A senior medical officer and rural hospital consultant at Hāwera Hospital is among those missing in Christchurch following last week's terror attack.
A statement from the Taranaki District Health Board said Doctor Amjad Hamid was at the mosque in Christchurch at the time of the shooting and is missing, presumed dead.
Dr Hamid's wife Hanan told NZME she and her husband emigrated to Christchurch from Palestine 23 years ago.
"It's terrible ... we were hoping to find a better future for us and for the children we were planning to have."
She described her 57-year-old husband as a "very kind man", but struggled to say more.
The elder of the couple's two sons, 22-year-old Husam Hamid, said he was most likely to have been in the Deans Ave mosque as he mostly goes to that one."
"We are presuming that he is dead, but we don't know."
Youngest son Mohammed Hamid, 20, said they had checked everywhere.
"We believe he's dead ... I just really loved my dad."
While Hamid and his family lived in Christchurch, he regularly travelled to worked for Hāwera for the past three years.
The health board statement said he would be dearly missed by his colleagues, and those who knew him.
"He was well liked for his kindness, compassion and sense of humour. He was a hard-working doctor deeply committed to caring for his patients and a thoughtful team member who was supportive of all staff.
"Every time he returned to Hāwera Hospital, he brought fresh baklava from a bakery in Christchurch for everyone."