Dr Shane Cross has retired after 37 years at Broadway Health Centre in Kaikohe.
After nearly four decades as a general practitioner, Kaikohe-based doctor Shane Cross was touched by the tears shed by staff and patients on his last day.
Dr Cross retired from Broadway Health Centre on April 20, hanging up his stethoscope following 37 years of medical service in the Far North.
The Kerikeri resident plans to celebrate his retirement with staff at a practice lunch on May 14.
"I feel a little bit sad about leaving everything behind," he said.
"I've had patients that go back to the time I started, so I've established quite strong relationships with those people.
"There were a few tears on the last day.
"As a doctor you're in a privileged position; patients share things with you that they might not even share with their families."
Born in Invercargill, Cross was brought up in Wellington.
He carried out his medical training at the University of Otago in Dunedin before returning to Wellington to do his general practitioner training at Wellington Hospital along with two years as a house surgeon.
Cross also worked at Wellington Hospital as a medical registrar for two years.
"The idea of working with people appealed to me," he said.
"Having a medical degree gives you a wide spectrum of career choices, and I thought I could find a niche somewhere in medicine."
Cross began working at Broadway Health in 1986, developing a plan with friend and fellow doctor Peter Vujcich, who he attended medical school with.
"We came up with a five-year plan to see how it would work out and expanded the practice, established a purpose-built building, and other practices in Kaitāia and Waipapa."
He has a long list of achievements and highlights including setting up the chronic care programme called the Star Programme, which uses a team approach to managing patients with chronic health conditions and has been adopted by other practices.
He has also been involved in medical teaching at both post and undergraduate levels, mentoring and tutoring GP registrars via the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners along with medical students from the University of Auckland.
"Rural general practice is quite different from urban practice, medically it's a lot more interesting.
"Coming to Kaikohe, where there's very high deprivation, there are other challenges and rewards."
In 2016 Cross and his wife Alyson, a former practice nurse who also recently retired, took over the Kaitāia practice at Kaitāia Hospital, Te Kohanga Whakaora, from Dr Lance O'Sullivan and his wife Tracy.
Last year Cross was awarded a president's service medal from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.
The peer-nominated award acknowledges outstanding work with the college and the community.
Cross said he is proud of all his staff and colleagues at Broadway Health.
"We've got a very good team right through administration to nurses and doctors.
"The practice has built up a good reputation with other providers and DHBs and the contribution from staff goes a long way towards that."
A keen gardener who is interested in walking and swimming, Cross said he plans to "explore other options" in retirement, which will likely include locums.
He is currently travelling south to do a four-day hike around Lake Waikaremoana in Te Urewera.
"This is another phase of life and I'm looking forward to that and what happens next."