Meet the team

Eric &Tracee have been a team for the past 25 years and have always had an interest in natural medicine.

Eric Bakker is the clinical director of The Naturopaths, and holds a Bachelor Degree of Science majoring in Complementary Health Care, as well as separate diploma qualifications in Naturopathy, Herbal Medicine and Homeopathy. Eric has 20 years clinical experience in natural medicine, and received post-graduate natural medicine training in Australia, India, America as well as New Zealand.

Eric  has been a technical advisor for various natural medicine companies in both NZ and Australia for over ten years, helping to train both natural therapists and doctors in areas of both nutritional medicine and functional medicine testing. In 2006 Eric he became the technical director of a company called Nutrisearch, which offers unique natural medicines, including the "Naturopaths Own" label, researched and produced to his exacting standards. Eric attends the latest natural medicine conferences and health expos both nationally and in America annually to keep up with the latest science and trends, and follows the cutting edge in New Zealand natural medicine.

Eric lectures at natural medicine colleges throughout NZ, as well as researching and writing for several journals and health publications, including New Zealand’s Healthy Options magazine since 2001.

Patients with chronic and complex disease now travel from all over NZ to receive treatment at The Naturopaths, situated in Havelock North, Hawke’s Bay. Eric enjoys clinical practice, particulary challenging people to adopt a healthier diet and lifestyle. His vision through The Naturopaths and this website is to be a small part of the larger global movement to transform the current drug-based healthcare paradigm, as well as to be part of a team of those at the cutting edge of professional natural healthcare in New Zealand: by providing excellence in naturopathic medicine, in terms of services, products and education to both the public as well as practitioners.

Eric Bakker is past Vice President of the New Zealand Natural Medicine Association, and is now on their editorial committee.

He is a professional member of the:

• NZ Natural Medicine Association
• NZ Society of Naturopaths

Tracee Reynolds is our practice manager and holds a Bachelor degree in Social Science. Before working alongside Eric, Tracee worked in womens refuges, co-ordinating and counselling survivors of domestic violence.
She has a strong 'customer service' ethic and an empathetic ear. Tracee now accompanys Eric to Natural Health Conferences and Expos in Australia and NZ in order to keep up to date with new research and technologies.

Living and raising a family together in Hawkes Bay, they are based in Havelock North and enjoy the convenience and friendliness of the village.
Their four children, Gabrielle (16), Joshua (14), Kees (12) and Solomon (10) attend Taikura Rudolf Steiner School in Hastings. Most of the recipes and a lot of the remedies on this website have been tried and tested on the children and their friends.