Gary Payinda is a New Zealand emergency doctor and, according to a single reputable secondary source, a 2026 Labour Party candidate [20][25].
Payinda's educational background includes a biology degree at university and four years of medical sciences at medical school, according to a single reputable secondary source [19][18]. That same source indicates he later completed specialty training in emergency medicine at age 32, earning the FACEM fellowship, and also qualified as a sonologist with a subspecialty in ultrasound imaging [7][23][12]. He is also reported to hold an MD and, according to a single reputable secondary source, a Masters degree in science journalism [24][1].
He is confirmed as an emergency doctor [6] and is reported by a single reputable secondary source to have worked in the Whangarei emergency department in Northland [5][13]. He has confirmed roles as medical director of Surf Life Saving New Zealand [9] and as a delegate for the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists [15]. According to a single reputable secondary source, he has also served as a surf lifesaver with Surf Life Saving New Zealand and as a member of the ILS Medical Committee, with one source noting he chaired the Medical Committee from 2020 [17][22][21].
Payinda is confirmed to have worked as an assisted dying doctor [3]. According to single reputable secondary sources, he has taught emergency medicine to medical students and doctors-in-training, and has worked as a newspaper columnist on health and medicine [14][11]. He is also reported to write on Substack [4].
According to a single reputable secondary source, Payinda has spoken publicly in a science and community capacity, including as a guest speaker at Huanui College and as a speaker at the Central Northland Science Fair in 2021 [8][16]. According to a single reputable secondary source, he is affiliated with the NZ Labour Party [26].