About Keith Pine

Dr Pine specialises exclusively in ocular prosthetics through the New Zealand Prosthetic Eye Service. He is an honorary Research Fellow with the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Auckland and a member of the Institute of Maxillofacial Prosthetists and Technologists in the UK. He and his co-authors have published over 20 scientific papers on prosthetic eyes and the world’s first peer-reviewed textbook on prosthetic eyes: “Clinical Ocular Prosthetics”.

Prior to establishing his own commercial dental laboratory, Dr Pine spent 16 years with the Plastic Surgical Dental Unit at Middlemore Hospital, Auckland where he became the unit’s specialist Facial Prosthetist. In 1988, he took over Geddes Dental Renovations with its 3 employees and fifteen years later, Geddes Dental Group emerged as Australasia’s largest private dental practice employing 43 clinicians and 67 support staff. In addition to providing comprehensive dental services to its large private patient base, the group operated government subsidised relief of pain clinics for 11,700 community service cardholders and a school based mobile dental service for up to 20,000 adolescents.

In 2001, Dr Pine sponsored the restoration of New Zealand’s oldest surviving yacht ‘Jessie Logan’.  He won TVNZ’s Marketer of the Year Award for his category in the same year, and was a finalist in Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in 2001 and 2002.

On 1^st November 2002, Geddes Dental Group was purchased by Abano Healthcare and its name was changed to Lumino the Dentists. Dr Pine then joined a group of medical specialists to set up a medical educational software company, Simtics.

Throughout his career, Dr Pine consistently set aside time to personally make and fit ocular prostheses and when he left Simtics, he expanded this small practice into the New Zealand Prosthetic Eye Service. At the same time he began a PhD research project with the department of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Auckland.

Dr Pine has held a number of positions in professional and community organisations including: President of the New Zealand MBA Association, President of the New Zealand Strategic Management Society, Chairman of the New Zealand Dental Technicians Board, Member of the Dental Council of New Zealand, Judge of Enterprise North Shore Business Excellence Awards, and President of the Takapuna Rotary Club.

Qualifications

• BSc. in Psychology (Auckland)
• MBA (Auckland)
• PhD in Optometry (Auckland)
• Registered Clinical Dental Technician
• Advanced Certificate in Maxillofacial Technology (UK)
• Member, Institute of Maxillofacial Prosthetists & Technologists (UK)