Our Mission

About Us

With a history spanning over 80 years, our roots are deeply entrenched in the local community. Our experienced team of doctors and nurses have had the privilege of caring for generations of families from diverse ethnic backgrounds, fostering an environment of trust, empathy, and continuity of care.

Our practice is GP-owned and operated, setting us apart from corporate-owned clinics. This means we are not driven by external investors, but by our clinicians who are on the ground, in the clinic, every day. It is our commitment to you, our patients, that takes precedence over all else.

As a “high needs” clinic, we have access to additional government funding, allowing us to provide a wider range of subsidised, and often free, services. We are proud to be able to offer quality healthcare that is accessible to all, regardless of financial circumstances.

We’re here for you, open Monday to Saturday, ready to provide care. All our doctors have had specialised training in General Practice and will use their huge amount of knowledge and skills to assist in both day-to-day issues and complex health conditions. No problem is too big or too small. We encourage you to see the same doctor each time you visit us. But if your regular GP isn’t available, don’t worry, we’ll always have someone else available to help.

In 2023, we transformed to become GP Central, reflecting our progressive approach to healthcare, while retaining our core values. This transition also marked our expansion, launching a second clinic on Dominion Road to better serve our growing community.

Our modern medical facilities in Mt Roskill include our main centre on Stoddard Road and our new clinic on Dominion Road. Stoddard Road incorporates an on-site pharmacy, medical laboratory (LabTests), and enhanced well-being services with a Health Improvement Practitioner and a Health Coach. There are neighbouring physiotherapy, acupuncture and podiatry providers. We also look after four local rest homes, extending our care to cater to the needs of the elderly in our community.

At GP Central, we are more than just another healthcare provider. We are your community partners in well-being, your advocates for quality and accessible healthcare, and your medical home in Mt Roskill, Auckland.

Welcome to GP Central.

Our History

Once upon a time, before most of us were born, a remarkable medical centre found its roots on the storied Stoddard Road. Initially it was tucked down an alley next to Lockington’s Pharmacy, across the road from the current medical centre. It later moved to a repurposed state house in the 1960s. The house was very small and humble compared to the modern facility we know today.

In those days, the Stoddard Road shops were bustling and featured a variety of establishments, including a butcher, a jeweller, a post office, and a bank. The original doctors at the medical centre were the dedicated Dr Earl Shine, Dr Murray Laird, and Dr KY So.

Just down the way from Stoddard, GP Central’s deep-rooted connection to the community traces back over eight decades to Dr Norma Benson, a pioneering woman ahead of her time, and one of New Zealand’s first female General Practitioners. She began practising medicine on Dominion Road in the early 1940s and continued her career well into old age. In the late 1980s, Dr Roger Cox purchased her practice. Nearby was the renowned Dr Bishop, a former priest turned physician. Dr Iain MacLean assumed the mantle of Dr Bishop’s practice on Dominion Road in 1991 and later took over Dr Cox’s too, following his untimely death.

General Practice was completely different in the early days, there were very few nurses, and doctors did just about everything themselves, including delivering babies! Appointments were written in a large diary, and patient records were handwritten on small 4 x 6 inch cards stored in manilla envelopes. Paper-based communication, including lab results and correspondence, relied on traditional mail, with fax machines later speeding up the process. The clinic’s first computers arrived around 1997, initially used for appointments and accounting. Computerised note-taking didn’t become commonplace until around 1999, and eventually, the clinic embraced a “paperless” system around 2010.

In 1989, Dr Raymond Chan joined the medical centre on Stoddard Road, followed by Dr Gary MacLachlan in 1993. This period marked the branding of the practice as Stoddard Road Medical Centre (SRMC). In 2003 there was a significant transformation when a purpose-built modern medical centre emerged on Stoddard Road. With meticulous planning and ingenious construction, the new clinic was carefully built around the old state house, allowing the dedicated team to continue their work uninterrupted. A seamless transition took place over a single weekend, as Dr Iain MacLean and Dr Oonagh Turner relocated from Dominion Road to join forces with Dr Raymond Chan, Dr Gary MacLachlan, and Dr KY So.

Today, GP Central operates in the contemporary medical centre built in 2003. It accommodates a full team of GPs, practice nurses, allied staff, an on-site laboratory collection centre, a pharmacy, and a nearby physiotherapy clinic. The original shops have been replaced with a diverse range of multicultural establishments, reflecting the evolving nature of the neighbourhood.

Timeline