COVID19: Level 1.

Clinic appointments are available for new and current patients. Telehealth appointments are available for those who are unwell or at risk/vulnerable. Contact tracing and infection control measures remain important. Please reschedule your appointment if you have Covid19 symptoms.

Thank you for supporting us and the wider community in these measures. Stay safe and well.

Meet The Team

Craig, Tyler and Leigh are pleased to offer a hand therapy service to people with elbow, forearm, wrist and hand injury and/or pathology.

They are registered Members of Hand Therapy New Zealand and Members of their respective parent bodies - Physiotherapy New Zealand or Occupational Therapy New Zealand.

With their specific experience and an excellent relationship with many specialists they can aid an effective management plan and timely recovery. They aim to treat everyone they see equitably with empathy, dignity and respect.

Craig Hawkyard

Craig graduated from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy and became a registered Hand Therapist in 2006. Craig worked at Christchurch Hospital before embarking on the obligatory OE - working in England, Wales, Scotland and Georgia and travelling widely before heading back to New Zealand.

Craig started The Hand Therapists in 2015 alongside Dr Fiona Timm's surgical practise. He enjoys working with the team at the clinic and with the wider community of health care professionals, to help clients reach their rehabilitation potential. Craig enjoys trail running, tramping, skiing and spending time with his whanau.

Tyler Pereira

Tyler graduated from Otago Polytechnic with a Bachelor in Occupational Therapy in 2016 and has completed her full registration for Hand Therapy, including a postgraduate certificate in Health Science; Rehabilitation. Tyler has worked in private practice both here in New Zealand and in Australia.

Tyler enjoys all aspects of elbow, wrist and hand rehabilitation and specialises in acute trauma, splinting and post operative care as well making use of strengthening and functional rehabilitation programmes to assist her clients to return to their work and hobbies as soon as they are able. Besides work, Tyler loves the outdoors, keeping busy with her partner walking, mountain biking and surfing.

Leigh Law

Upon graduating as an occupational therapist in 1991 from Glasgow’s Queen's College, in Scotland she worked in orthopaedics and then paediatrics. Both of these fields of practice included elements of hand therapy and splinting.

After immigrating to New Zealand in 2004 with her family, Leigh was keen to focus on hand therapy and became a registered hand therapist in 2009. Leigh enjoys all aspects of hand therapy from strains and sprains, fracture management to post operative rehabilitation

Our Services

Hand Therapy is described as...

‘the art and science of rehabilitation of the upper limb, which includes the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder girdle. It is a merging of occupational and physical therapy theory and practice that combines comprehensive knowledge of the structure of the upper limb with function and activity.

Using specialized skills in assessment, planning and treatment, hand therapists provide therapeutic interventions to prevent dysfunction, restore function and/or reverse the progression of pathology of the upper limb in order to enhance an individual’s ability to execute tasks and to participate fully in life situations’.

- from Hand Therapy Certification Commission

The Hand Therapists, Christchurch hand physiotherapy

The Hand Therapists share rooms with Orthopaedic Hand Surgeons Dr Fiona Timms, Mr Ram Chandru, Mr Tom Sharpe, Mr Allen Cockfield and Mr Heath Lash as well as Plastic Surgeons Mr Terry Creagh and Mr Dylan James.

We liaise with the surgeons on a daily basis. We also run combined clinics with Dr Timms and triage patients for Dr Timms and Mr Sharpe.

We have a close working relationship with Christchurch based Sports and Musculoskeletal Physicians, Pain Specialists, many Physiotherapists and other Allied Health Professionals who may be involved in your care.

We endeavour to provide a high-quality service and treat you equitably with empathy, dignity and respect. Let your therapist know if you have any specific cultural requirements that may assist us in your treatment at the clinic.

If we have not delivered this service and you have concerns please contact the Clinic Director in confidence by writing to: 'Clinic Director, The Hand Therapists, L2 11 Caledonian Road, St Albans, Christchurch 8014’.

The Health and Disabilities Commissioner can also be contacted on 0800 112233 or visited online to see the ‘Code of Rights’.