Private general practice and integrative medicine

Medicine set by individual clinical need, not by the clock.

Health Function is an independent private general practice led by Dr Cindy de Villiers. Patients register for a year of working together: unhurried consultations, conventional medicine, and attention to nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, and environment — considered for one person at a time, not applied from a population guideline.

The practice is based in Nelson and sees patients from around New Zealand. Registrations are currently closed; a waitlist is open.

01 — The practice

Conventional medicine at the centre, with room for the rest of a life

Private general practice

Primary care outside the government-funded framework: diagnosis, treatment, prescriptions, referrals, and screening. Independence means consultation length and approach are set by individual clinical need, and by nothing else.

Integrative medicine

Nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, and environment are assessed alongside conventional care. Where complementary approaches are considered, they are discussed openly, weighed against the evidence and the individual's circumstances, and never substituted for necessary conventional treatment.

A year of working together

Health rarely changes in a single appointment. Registration is for a year — long enough to understand a full history, make changes, and review what is actually working for that person. One-off consultations are not offered.

02 — Registration

From waitlist to ongoing care

1

Waitlist

Registrations are currently closed. People on the waitlist are contacted in order when a place opens.

2

Terms and fees

The fee schedule, subscription terms, and what is and is not included are published before any commitment is made.

3

Registration

Registration covers a year of care, paid quarterly in advance. The first consultations build a complete picture of health and history.

4

Ongoing care

Consultations in person in Nelson, or by secure video and phone where appropriate to individual clinical need, with the patient portal for administration between visits.

03 — The doctor

Dr Cindy de Villiers

Dr de Villiers is a general practitioner with more than three decades in medicine. Her move toward integrative practice followed a plain observation: much of what fills a GP's day has as much to do with how a person eats, moves, sleeps, and lives as with anything a prescription alone can resolve — and those things differ for every individual.

Her practice remains grounded in conventional medicine — examination, investigation, prescribing, and referral where they are needed — extended with the time and attention that a small independent practice makes possible.

Registration and standards

  • Registered medical practitioner with the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ no. — confirm and insert)
  • Vocationally registered in general practice (confirm scope wording against the MCNZ register)
  • Practises under the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights
  • Health information handled under the Health Information Privacy Code 2020

Any doctor's registration can be verified on the Medical Council of New Zealand's public register.

04 — Fees

A single subscription, published in full

Health Function is not government-funded, which is what allows consultations to run to individual clinical need rather than the clock. In place of per-visit billing, patients pay a subscription: registration is for a year, billed quarterly in advance.

The complete fee schedule — what the subscription covers, what is billed separately (such as laboratory tests), and how cancellation works — is set out on the fees page and agreed before registration. There are no charges that have not been published first.

The subscription includes

  • Scheduled consultations across the year, in person or by secure video
  • Repeat prescriptions and routine referrals for registered patients
  • A personalised plan, reviewed as circumstances change
  • Portal access for administration between consultations

05 — Questions

Common questions

Do I need to live in Nelson?

No. The practice is based in Nelson and sees patients from around New Zealand. Consultations are held in person or by secure video and phone where that suits the individual's clinical need; some assessments do require an in-person visit.

What does "integrative medicine" mean here?

Conventional general practice, extended with attention to nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, and environment. Where complementary approaches are considered, they are discussed openly, weighed against the available evidence and the individual's circumstances, and used alongside — never instead of — conventional treatment that is needed.

Is this public-health-guideline medicine?

Population guidelines are written for the average of many people; they are a starting point, not an end point. At Health Function, assessment and treatment are worked out for the individual — their history, circumstances, and goals — within the standards that apply to all registered doctors in New Zealand.

Can I book a one-off consultation?

No. The practice works only with registered patients, because meaningful primary care depends on knowing a full history and having time to follow through. Registration is for a year.

Are you taking new patients?

Registrations are currently closed. The waitlist below is the only route in: when places open, people on the list are contacted in order.

Does this replace my enrolled GP or after-hours care?

Health Function provides ongoing planned care for registered patients. It is not an emergency or after-hours service. In an emergency always call 111; for urgent after-hours advice call Healthline on 0800 611 116.

How is my health information handled?

Clinical records are held in the practice's clinical record system in accordance with the Health Information Privacy Code 2020. The waitlist form on this website is for contact details only — it is not a clinical channel, and health information should not be included in it.

Perspectives

Writing from the practice

All perspectives →

Individualised medicine

N-of-1 trials and citizen science

Why the research that guides medicine is built on the average of many people — and what it means to study the only patient who is actually you.

The practice of medicine

Guidelines, automation, and personalised medicine

How medicine was quietly automated — and what a small independent practice can do to keep it personal.

Physiology

The vagus nerve and heart rate variability

The nerve that links mind and body, and why a heartbeat's tiny variation is a useful window onto an individual's health.

06 — Waitlist

Register interest

Leave contact details below to join the waitlist. When places become available, people on the list are contacted in order. Joining creates no obligation on either side.

This form is for contact details only — please do not include health or clinical information. If you need medical help now, contact your regular general practice; in an emergency call 111.

Details entered here are used only to manage the waitlist and to make contact about registration. Submissions are processed by Formspark, whose servers are located outside New Zealand — see the privacy statement.