Source: PHARMAC
Introducing our Consumer Relations team – responsible for ensuring Pharmac works meaningfully with consumers.
“Good engagement really matters because it helps Pharmac make decisions that genuinely reflect people’s needs,” says External Engagement team Manager, Ryan Perica.
“When we engage openly, people can see that their views matter and really do help shape what we do.”
The need for improved consumer relations was highlighted by feedback from consumer workshops held in 2024. Establishing the team was an action in Pharmac’s Reset Programme, focused on delivering meaningful change for consumers and patients.
“We have been working hard to stand up this new team, and I’m really excited to see this work come to fruition,” says Perica. “We’ve got some very skilled people on board to support stronger engagement across the organisation.”
The newly established team is made up of the Manager, External Engagement, three Principal Advisors, Consumer Relations, and an engagement coordinator who collectively bring decades of experience specialising in engagement both in New Zealand (across both the public and private sectors) and internationally.
The team will make it easier for consumer and patient representatives to work with Pharmac – ensuring interactions are transparent, empathetic and responsive.
They will facilitate day‑to‑day engagement with consumer representatives, strengthen key relationships, and ensure diverse lived‑experience informs Pharmac’s decisions.
We want consumers and staff to see us as an essential part of how Pharmac works,” says Perica. “Building strong relationships takes time – and that investment is always worth it.”
