Lea is one of New Zealand’s leading paediatric dietitians and also specialises in sports Nutrition.
Qualifications include: Dip Hsc (Otago), B.Com (Canterbury), Post.Grad DipSc (Otago), NZ Registered Dietitian, NZ Registered Nutritionist (NZ Nutrition Soc), Certificates of Proficiency in Paediatric Nutrition (Melbourne), Eating Disorders (Otago) and Sports Nutrition (AIS Canberra). Lea is an accredited Sports Dietitian with Sports Dietitians Australia (SDA).
Lea has specialised in Paediatric Nutrition for 40 years and in 1985 was the first New Zealand paediatric dietitian to enter private practice. Lea has worked in New Zealand, Australia and London in hospitals and private clinics. Lea helps families through her private consultations, public lectures, newspaper and magazine articles as well as television and radio interviews.
Lea’s interest in the effects of diet on brain function on such things as mood, behaviour, academic and physical performance has led her into the field of sports nutrition.
As an Accredited Sports Dietitian Lea works with New Zealand sports academies, universities and sporting bodies to provide educational programmes and resources for coaches, elite athletes and their families. Lea is particularly interested in helping young athletes to excel in sports such as tennis, athletics, swimming, equestrian and yachting by developing their own nutritional programmes.
Lea has also worked with NZ Cricket, NZ Softball, NZ Rowing and NZ Paralympians. In 2006 Lea was awarded a Prime Minister’s Scholarship to attend the Canada Cup Wheelchair Rugby Championship in Vancouver, Canada.
Over the past 15 years Lea has been working with individual athletes and also schools where she has presented numerous fund raising talks on Sports Nutrition for Developing athletes to teachers, parents, coaches and students.
Lea works in private practice offering expert advice to those with problems such as weight control, diabetes, coronary heart disease, gastro-intestinal upsets, allergies, intolerances and other health issues. Lea has also helped to set up a group of dietitians offering voluntary services at the Canterbury Charitable Hospital and Te Tahi Youth Hub.
With business credentials Lea has a unique insight into the needs of corporate and industrial groups often working with companies to develop health education programmes for staff as well as administrators.
Lea has a lifelong commitment to education regularly lecturing at universities and technical institutes and is in demand as a keynote speaker at conferences, workshops and seminars.
Lea has written 3 books:
2005 A Nutrition Manual for Developing Rowers…Out of print but still available in NZ libraries
2017: Healthy Kids, Happy Lives
2022: How to Grow an Athlete: From Playground to Podium (also available worldwide as an ebook and audiobook)
In 2024 Lea was awarded a Life Membership to Food Writers NZ for services to food writing in NZ. Then in 2025 Lea received the Dietitians NZ Excellence Award as well as Life Membership to Dietitians NZ for services to the Dietetic profession.
Lea enjoys life and is married to Paul. Sadly their two adult children and two grandsons all live in Sydney but they visit regularly. Lea keeps fit at the gym and reformer pilates, loves her daily coffee’s out and enjoys outdoor activities such as golf, walking and boating. Lea has a passion for fashion design, sewing and is learning to draw. She loves to travel, go to the movies and to cook fresh food for simple meals with friends and family.