Cole Mackie
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Cole Mackie is a local who grew up in Alexandra. He studied at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic and since then has taken a particular interest in Sports and High Performance.
Cole is the Current President of the New Zealand College of Chiropractic and the Sports Chiropractor for the 9-time National Champions Ice Hockey team, The SkyCity Stampede. He is also an Internationally certified Sports Chiropractor and has travelled internationally to work with both the U18 New Zealand Men’s Ice Hockey and the U19s Cook Island Football. Cole also has a history of competing both nationally and internationally in Karate, competing in both Australia and Japan.
From these experiences Coles uses his knowledge and experience to provide Chiropractic care, combined with soft tissue and fundamental rehab skills to help patients to achieve their health goals and give the best possible care to the community of Central Otago.
Dr. Neki Patel
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Neki Patel founded Queenstown Health in 1993, establishing a truly integrated, multidisciplinary clinic where chiropractors, physiotherapists, acupuncturists, massage therapists, and osteopaths work collaboratively to provide the best possible care. With a strong focus on teamwork, he has built a practice that serves the local community, treating patients of all ages with a wide range of musculoskeletal issues.
Trained at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic, Neki is one of only five chiropractors in New Zealand with an ICCSP (Internationally Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner). He has been involved in private practice for over 30 years, helping people from all walks of life—whether they need relief from everyday aches and pains or high-performance care for elite sports.
In the sports arena, Neki has been involved with the Australasian PGA Tour since 1996 and currently works alongside physiotherapists, massage therapists, and sports doctors on the PGA Tour Australia. He serves as an executive member and Pacific representative for FICS (Fédération Internationale de Chiropratique du Sport).
Locally, he started working with the Queenstown-based ice hockey team, the Rangers, and continues with the Stampede, who have been national champions since 1997. He has also provided care for local boxers, footballers, tennis players, and ski teams, working at local, national, and international levels.
His experience includes treating high-profile rugby players, serving as the chiropractor for the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team in Manchester, and working with various international ski and ice hockey teams. Neki remains committed to integrating chiropractic care with other healthcare disciplines to optimize movement, comfort, and overall well-being for his patients.
Ana Cano
Originally from Medellín, Colombia, Ana came to New Zealand on holiday a few years ago—and instantly fell in love with Queenstown and its amazing outdoor lifestyle. She decided to stay and make it home.
Back in Colombia, Ana worked in banking, but after moving here, she found her stride in tourism and hospitality, quickly working her way up to managing her own team and gaining New Zealand residency. Now, she’s an important part of the Queenstown Health team, keeping everything running smoothly as our Office Manager.
When she’s not at work, you’ll probably find Ana doing CrossFit, out biking, or exploring one of Queenstown’s many beautiful trails—she’s always up for a run or a hike!
Madison Hooper
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Hooper has graduated with a bachelors in Physiology from Oklahoma State University and a bachelor’s in Chiropractic from the New Zealand College of Chiropractic. She is originally from the states and has lived in New Zealand for the past four years while studying Chiropractic. Hooper has traveled all over the world including Europe, Africa, Asia and Central America where she was absorbed in the culture and health care. She grew up with sport being a big part of her life, playing soccer since age 5 and continuing on to play for a high-level club team through high school. Hooper loved participating in Tough Mudder where she faced physical challenges and learned how to work together as a team to cross the finish line. Hooper has a special interest in the lifestyle of Queenstown including the sports, hiking and skiing. Having torn her ACL early in her chiropractic degree she has an inside experience as to the diligence it takes to adhere to a rehab program to achieve the best results. Hooper has always had a passion for helping others, especially when it comes to their performance. She is determined to help others achieve better function by restoring proper motion in the spine and extremities with adjustments and soft tissue care.
Jo O’Connor
Originally from Leicester, England, I worked within the Travel Industry in Reservations and Customer Care. I also spent 3 years working as a Tour Leader on board Cruise Ships – enjoying every minute of it, meeting people from all walks of life and all ages. I made the move to New Zealand after being swept off my feet by a Kiwi man and have now lived in Queenstown for 18 fantastic years. I have worked locally in the Hotel and the Tourism Trade as well as Childcare, while bringing up a family. I am now very pleased to be a part of the team at Queenstown Health, as I have a keen interest in health and wellbeing and I love to deliver great customer service. I am here to help you in any way possible.
Jingying Wu
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Jingying graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Acupuncture, Moxibustion, and Tuina of Chinese Medicine from Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine. During her undergraduate studies, she dedicated her extracurricular time to shadowing experienced clinicians, with a primary focus on endocrine and metabolic issues. Additionally, she gained practical experience as an assistant acupuncturist at Emeishan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, specifically in the Department of Orthopedic Rehabilitation.
After the pandemic, when New Zealand finally opened its borders, Jingying wasted no time in entering the country. After experiencing life in NZ for a while, she made the decision to stay here permanently. While working as a massage therapist, she also joined AcNZ and obtained the Annual Practicing Certificate in NZ.
Jingying is deeply committed to providing compassionate and personalized care to her patients. Her approach not only addresses their immediate health concerns but also empowers them to take charge of their overall well-being. She goes beyond simply treating people and strives to educate her patients about preventive measures, including dietary and lifestyle tips.
Her passion for learning extends beyond medicine. Years of studying the Guqin, a traditional Chinese instrument, and participating in tea ceremonies have enriched her perspectives. The soothing melodies of the Guqin are believed to have healing properties, and she also appreciates the health benefits of tea drinking.
During her leisure time, Jingying enjoys staying active with workouts and hiking. She is also an enthusiast of good food and culinary experiences.
Jessica Vargas
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Jess is from the Chilean Patagonia, where she was raised on a farm without modern comforts
At 17 she discovered the transformative power of Yoga, and for the following 10 years worked in hospital setting utilizing the therapeutic benefits of Yoga. This then lead to an interesting in aiding individuals with various health conditions, injuries and mental health challenges.
In 2005 Jess studied Chinese medicine for 2.5 years, which lead to her developing a passion for massage therapy. Since then she has travelled around the world continuing to learn and hone her craft in countries such as Cambodia, Nepal, India and Canada. She has acquired many skills such as Abhyangam, pregnancy massage, hot stones, Therapeutic Thai massage, myofascial release, deep tissue, sports and Met (Muscle energy technique)
In her free time Jess enjoys staying fit with activities such as mountain biking, Hiking and CrossFit. She also enjoys travelling and is also studying mental health coaching
Mark Sheehy
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Mark holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy from the University of Limerick, Ireland, where he dedicated four years to his studies. He has a strong passion for sports rehabilitation and has provided seasonal physiotherapy support to various teams, helping them maximize their performance and success.
With extensive experience in elderly rehabilitation, Mark is committed to helping older adults enhance and maintain their independence, quality of life, and overall happiness. Recognizing that rehabilitation is not a one-size-fits-all approach, he employs a diverse range of techniques to tailor his care to meet each individual’s unique rehabilitation goals.
In his personal time, Mark enjoys staying active, with a particular love for golf. Growing up on the west coast of Ireland, he has enjoyed many weekends playing links golf with his father and brother, braving the elements together. The vibrant lifestyle, excellent work-life balance, and welcoming community of New Zealand have drawn Mark to Queenstown, where he continues to thrive both professionally and personally.
Sophia Kersten
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Sophia Studied at Otago University. Her love for sport and passion for health and wellbeing is what drove her towards training as a Physiotherapist
Sophia focuses on returning people to enjoying their passions and hobbies, allowing them to become the best version of themselves. She focuses on a personal and individual approach to each patient and getting to the root cause and how to achieve patient goals. Sophia uses a hands on approach to care, with experience working alongside the Canterbury Taxtix Netball team.
Sophia grew up Sunny Nelson where she made the most of Tramping, Mountain biking and trail running. She has represented Otago Hockey in New Zealand National League. She has also played cricket at a high level and has completed a Marathon.
Sandy Mclnally
Sandy was born in Dunedin and moved to Queenstown at the age of 18 where she worked at Wilkinson’s Pharmacy for a number of years. She has owned businesses with her husband, Queenstown Carpet Care, Kids Fun, Queenstown Costume Hire and working in Banking, Travel, Real Estate, Airport security to name a few. She has a passion for animals and grew up riding horses in a rural area on the Otago Peninsula and has a miniature poodle named Elmo with a big personality! Sandy enjoys interacting with people and is excited to be part of the Admin team at Queenstown Health.
Tomas Griffin
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Tomas is a Physiotherapist from Ireland who has been in New Zealand for the past two and a half years. After spending time in Auckland, he has recently moved to Queenstown to explore more of this beautiful country.
Tomas studied an undergraduate in Athletic Therapy and Training which included a 6-month placement working with a college football team in Massachusetts, USA. He then completed a post-graduate degree in Physiotherapy to become a chartered Physiotherapist. Since, he has worked in Private MSK physio clinic in Ireland and worked with a mixture of Irish athletes and general population.
Tomas has a keen interest in Rehabilitation of MSK Injuries both in athletes and general population with an emphasis on promoting someone’s desire to get stronger and fitter.
In his free time, he loves outdoor activities such as Gold, Hiking and Running while also playing some amateur sports such as Gaelic Football, Hurling and Soccer
Nika Zhang
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Nika is from south of China and can speak Mandarin and Cantonese. She graduated from Hunan Traditional Chinese Medical College in 2016, majoring in acupuncture and TuiNa. She attended Chenzhou City Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital as an assistant acupuncturist during her final course to practice in the Acupuncture and TuiNa department.
After graduating from China, she came to New Zealand to continue her acupuncture studies and graduated at New Zealand College of Chinese Medicine with a Bachelor of Science in Acupuncture and became an ACC treatment provider. Nika also worked as massage therapist part time.
The learning and clinic experience from both China and New Zealand gives her a deeper understanding of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
Acupuncture is not only effective for treating pain-related diseases but can also help most internal health issues such as insomnia, digestive and gynecological problems. Nika’s treatment follows the theory of TCM, using needling, moxibustion, Tuina, cupping, and Guasha to seek the balance of the whole body and she will do her best for patients’ internal and external body health.
In her spare time, Nika likes swimming and hiking. She is looking forward to living in Queenstown with her friends and to enjoy the lifestyle here.