australian Naval base in Sydney - but - don't worry - she is a Kiwi and grew up in Wanganui before moving to Auckland. While with us, Kyra qualified as an orthodontic assistant. She then took the opportunity to head to England in 2007 where she worked in London dental offices and [of course] took the opportunity to tour Europe as much as possible. And on a hill overlooking Rome, her boyfriend Mez proposed!

Catherine grew up in Leeds [and can still do a pretty good accent if you get her in the right mood]. She left school to work in a dental laboratory before becoming a chairside assistant in that city. After Catherine came to New Zealand in the mid 1980's she worked in a dental office on the North Shore before joining us many years ago - apart from John, she has been in the office longer than anyone [funny, she doesn't look that old to me!]

Erena is our hygienist. She grew up on a farm in the King Country and went to secondary school in Pio Pio. After training and working in tourism/travel, Erena decided to become a dental hygienist and went to Otago University Dental School, from where she graduated in 1999.
Erena keeps healthy by going to body building classes. Erena's father is Irish and her mother is a member of the Ngati Maniapoto sub tribe of Tainui.

Caty grew up in Orewa and, when she finished at Orewa College, she headed overseas, first to England, and later to the U.S. She worked in a bar and as an office temp in London. When not working in restaurants in Snowbird and Brighton, she was on the slopes, becoming a snowboarding star. Then for four years she missed having a summer, alternating winters in Utah and Queenstown, and perfecting her snowboard skills. Back in Auckland, Caty worked in a snowboard shop before joining Alpers Dental as a receptionist. Once she mastered the art of keeping patients happy and giving appointments at the right times, Caty moved across the building to the orthodontic area where she has become a very competent and popular clinical assistant

Christine is an Aucklander - born and bred in Pt Chevalier and school at Auckland Girls Grammar - but, apart from periods of reception type work around the city and bringing up two sons, she could be considered really from the north. Christine was a farmer's wife in the Hokianga for 15 years where she rode horses, mustered cattle, and appeared on Country Calendar. She was a stock agents clerk at stock sales for several years and also owned a cafe in the small settlement of Okaihau. She was also the deputy family court registrar in Kaikohe for over three years. Christine now features as one of our front desk receptionists where her calm manner and smile make her popular with staff and patients

Louise grew up in Auckland, attending Kelston Girls. She left school and spent time in accounts / retail before heading to London for her OE. There she was involved in personnel consulting. Back in Auckland, Louise set up a temp agency, was involved with network marketing, and was a supervisor for BNZ credit cards. She was also a teacher aide at Glendowie and Sacred Heart for children with special needs. Louise used to do lots of tramping. She was a St Johns nurse for 10 years, and was involved in both ballet and in Girls Brigade for 14 years. She now does lots of gardening and she also plays the guitar.