Crawford Medical Centre is well-known in the Howick and east Auckland community, with many citizens having been treated there as patients. The man who has led the practice for more the half a century talks to PJ TAYLOR about some of his medical adventures.
Where were you born and grew up?
I was born in Hastings, New Zealand, where my father was an orchardist supplying fruit to Wattie’s. It was a successful family venture, with my parents and older brothers and sisters all working together on the orchard at Poukawa, packing fruit and delivering it to the Hastings factory. My father loved the land and poured his energy into it. In 1951 during the Korean War, wool was highly profitable, and he was drawn to the promise of sheep farming. He sold the orchard and moved our family north to a sheep and cattle farm in the Houto district, about halfway between Whangarei and Dargaville. Unfortunately, soon after the move, wool prices collapsed. Northland farms, already on marginal land, were hit hard, and our family, like many others, struggled financially. We lived on 1000 acres of scrubby farmland that was difficult to make productive. Life was tough and resources were scarce. My mother often made clothes for us children, and we learned to make do with very little. I was one of nine children, including two sets of twins. The oldest were my brother Jan and sister Judith and later came twin sisters after me. Growing up in that environment grounded us all in resilience and resourcefulness.
I began school at Titoki Primary and then Titoki District High School until form five. Because my family placed importance on education, I later transferred to Whangarei Boys’ High School for my final two years of schooling. My early life was shaped by a strong mix of farming, rural, and Māori community influences. I learned some te reo Māori. Those connections remain meaningful to me.
Another profound influence was personal: as a child, I developed osteomyelitis, a serious bone infection. I spent periods in hospital in Whangarei, undergoing surgery and receiving antibiotics. That experience planted the seed of an idea that perhaps one day I could become a doctor myself. Before the illness, I had been a strong and active child, playing rugby, running, and winning school athletics prizes.
When did you decide on becoming a doctor and where did you study?
At Whangārei Boys’ High School – and after spending long stretches in hospital with osteomyelitis – I made the decision that I wanted to train as a doctor. My brother Timothy had chosen dentistry, and together we headed south to Dunedin. He enrolled in the Otago Dental School, and me at Otago Medical School.
The years in Dunedin were a major challenge. I had grown up in rural Northland, where higher education was not the focus, and suddenly I was in a demanding academic environment far from home. It was daunting at first. Many of my fellow students came from wealthier families, often with professional or medical backgrounds, while I arrived with a far more modest upbringing. That contrast was difficult to navigate, but it also pushed me to adapt, grow independent, and find confidence. Ultimately, those years forged a resilience and determination that carried me through medical training and later into practice.
What was it like training to be a doctor in Dunedin at the University of Otago?
The first year in Dunedin was a huge change. Coming from Whangārei and a farming background, I was mingling with young people who came from professional families, some of whom were wealthy and even had their own vehicles. I started with a bicycle. The first year, medical intermediate, was extremely challenging. The competition to secure a place at medical school was intense. Many candidates were sitting the exams for a second time, and some had already completed other university degrees, which gave them an additional opportunity to sit the medical intermediate examination.
There were only 130 places available, including a number specifically allocated to Māori students. From memory, around 600 or 700 students sat the exam. I was proud to pass and secure a place in the medical training programme. The first year of medical school was again difficult, as my school education had not included biology. I had to quickly learn the basics of chemistry such as the properties of copper sulphate crystals and perform laboratory exercises like pithing a frog for experiments. We soon advanced to human anatomy and the dissection of cadavers donated to the medical school, which was both sobering and fascinating.
Despite the steep learning curve, my years in Dunedin turned out to be among the best of my life. Once I adapted, I discovered new activities and friendships, tramping, canoeing, and fishing. Alongside that personal growth, I achieved my medical degree, graduating in 1969.
When did you first come to east Auckland?
After graduating with MBChB in 1969, my first year as a house officer was spent at Tauranga Hospital, where I met my wife, Sandra. My second year of training took me to Middlemore Hospital, after which I began specialising in anaesthetics, spending much time at Greenlane Obstetric Hospital. It was valuable training, but I eventually realised that anaesthetics was not the career path I wanted to pursue. Sandra and I then took time to think carefully about our future and where we’d like to settle. We considered moving to Nelson, the central North Island, or Auckland. Ultimately, we were fortunate to find an opportunity in east Auckland. In 1972, I purchased a general practice in Howick from Drs Daphne and Hugh Holroyd. I began as a solo practitioner, and over the years this practice steadily grew and evolved into what is now Crawford Medical Centre, which continues to serve the local community and has grown significantly since those early days.
Crawford Medical is a firmly established, well-recognised practice and building on Howick’s Picton Street landscape. Can you explain its connection to the area and history?
Older residents of Howick will remember the little red brick building in Rice’s Mall, tucked behind the main street, where Drs Hugh and Daphne Holroyd had practised and before them, Dr Gibson. I became the third GP in that tiny two-room building. It was quaint, but by the mid-1970s it was also cramped, outdated, and increasingly unsuitable for the kind of medicine I wanted to provide.
At that time, the ANZ Bank had its eye on the site. Peter Floyd, then the local bank manager, approached me on behalf of the ANZ to say they wished to build a branch on the land where our medical rooms stood. Although it meant leaving behind those familiar bricks, it was an ideal opportunity for me. By then, I was ready to “spread my wings” and build something larger and more modern. After negotiations, the ANZ agreed to buy out my lease and assist with the purchase of a new property.
I had always admired 4 Picton Street, a house with a long association with the Crawford family and the Howick and Eastern Bus Company. By 1979, the Boyd family, who had been living there, were ready to move on. Mr Boyd, a well-known figure who had served as deputy mayor of Howick, had passed away, and Mrs Boyd decided to sell. This gave me the chance to buy the property and move my solo practice into what would become the beginnings of Crawford Medical Centre.
The building itself was an old wooden house, once home to the Crawford family. I understand that bus drivers, arriving back late at night, would sometimes sleep there before returning to their routes the next day. Over the years, members of the Boyd family have occasionally returned to 4 Picton Street, asking to walk through the rooms where they grew up, reminiscing about their family home. That continuity of memory – connecting the Crawford, Boyd, and medical stories – has given the site a deep-rooted place in Howick’s local history.
Medicine in the 1970s was very different from what we practice today. When thinking back, life as a GP was much easier in some ways, though far more limited in others. All patient records were kept on a single piece of A5 card, and consultation notes usually amounted to no more than one line, together with a list of prescriptions provided. Medical information came from textbooks, and from my earlier experiences as a student and house surgeon in the public hospital system.
As a solo GP, I had no support, little access to up-to-date information, and no ongoing training. Looking back, I’m amazed at how well we managed. Laboratory investigations were few and far between. A blood test report would typically arrive a week to 10 days later, written on a small slip of paper that we would then sellotape into an A4 sheet. X-ray and specialist reports arrived the same way. By the time a GP had access to any of this information, it was sometimes out of date. Record keeping was cumbersome and retrieving prior information often unreliable.
In the early 1980s when computers first became available, I recognised this was the only way forward. By the time I’d moved the practice to 4 Picton Street, and had taken on an associate doctor, I invested in one of the very earliest computer systems for general practice. Putting it in perspective, the cost of a PC and a single printer in about 1983 was $24,000. Since then, everything has changed. Information is now instantly available, communication with hospitals and specialists is routine, and textbooks are all but a thing of the past. The consequence, however, is that patient expectations have also changed. Where once patients accepted waiting seven to 14 days for an update, they now expect answers within 24 hours. Most investigations now return results the next day, and the GP must be ready to act immediately.
The nature of general practice has changed immensely over these decades. Patient care is undoubtedly better, safer, and faster, but the pressure on the practitioner has increased enormously.
What was your involvement in the creation of after-hours medical services in east Auckland?
During the 1970s, after-hours service for Howick was provided by just three local GPs: Dr Rob Thorburn, Dr Mike Cooper, and me. We operated a one-on-three roster, meaning every third night one of us took full responsibility for all after-hours and urgent care. That often meant personally answering phone calls in the middle of the night and weekends. On occasions, a mother would bring a sick child to my home late at night. While not ideal, it was often the quickest solution, allowing me to provide care and then return to rest.
Eventually, after-hours service in Howick merged with GPs from Pakuranga. We opened an evening and weekend clinic in the Plunket rooms on Howick’s main street. This was a successful model, as patients learned where to go during nights and weekends. As the group of doctors expanded, we outgrew those premises and moved to Aberfeldy Avenue, opening the first larger after-hours clinic.
With the foresight and leadership of Dr Brett Hyland, the clinic eventually relocated to 260 Botany Road, where it continues to operate. The service became known as East Care A&E, a name that has persisted. For a number of years, the facility operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, it was loss making, and after funding from the Manukau District Health Board was withdrawn about 10 years ago, the service was scaled back to operating from 7am until 10.30pm daily.
There is hope that, with recent Government funding promises, East Care may once again operate 24/7, providing the level of urgent care the community deserves. It has been a long journey, but the service has evolved significantly since those early nights of solo after-hours duty.
You’ve been a keen sailor for many decades. What have you done in the yachting arena?
I’ve always been a keen sportsman, and my love of sailing began while I was a house surgeon at Tauranga Hospital. My father-in-law was a keen yachtsman, and I spent many hours sailing around Tauranga Harbour and out to the islands beyond.
After moving to Auckland, my passion for yachting continued. I sailed cherubs and met Steve Martin, a world champion in that class who ran a successful boat-building business. Through our friendship, I became involved with the development of 470-class boats in New Zealand. Steve imported the first 470 into the country and sold it to me, which became the model for his local production. I subsequently purchased another 470 from him and sailed competitively, even competing in the Olympic trials in that boat.
I later moved into racing keelboats and had a Farr 11.6-metre built for me, naming it Titoki. When that boat did not meet my needs, I commissioned a new Farr 11.6m that was faster, lighter, and stronger, and more suited to competitive racing. During those years, I sailed successfully at the Howick Sailing Club, Bucklands Beach Yacht Club, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, and Akarana Yacht Club. I made five trips to Fiji, combining both racing and cruising.
As my children grew and their interests changed, I gradually shifted my focus from sailing to another passion: golfing, which I’ve continued to enjoy ever since.
If there was one thing you’d like to see change in New Zealand society, what would it be?
The biggest challenge I see, as a doctor and the owner of a medical centre, is the difficulty in recruiting, training, and retaining general practitioners. Over the years, far fewer young doctors are choosing to enter general practice, which means we’re increasingly reliant on overseas-trained doctors. While many of these doctors excel, some initially struggle to adapt to the New Zealand health system. The old “family doctor” model, where a GP’s work was truly a way of life, seems largely gone. There are now very few general practitioners with the same level of long-term commitment that was once expected and part of daily life.
From the perspective of patients, I’d love to see general practitioners settle into primary care, remain in the profession for a lifetime, and develop enduring relationships with families, often across several generations. General practice today is very different, and I’m not sure the older model will ever fully reappear, but it’s something I hope can be encouraged for the benefit of both practitioners and patients.
