Steve Harkness – Specialist Paramedic, Registered Nurse Prescriber.

Steve brings over 25 years of frontline clinical expertise to his role, with a career spanning both emergency and primary care. He spent 20 years with ambulance services, qualifying as an Intensive Care Paramedic (ICP) and working as a frontline ambulance officer, helicopter ICP, and ambulance shift manager, primarily across Hawke’s Bay.

Alongside his paramedic career, Steve is also a registered nurse with nearly a decade of Emergency Department experience, working in hospitals across New Zealand as well as in remote Australian communities.

He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Paramedicine (Extended Care), a Postgraduate Diploma in Registered Nurse Prescribing, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Paramedic Practice. Drawing on this breadth of education and experience, Steve now delivers advanced, patient-centred care to the Hawke’s Bay community.

Steve is also highly experienced in clinical education across both pre-hospital and hospital environments, helping health professionals develop new skills and achieve their potential. Equally passionate about community education, he values teaching first aid and lifesaving skills to the public, believing that empowered communities make the biggest difference in emergencies.

A proud Hawke’s Bay local, Steve grew up in the region, travelled widely, and returned to raise his family in Napier—“the best little city in the world.” Outside of work, he’s a regular at McLean Park supporting the Magpies and is a self-confessed Warriors tragic, convinced this is our year!

Steve Lynch - Specialist Paramedic - Critical Care Flight & Extended Care

Steve Lynch is an experienced paramedic with more than 25 years of frontline clinical practice. He began his career as a Critical Care Paramedic, working across both ambulance and rescue helicopter services in multiple locations throughout the North Island.

Today, Steve holds dual Specialist Paramedic endorsements as Critical Care Paramedic and Extended Care Paramedic, contributing his expertise in both primary and urgent care settings. He has a special interest in medical care in the austere environment, along with rescuing from heights and confined space rescues. Steve's qualifications include Bachelor of Health Science (Paramedicine), Post Graduate Diploma (Extended Care), Post Graduate Certificate (Remote Industrial Medicine), Post Graduate Study in Point of Care Ultrasound, and Drug Assisted Airway Management, along with a Graduate Diploma in Business & Finance.

Alongside his clinical work, Steve has held leadership roles, including serving as Ambulance Operations Territory Manager for Taupō and Rotorua, and District Operations Manager for Taupo/Rotorua/Ruapehu national park/Hawkes Bay; before relocating with his family to Hawke’s Bay, where he now calls home.

Steve has been a Senior Instructor in Disaster Medicine, using the Emergo Training Systems to advise and assess ambulance services and hospital boards on their emergency readiness plans for major incidents.

A proud Yorkshireman, Steve has built his entire paramedic career in New Zealand. Outside of medicine, he is passionate about music— plays the drums and founding member of local country band Gone Country.