About the SVH Team

JK Wicks

MBChB (Otago), FRACS (General Surgery), FRACS (Vascular).

Wellington Clinic

Dr Wicks grew up in Wellington.  His parents moved to New Zealand from Sri Lanka.  His father was a GP in Lower Hutt for 40 years.  Education was an important priority in the Wicks household and both Dr Wicks’ brothers are also surgeons in Wellington.  Dr Wicks graduated from the University of Otago, following this he worked as a house surgeon in Wellington and Auckland.  Dr Wicks then pursued a fellowship in General Surgery followed by a fellowship in Vascular Surgery.  The training for both fellowships took him all around New Zealand and Australia. Dr Wicks is currently the President of the Vascular Society of New Zealand (VSNZ) and a member of the executive of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Vascular Surgery (ANZSVS). He is a Clinical Senior Lecturer, Department of Surgery & Anaesthesia, University of Otago, Wellington and from January 2020 he is the Capital and Coast District Health Board’s Vascular Clinical Leader. 

Dr Wicks is a busy husband and father and enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports and the piano.

Lupe Taumoepeau

MBChB (Auckland) , FRACS (Vascular).

Wellington Clinic

Dr Lupe was born and raised in Auckland. Her parents moved from Tonga in the 1960s and placed a high priority on their children obtaining a quality education. This laid the foundation for a career in medicine, and Dr Lupe followed in the footsteps of her grandfather, choosing surgery as a career. Dr Lupe and her younger sister are doctors. Dr Lupe studied medicine at Auckland’s medical school.  Dr Lupe was the first NZ, woman Vascular & Endovascular surgeon in New Zealand and the only Polynesian Vascular surgeon in the whole of Australasia.  Dr Lupe was a house surgeon throughout hospitals in Auckland followed by Vascular Surgery training which took her throughout  New Zealand and Australia. Dr Lupe is a Board Member of the Pasifika Medical Association; Clinical Senior Lecturer, Department of Surgery & Anaesthesia, University of Otago, Wellington and Provocational Educational Supervisory for the Medical Council of New Zealand. She is also a Mentor for Wāhine Connect, a national mentoring programme to support women in the New Zealand health sector. 

Dr Lupe loves extensive travel with her family and friends and spending time in the great outdoors. 

Laurence Walker

Affiliate Vein Specialist/Intensivist – BSc 1995 (Otago), MBChB (Otago), FCICM 2012

Wellington/Nelson Clinic

Laurence was born and raised in Wellington and graduated in Medicine from the University of Otago. He spent time working and training in Australia and the UK before returning to Wellington to complete his core speciality training in Intensive Care Medicine.

Laurence has a special interest in vascular ultrasound and developed an interest in vein medicine in 2012. He is an Affiliate Fellow of the Australasian College of Phlebology and a member of the New Zealand Society of Procedural Phlebology.

Outside of work, Laurence is usually found in the outdoors around Wellington and the South Island.

Shueh Lim   
MBChB, FRCR, CCT(UK), RANZCR (Education Affiliate), EBIR.

 Dr Lim qualified in medicine in 2011 from Scotland and completed his radiology and interventional radiology training in Edinburgh, Scotland.  He undertook his post graduate interventional radiology clinical fellowships in both Edinburgh and Auckland. Dr Lim has published and presented in various international meetings. He has also done multiple visiting observerships to leading IR centers across Europe and US.  He was a committee member on the British Society of Interventional Radiology trainee group and a clinical associate with the University of Edinburgh   He is currently working in Wellington Hospital as an interventional radiologist. His main interest is in complex peripheral vascular intervention for critical limb ischaemia and deep venous disease which he works closely with the vascular surgeons on and also oncologic intervention such as chemoembolization and tumour ablations.

He has introduced cryoablation for treatment of renal tumours, endovascular arterectomy, intravascular lithotripsy, intravascular ultrasound and lytic free venous thrombectomy since joining the public hospital.

Dr Lim is a Fellow of the Royal College of Radiology UK, Education Affiliate of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists, and a member of European Board of Interventional Radiologist. He is medically registered in both UK and New Zealand. He is multilingual and speaks Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai and English. He enjoys travelling during his free time.

Dr Sam Taylor

MB ChB 2012 Otago; FRACS (Vasc Surg) 2025

Dr Sam Taylor is a vascular surgeon based in Auckland, New Zealand, specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the arteries and veins. He provides a full range of modern vascular and endovascular treatments, with a focus on delivering safe, effective, and patient-centred care.

Dr Taylor completed his medical degree at the University of Otago and has undertaken extensive surgical training across New Zealand and Australia. He holds Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in Vascular Surgery.

As one of the first Māori vascular surgeons in New Zealand, Dr Taylor brings a strong commitment to improving health outcomes for all patients, with a particular focus on equitable access to high-quality vascular care.

Dr Taylor has a special interest in minimally invasive procedures and evidence-based treatment approaches, ensuring patients receive the most up-to-date care available.

Outside of work, Sam enjoys spending time with his family. He is a proud father of three and loves travelling and exploring the outdoors, often hiking with his family.

Dr Elizabeth Suthers

MBBS (UWA), GradDipAnatomy, FRACS (Vascular Surgery)

Dr Elizabeth Suthers is a vascular surgeon specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the arteries and veins. She provides a full range of modern vascular and endovascular treatments, with a focus on delivering safe, effective, and patient-centred care.

Dr Suthers completed her Australasian training across New Zealand and Australia, drawn to the quality of care and landscape here during her surgical fellowships. Originally from Perth, she established her consultancy in New Zealand before choosing Wellington as her base. She brings a strong commitment to improving health outcomes for all patients, with a particular focus on equitable access to high-quality vascular care. Dr Suthers works at Capital and Coast Health DHB and is extensively involved in Vascular Trainees training in New Zealand. 

Dr Liz loves extensive travel, exploring local culture and cuisine, and spending time in the great outdoors with family and friends. 

Darshna Vascular Sonographer:

NZ MRTB Registered Sonographer

Darshna trained as a Specialist Vascular Sonographer at Dunedin Hospital, completing the DMUvasc. She has over 10 years of specialist vascular experience working in hospitals across New Zealand and the United Kingdom as a clinical vascular scientist. Darshna returned to NZ in 2021. She travels to the wider SVH clinics, offering specialised vascular ultrasound – of veins and arteries. Since her return, Darshna has completed her general ultrasound qualification, to broaden her scope. 

Darshna has an loves extensive love of team sports, including playing hockey, running  travel with her family and friends and spending time in the great outdoors. 

Specialist Vascular Nurse – Roz

Behind our doctors and vascular procedures is another important part of the SVH clinical team, are a team of Registered Nurses, lead by the lead Specialist Vascular Nurse, Roz. 

Roz has worked as a Registered Nurse for more than 25 years, including 14 years within New Zealand DHBs and the past 11 years with Specialist Vein Health.

She coordinates six SVH nurses and works alongside our doctors and wider multidisciplinary team to support patients throughout their vascular care.

Roz also runs SVH’s private outpatient vascular nursing clinics, providing specialist nursing care for patients with both venous and arterial conditions.

Specialist vascular nursing provides an important link between diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care. Depending on a patient’s condition and treatment plan, this can include education, clinical assessment, wound and vascular care, compression management, treatment support and follow-up.

For patients, it also means having an experienced vascular nurse who understands their condition and can help coordinate their care across the wider SVH team.