Specialising in:
✔ Infant and child nutrition specialist
✔ Food intolerances
✔ Tube-feeding
✔ Specialist feeds & formulas
✔ Gut health - inflammatory bowel disease, Irritable Bowel disease, Coeliac disease
✔ Weight concerns (traditional approach)
✔ Selective eating
✔ Neurodivergent children through to adults with autism, ADHD, AuDHD or PDA profiles
✔Women’s health and breastfeeding
✔ Adult medical conditions: Diabetes, Heart health, Cancer, Older adults
✔ Rehabilitation & ACC under the Training For Independence Programme, Sensitive Claims Service and Pain Management Services
Available via:
In-person: Papakura, South Auckland clinic (Thursday mornings, by appointment)
Online / Telehealth (NZ wide)
Background:
My name is Sarika Coetzee. I am a NZ Registered, South African-trained Dietitian with over 20 years of experience working in South Africa, England, and New Zealand. I have worked across New Zealand, having worked for Te Whatu Ora in Whanganui, Manukau, Auckland - Central and West.
My other part-time role is at Waitakere Hospital, where I routinely see children with disabilities/neurological conditions, faltering growth, tube-feeding, tube-weaning, weight management, nutrition deficiencies, food intolerances/allergies, children on specialised formulas and selective eating, across an array of different ethnicities and neurodiversity.
With 2 young children of my own, I understand the challenges faced with prioritising your own health needs in a busy household and translating and navigating nutrition jargon into practice as a caregiver. Outside work, I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and finding stimulating activities to experience with my whanau, exploring what New Zealand has to offer.
Sarika’s approach:
I strive to provide whanau-centred, non -judgmental, friendly, and practical advice. I follow a neuro-affirming and trauma-informed approach, recognising neurological changes and differences in children and adults and working to get the best outcome for you and your whanau.
Specialities and additional training:
My speciality is in paediatrics – working in hospitals, homes, early education settings and mainstream and special schools. I also have experience in Adult medical conditions (Diabetes, Heart Disease), Cancer, gut health, and nutrition in the elderly. I have experience in providing nutrition training/talks to families, health professionals, and staff in education settings.
Along with my Dietetics Degree, I have completed the following training:
Primary care Diabetes diploma,
Masters Module in Inherited Metabolic Diseases
Certificate in the SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Feeding approach for selective eaters
Certificate in Get Permission for Anxious Eaters program
Inclusive approaches to support neurodivergent children with feeding challenges.