Compliance Panel

The Compliance Panel is responsible for implementing and monitoring the World Health Organization International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in New Zealand: The Code in New Zealand.

The Compliance Panel:

  • considers complaints referred to it relating to either the Health Workers’ Code or the INC Code of Practice (PDF, 282 KB)
  • makes decisions on complaints referred to it relating to either the Health Workers’ Code or the INC Code of Practice
  • if a breach of either Code is found, provides advice on appropriate action to remedy that breach
  • provides advice to Te Whatu Ora Health NZ on issues related to the implementation of the WHO Code in New Zealand Aotearoa including, but not limited to, complaints that are outside the scope of either the Health Workers’ Code or the INC Code of Practice

See the Panel’s Terms of Reference for more information.

The Independent Adjudicator considers appeals of Compliance Panel decisions to determine if what is alleged constitutes a legitimate ground for appeal and where required, makes a decision about that appeal.

Panel members

Chair: Iris Reuvecamp BA LLB(Hons) (VUW) MBHL (Distinction) (Otago) GradDipBusStuds (Dispute Resolution) (Massey) LLM (Hons) (Auckland) AAMINZ MInstD

Iris is a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand and a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Iris has been practising as a health and disability law specialist for twenty years both as in-house counsel and as an external advisor and advises a range of public and private health and disability sector organisations. Iris appears regularly in a range of courts and tribunals including the Human Rights Review Tribunal, Coroners Court, Family Court, District Court, High Court and Court of Appeal. Iris is a court appointed lawyer for the subject person under the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988 and lawyer for the child. She is an Affiliate of the Law Faculty and a Professional Practice Fellow of the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago and teaches on health and disability law. Iris has published on a range of topics relevant to health and disability law. Iris is co-editor of Mental Capacity Law in New Zealand (Thomson Reuters, Wellington, 2019), and is editor of Brookers Family Law – Incapacity (online looseleaf ed, Thomson Reuters), PPPR Act & Analysis (Thomson Reuters, Wellington,3rd edition, 2023) and Mental Health Act & Analysis (Thomson Reuters, Wellington, 1st edition, 2023). Iris is currently working on the text Public Health Law in Aotearoa.  Iris holds a number of health and disability sector governance roles. She is also immediate past chair of the Ethics Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology (a ministerial committee), a role she held for 7 years.

Current Health Practitioner – Dr Whitney Davis

Whitney was appointed as the health practitioner in 2020. Whitney is a dual GP/RHM trainee who currently works as a GP in Mt Maunganui. Whitney has had a special interest in breastfeeding medicine and perinatal mental health for the last 4 years, and has been undertaking further training to also qualify as an IBCLC. She has volunteered as a breastfeeding peer counsellor and a La Leche League Leader both here in the Bay of Plenty and in Christchurch.

Whitney’s professional memberships include Royal New Zealand College of General Practice, the Division of Rural Hospital Medicine, the international Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Aotearoa, and she is currently also an active La Leche League Leader.

Academic – Carol Bartle

Carol has a nursing, midwifery and lactation consultant background and has a post-graduate diploma in Child Advocacy and a Masters of Health Sciences. Her research thesis explores the experiences of initiating and maintaining lactation, and establishing breastfeeding in a neonatal intensive care environment.

Carol has worked on a number of major projects including the development of ‘Ten Steps for the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding in early childhood education’ (with Professor Judith Duncan), a literature review for a business case for a NICU milk bank, and the development of a community donor milk bank in Christchurch. She has also worked on projects related to prison Mother-Baby units and support for pregnant women and incarcerated women with babies and young children.

Her major interests include infant and young child feeding in emergencies, the International Code and marketing, and breastfeeding and infant feeding politics. Carol works as a policy analyst with the New Zealand College of Midwives. She is also a member of the La Leche League New Zealand professional advisory group and a board member of a women’s refuge in Christchurch. 

Consumer – Dana Owens

Vacant.

Industry Representative – Jan Carey

Jan has been appointed as the Industry representative of the Compliance Panel. She is the CEO of the Infant Nutrition Council which is a trans-Tasman organisation representing the interests of the infant formula industry in Australia and New Zealand.

Prior to this, Jan was responsible for SIDS and Kids, Australia’s research, bereavement and health promotion programs. She was Chair of SIDS and Kids Scientific Advisory Committee, a member of the Global Strategy Task Force for education and SIDS and Kids’ representative on SIDS International. Jan is a co-founder of the Australian and New Zealand Stillbirth Alliance and until recently a member of the Executive Board of the International Stillbirth Alliance.

Independent adjudicator

Jane Glover

Jane is an independent barrister and mediator with 20 years’ legal experience. She has eight years’ adjudication experience including time spent as an Assistant Commissioner at the Intellectual Property Office. In this role, Jane heard trademark and patent cases, which required her to prepare formal written decisions following in-person hearings or on the basis of written submissions and evidence filed on behalf of the parties. She is also currently Deputy Chair of the Copyright Tribunal, which adjudicates cases independently.

In this section

  • Terms of Reference for the Compliance Panel for Implementing and Monitoring the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in New Zealand. Read more
  • Summaries of Compliance Panel meetings, giving details of the decisions made at each meeting regarding breaches of the Infant Nutrition Council Code of Practice. Read more
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