Dr Norman MacLean qualified in medicine at the Otago Medical School 50 years ago. He practiced within obstetrics & gynaecology for nearly 40 years, working for a number of years at the Southland hospital as a junior doctor, then National Women’s Hospital in Auckland, followed by two years as a junior specialist or registrar in obstetrics & gynaecology at the National Specialist Service in Dundee, Scotland.

Following his time in Dundee, he returned to Southland & practiced 38 years as a specialist gynaecologist and obstetrician in Southland.

During that time, he has performed approx. 8000 births, including 2000 caesarian sections.

He performed up to 200 abortions early in his career, but after a year of performing the abortions & being somewhat uneasy but cooperating with the system, he realised that this is not what he should be doing. It was not the life giving, healing work that he wanted to practice, so from that day onwards he stopped.

In 2015, Dr Norman MacLean was named a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queens Birthday Honours, for services to obstetrics and gynaecology.