Nelson Orthodontics orthodontist and president of the local New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA) branch, Andrew Marriott, has polished confident smiles for thousands of patients.
He now has something to smile back at, the NZDA Colleague of the Year award, which shines a light on association members who are both positive health professional role models and contribute significantly to the profession collegiately.
“It was pretty humbling, because there’s a lot of deserving people in the wider dental community,” he says.
Dr Andrew’s nomination commentary reads that Andrew is never too busy to be welcoming, caring and supportive of others around him, both at his practice and the Nelson NZDA branch.
“The judging panel were inundated with letters of support for his nomination, with all of them stating how appreciative they are of his positive and supportive manner to others, his infectious enthusiasm, and his selfless spirit towards others at the branch, his practice and in his community,” it says.
“He is also known for being that someone who will always step up to support others in need and encourages and supports others to do the right thing. This is perfectly exemplified by his ongoing work for the Wish for a Smile Trust, delivering treatments for children in need who would not otherwise have access to such specialist orthodontic care.”
Andrew says the award is dedicated to the region’s dental “family”.
“There is a really high standard of dental care within the wider Nelson dental scene, it’s a bit like a large family… everyone’s really working towards what’s best for the region,” he says.
“You always value, if you’re in a sports team, the player’s player award, so it’s nice to have the player’s player award, it’s nice to be selected and acknowledged by your colleagues and peers.”
Andrew says he’d had bright mentors in his abiding career, and retaining the mentorship for young people cutting their teeth in the profession was the nexus of his future.
“We’re really lucky in Nelson, we’re different to other provincial centres in that we’ve got a lot of young practitioners, dentists and therapists which is great, because they bring a lot of vibrancy to the region,” he says.
“I’m really keen to promote those guys to develop and stay in the region, and to those people who want to go on to specialise in orthodontics as well. I come from a family where nobody had school certificate, so I really want to push for the profession to mirror New Zealand society and promote equity.”
