Originally from Northern Ireland, Patrice Dougan cut her teeth on regional daily newspapers, before jumping on a plane and moving to New Zealand in 2012. Since then she has worked at TVNZ's One News website, NZME News Service and the New Zealand Herald, mostly focusing on live and online news coverage. She did a brief stint as education reporter at the Herald, before moving into a chief reporter's role. Patrice joined New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa in January 2023, with more than 15 years' experience in daily and online news. She lives in Auckland with her partner and two children