leadership nz yearbook 2011

52
2011 YEARBOOK

Upload: leadership-new-zealand

Post on 07-Apr-2016

232 views

Category:

Documents


1 download

DESCRIPTION

Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

2 0 1 1 Y e a r b o o k

Page 2: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

1

VISION

Enriching New Zealand through active leadership in a connected community.

MISSION

Growing, celebrating and weaving together New Zealand’s leaders through conversation.

VALUES

CourageousGenerous of spiritInclusiveActing with IntegrityInnovativeApoliticalCelebrating Diversity

LEADERSHIP NEW ZEALAND TRUST

PO Box 5061, Wellesley Street,Auckland 1141T: +64 9 309 3749E: [email protected]: www.leadershipnz.co.nz

LEADERSHIP NEW ZEALAND STAFF

Russell Little – Incoming Chief ExecutiveMegan Barclay – Outgoing Executive DirectorLouise Marra – Programme Co-DirectorChristine Spicer – Programme Co-DirectorManu Keung – Programme LeaderJudy Whiteman – Skillsbank DirectorJulie Courtnell – Office ManagerVijaya Nory – Administrator

DISCLAIMER

The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Leadership New Zealand, its members or the publishers. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, no responsibility can be accepted by the publisher for omissions, typographical or printer’s errors, inaccuracies or changes that may have taken place after publication. All rights reserved.

Leadership New Zealand Trustees

Jo Brosnahan – Chair, Leadership New Zealand; Corporate Director

Tony Nowell – Deputy Chair, Leadership New Zealand; Founding Director, ValadeNZ

Reg Birchfield – Publisher, RJMedia

Dr Morgan Williams – Principal, FutureSteps

Maureen Crombie – Manager Corporate Strategy & Policy, New Plymouth District Council; Alumnus 2006

Mark Otten – Chief Financial Officer, EziBuy Ltd

Teresa Tepania-Ashton – Alumnus 2006

Grant Bunting – Group Manager Operations, Scott Technologies Ltd; Alumnus 2009

Sina Moore – Chair, C-Me Mentoring Trust, Alumnus 2008, Alumni Representative

Leadership New Zealand Advisory Trustees

Tony Carter – Chair, The New Zealand Institute

Peter Kerridge – Director, Kerridge and Partners Ltd

Rob Fenwick – Managing Director, Living Earth

Jennifer Gill – Chief Executive, The ASB Community Trust

Bob Harvey – Chair, Auckland Waterfront Development Agency

John Hinchcliff – Advisory Trustee, Leadership New Zealand

David McGregor – Senior Partner, Bell Gully

Ian MacRae – Managing Director, Hay Group

Louise Marra – Director (Auckland), Ministry of Economic Development; Leadership New Zealand Programme Co-Director

Bennett Medary – Chief Executive, Simpl

Tim Miles – Company Director

Graeme Nahkies – Director, BoardWorks International

Fran O’Sullivan – Journalist

Brian Roche – CEO, NZ Post

Dr Jan White – Advisory Trustee, Leadership New Zealand

Editorial Team

Reg Birchfield, Jo Brosnahan, Megan Barclay, Julie Courtnell, Vijaya Nory, Manu Keung, Gill Prentice, Jan Michael David

Alumni Committee

Mark Baker (2007), Megan Barclay (2006), Bernie Chote (2010), Peter Fenton (2006), Manu Keung (2008), Karam Meuli (2009), Sina Moore (2008), Neville Pulman (2006), Hilary Sumpter (2010), Jennie Vickers (2007), Adrian Wimmers (2009)

Page 3: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

1

It has, in every way, been an extraordinary year for New Zealand. We have experienced a devastating earthquake involving our second largest city of Christchurch. We are,

as I write, still playing out our nation’s largest environmental maritime disaster, the wrecking of the cargo ship Rena, with a long road to recovery for our pristine coastal environment. And we have, with the Rugby World Cup, enjoyed our greatest sporting event; an event that captivated the stadium of our four million people. We have experienced huge highs and deep lows.

We have not really had the time to focus on a world that is experiencing its own extraordinary events. An economic meltdown, for example, that prompted anti-Wall St protesters

to use social media to coordinate a month-long protest against wealth inequality. Similar demonstrations have gone global, protesting against the billions of dollars in government bail outs for banks earning large profits and paying excessive executive bonuses, while unemployment soars. This follows on from demonstrations and uprisings throughout the Middle East which have changed the political face of the future in a multitude of countries.

Our local tragedies have delivered opportunities and learnings. Post-quake Christchurch presents an opportunity to rebuild a new type of city that is world leading in livability and sustainability – a city for the people. And the RWC proved that we can create a generous and welcoming community and construct world-class facilities.

The Rena disaster demonstrated yet again that New Zealanders care. Unfortunately, it took a few days to realise that to provide the resources and training for volunteers would enable an instant workforce who no longer felt helpless. Sam Johnson, the youthful leader of the Christchurch-spawned Student Volunteer Army, shows just what can be done by leaders without a preconception of the way it should be. Not only did the SVA bring large numbers of student volunteers to the devastated city, they also brought new thinking.

It is time to refocus on what events internationally and locally mean for all New Zealand leaders. As Dame Anne Salmond stresses, the world is not as it should be. We have lost our balance. It is time to start addressing this.

The world no longer waits. Yesterday’s ways are gone and we must be able to meet new challenges with new answers. We need leaders who can do this. It is the younger leaders who do not carry the baggage and preconceptions that inhibit their thinking. It is exciting to think of the alchemy of linking such energetic young minds and fresh perspectives with the wisdom and reflection of older leaders.

It was my honour to talk with both Dame Anne and with Sam for this Yearbook. Both hold our future in their hands. They have a vision of a better nation – one that is holistic, creative, caring, connected and linked with the land. They come from different generations and different backgrounds, but both believe deeply in a better New Zealand. Both advocate new ways of being and doing.

Leadership New Zealand is exploring the opportunity to connect such leaders across the generations. We are looking to give our young leaders the tools and support to connect them in conversation with our iconic and wise leaders. The young are our future, and there is opportunity to learn from each other.

Finally there is a sadness for our nation and for Leadership New Zealand in the loss of a great leader with the death of Sir Paul Reeves. We also acknowledge with sadness the loss of our Alumnus Richie Dempster. To the families of both we extend aroha.

Our congratulations and aroha to the graduands of 2011. We look forward to you continuing to be a part of our Leadership New Zealand family.

Jo BrosnahanChair, Leadership New Zealand

ContentsYearbook 2011

Jo Brosnahan 1Chair’s Foreword

Megan Barclay 2Executive Director’s Overview

Sir Paul Reeves 3A tribute

Graduation Speech 4-5Meaningful conversations

Dame Anne Salmond 6-7Connecting with people

The Class of 2011 8-11The Year in Pictures

Programme Overview 2010 12-13

Graduands Biographies 14-25The class of 2011

Leadership Week Dinner 2011 26Guest speaker Sam Johnson

SkillsBank 28Walking the journey through Huntington’s Disease

Pure Advantage 30What has NZ got to tell the world?

Alumni Retreat 31

Alumni Snapshots 32-47

Leadership New Zealand Events 48

Chair’s Foreword

Page 4: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

2

Leadership: Choosing service over self interest

Leadership exists in the hearts of people. It is no coincidence that our focus for 2011 has been Courageous, Compassionate and Committed leadership... “leadership for our times”.

There is no time like this 21st century that these qualities are needed. Only leaders with courage, compassion and commitment will manoeuvre and lead through the significant societal, economic and environmental change that we face.

Among those who hold office, statutory titles, corporate responsi-bilities and elected status, are New Zealanders who devote their time and heart to teams, groups and national interests in an unselfish way. These are our volunteers. These are our country’s custodians.

Custodian. The word means keeper, a guardian, a caretaker. An individual who upholds what is best for all people even if it may not be in their own interest to do so. A custodial role preserves something greater than self, with an attitude of mind that focuses on the task at hand and not on what the leader may gain from the position or task.

Globally, we have come from a few decades of mismanagement, of greed, and of frying pan-into-the-fire problem solving. It is time for leaders who choose service over self interest to rise to the fore; those who exhibit custodianship, who can provide direction and guidance in this time of indecision, turmoil and challenge; those who enable people by removing roadblocks and keeping them out of people’s thinking; those who hold the big picture and the course for the benefit of all.

I have had the privilege of meeting, engaging with and working beside people who have committed their lives and careers to custo-dian roles – leaders who have sought service over self interest. All of them hold hefty responsibilities in their primary roles, and are pre-pared to devote time and energy to other areas of interest or need.

These are the many people who volunteer their time and experi-ence to sustaining the vision of Leadership New Zealand.

They are our Trustees, Advisory Trustees, Alumni, speakers, partners, and a growing network of individuals who are prepared to devote themselves to the sustainability of this organisation.

An expression of true custodianship: choosing service over self interest.

Thank you all. Without the passion, courage and commitment that resides within each of you, Leadership New Zealand would not be able to deliver the experiences we create to nourish a na-tion of leaders.

Kakite ano Megan Barclay

Outgoing Executive Director

ExEC

uTI

VE D

IREC

TOR’

S OV

ERVI

EW««

««

Page 5: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

3

Tribute to a great totara Sir Paul Reeves (1932 – 2011)

IN MEM

ORIAM

««««

Tena koe ta, Talofa lava, ni sa bula vinaka, malo e lelei, kiaorana, fakalofa lahi atu.

How do you thank a maunga for rising?

How do you thank a rock for incising fathomless

oceans of paua blue?

How do you thank someone like you?

How do you thank the amber of leaf?

How tenderly we’ve turned wisdom’s sheaf

the book of your life, the pages of your dreaming

How do you thank service - aroha’s true meaning?

How do you thank the ravine’s deepest edge?

How do you thank humanity’s simplest pledge

to do to others as you’d have them do to you?

How do you thank waka prow for remaining true?

How do you thank the spiral’s infinite curve?

How do you thank grace undeserved?

How do you thank Atua’s blood-flower?

How do you thank the kaitiaki’s gracious power?

How do you thank the miracle of the Cross?

In the rising dawn, all else is dross.

How do you thank te moana nui a kiwa

for stroking the face of tauiwi and tagata whenua?

How do you thank the hei tiki’s tongue

for spurring on warriors, for battles fought and won?

How do you thank the swirling Pohutukawa?

The tenacity of Rimu? The endurance of Totora?

How do you thank the centre of Kauri

for its mana, its heart-wood of mauri?

How do you thank the pounamu’s deep forest?

It’s like thanking a new born for their careless caress.

It’s like dividing aroha into ‘more’ or ‘less’.

You can’t, and you shouldn’t, and you fail to capture

the soaring spirit in winged rapture.

But we do thank you, Sir Paul –

whakaruruhau.

We do thank you, Sir Paul

for the seeds you sow.

We do thank you, Sir Paul

and your life’s journey –

a black star shooting

pushed higher by yearning.

To you we say, “E te rangatira, Tena Koe,

Fa’afetai tele lava

Thank you, thank you, thank you

Ti hei Mauri ora!”

This poem was written by Selina Marsh, Alumni 2010, and inspired by the experience that the programme group had of a few precious hours spent with Sir Paul at Te Tii Marae, Waitangi.The poem draws on metaphors used in Maori proverbs about leadership: an outcrop of rocks – the first piece of land to face the challenge and power of the open ocean; the waka prow – similarly the first section of the waka to cut through and lead the ocean journey; native trees, the totara – proverbial source of strength, shelter and refuge. All facets of servant leadership. He was both warrior (“hei tiki’s tongue”) and peace-maker, as deep, strong, and treasured as pounamu. He made space for all of us in this nation – dignifying the human spirit above race, gender, or creed. His responses to our questions were deceptively simple and often accompanied by an experiential chuckle. I think his humility and integrity was a by-product of his relationship with God and the following of fundamental edicts, such as loving your neighbour as yourself. Practical love, honest leadership. Even when differing with world views and political perspectives, he listened, learned, leaned, loved and above all, led.

3

Page 6: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

4

Josephine Bartley: Thank you Leadership New Zealand for the journey we have been on this year. We have been humbled by what we have seen and heard from the speakers. We know we have been privileged to have an insight into the lives of these New Zealanders and what they are doing to make our country great. We have seen that when you are strong in whom you are, you are then strong in your leadership. Brendan Hoare: Why is being grateful important?JB: It acknowledges those who contribute to our development. Leadership New Zealand provided the space for us to discuss and explore the hard questions – whose job is it to fix those families that keep abusing their kids; how come milk is so expensive when we are a dairy farming country; are we really 100% pure; should the Police continue babysitting our binge drinking youth?

Our speakers confirmed that some of the answers lie in our communities, some with the decision makers in local and central Government. The one thing we can influence the most, however, is our attitude – the change begins with us. What is your motivation; what keeps you and your vision strong? BH: For me it is seeking truth, and seeking truth is challeng-ing, even revolutionary. What is NZ’s truth? The value proposi-tion I espouse for New Zealand is simple. 100% Pure vision + an authentic clean green organic eco-nation in all facets of theory, philosophy and most importantly practice = prosperity. The world wants what we have, our citizenship needs it more. I am leading something, making that work.JB: Revolutionary? BH: I believe it is. We have the backing from the international community, they are waiting for some Kiwi ingenuity, even will-ing to help. Which nation on Earth would have a better chance of

demonstrating that the change required is simple and obtainable? I believe the answer is that profoundly simple, a gift even, and it is a practical viable vision worth striving for. Besides, we have been told time and again over the year that the facts gained over the last 50 years have been laid before us and now await action. I am action oriented and ready.

I also believe that it is time for us as a people to take the next step in our psychosocial evolution. Let’s move on from the economics-obsessed socialising of manipulating and controlling cultures to higher values-based life-enabling ones. Deep down there is a part of being human that is up for it, are you?JB: Yes. We have some big issues to deal with in our country; the fraying of the “too hard basket” demands solutions now.

A recurring thought for me through the programme is what is my purpose? Oprah talks of listening to the voice in us, the whispers. Thank you Leadership New Zealand for teaching us the gift of self-reflection so that we may unbundle ourselves of our judgements, emotions and assumptions, thereby enabling us to see issues with clarity.BH: You are saying thank you again... so what is your passion and purpose? JB: John Kotoisuva (2011 Programme participant) was consistent in his challenge to us. What gets you out of bed in the morning? What is your purpose in life? For me I can say: My purpose is to be the best person I can be, to use the gifts and opportunities that God has given me to make a positive difference whether it be within my own family or wider community.You are a passionate guy, challenging even, what really gets you motivated? BH: I’m a romantic really, hopelessly in love with nature. I live that world. Leading is also natural for me, it is simply what hap-pens. On reflection it is more how I have chosen to live, and a method I use to find meaning to questions that arise. I am very comfortable asking the questions no one dares to. The great-est question is the meaning of life, its origin, the magnificence of creation and how me, a grain of sand, ’fits in’. I like making change, and support those who do the same.

Yet the dilemma is to also be true to myself. It’s knowing that to lead effectively I have to know myself. It takes courage to know oneself, to explore the personal boundaries, love oneself unconditionally, self compassion; it is easier to love another. It takes even greater courage to demonstrate one’s personal edge, vulnerability. The irony is that there is so much pain in the world, yet not many people who lead are willing to explore pain. Leadership requires personal exploration in order to make the life worth living purposefully. Thank you Leadership New Zealand for helping me rediscover this.

GRAD

uATI

ON S

PEEC

H

Constructive dialogue is an essential element to good leadership. Josephine Bartley and Brendan Hoare reflect on key learnings from Leadership New Zealand’s 2011 programme.

Meaningful conversations

««««

Page 7: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

5

What are the dilemmas you face?JB: I think the dilemma is how do you move forward without leaving people behind in progression. If I look at what I see go-ing on around me, I see an area that contributes 13% to regional GDP, yet a high number living in the area rely on a benefit; I see primary schools given the go ahead to take intermediate students while the only intermediate in the area closes down, and in the pursuit of bringing mixed ownership housing to Glen Innes in order to make the community healthier and wealthier, I see displacement of low income families. What is your reflection on how others see you? BH: Some see me as staunch and unrelenting; that is another side of my passion. I’ve always been that way, determined. I recognise and tell myself when I am impatient, “Be cool, things take time, persist with correct action.” I’m always ready, I’m up for that.

It’s not to say I don’t get impatient for change though. It can be very frustrating, that while we know the status quo is unacceptable, we appear immobilised to change. We are caught it seems in the headlights of the industrial age’s momentum, too many people are servants to modern mills. Others I observe are wooed by material gain, collection of status and titles. Those things trick us to believing the reality as it is, not the power it represents – its true subversion, our consent is man-aged... if we let it.

We have to distinguish between the leadership of title and the leadership of meaningful change. My quote of the year is in Shakespeare’s King Lear, “Tis the time’s plague, when madmen lead the blind.” Written a few hundred years back, I want to believe this is not the human condition. What kind of leaders do you follow? JB: I don’t follow any particular leaders but I pick up different learnings from people in my community who inspire me. What about you?BH: LNZ has helped me rethink role models of leadership. I trust myself more. But yes the leaders I find worth following believe we are at a critical threshold in the evolution of our species. From the socialising behaviour of self-driven outcomes that are supply and demand driven to a more enabling one where we are driven through networks and higher values. It is exciting stuff!

It is time to also check our motivation to be leaders. I believe the change required is monumental; and at times question if I am up for it... We have to become the leaders we have been waiting for. Why? Because we all know, not so deep down, that most of what is espoused as solutions (GE, a bigger more industrial food supply chain, the necessary economic division of have and have not) is nonsense, fiddles with the status quo and is even decep-tive. It is also counter intuitive.

What change are you bringing about?JB: In my neighbourhood we have a new family that’s moved in. They are trouble, the Police are out there every Friday night. The family next door to me built an almighty fence to keep the trou-ble away. I know this is not the society of leaving doors unlocked anymore, but it should not be a society where we have to build high fences to protect ourselves.

The change I bring about is making it my problem, maybe not directly working with this family but advocating for policies and plans that ensure there are services that can, encouraging people to be informed about what’s out there to help them and empow-ering people to be involved in the decisions that affect them. The change I am bringing about is building bridges and not fences. What are your core learnings this year? BH: I am the radical the programme did not originally want, last one on the boat; the alternative thinker, the guy that con-fronts; yet along with you was chosen by my peers to represent the year. There was a lot of learning there for me. I came seek-ing greater confidence and have found that in the quietest of reflective places. And for you, what are you taking away?JB: I remember the day we all met, 36 mostly strangers. I think we’ve all come a long way, we’ve respected what we’ve had to say and enjoyed our gatherings both within the programme and extracurricularly. From day one I felt validated by this group. The compliments that were paid to me, made me feel accepted, heard and seen. Having to put yourself out there in whatever field, to hear something good back, means a lot. Validation is what I’m taking away with me from my Leadership New Zealand experience.

Whether we remain linkedin, facebooked, bebo’d or emailed, we will always have a bond. I want you to know that the Leadership New Zealand programme has changed me for the better and in turn those I work with, those I help, will benefit.

To Jo Brosnahan – something you thought of with friends has resulted in something that changes people’s lives for the better. We are all grateful.

At the risk of sounding like a university ad, it is up to us to take our place in the world. I took this journey so I could come out of my shell, so I could be strong for the people who placed their faith in me to represent them. Whether we are in the corpo-rate, government, or non-profit world, we all have our challenges, our battles, but we have more tools to meet these battles as it all comes down to our minds and our souls.

In the words of the great Samoan warrior, Manusamoa, to his sister Tautiapagofie, as he was about to depart for war: O manu ta te failoa’i ai, o manu fo’i ta te taumavae ai… In good circum-stances we meet, may we also part in good circumstances.

Page 8: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

6

Dame Anne Salmond, DBE, CBE, FBA, FRSNZ, FNZAH is an iconic New Zealander. An acclaimed author, anthropologist and specialist in Maori Studies, she was the first New Zealand-

er to be elected to both America’s National Academy of Sciences – for excellence in scientific research – and the British Academy – for excellence in the social sciences and the humanities.

Dame Anne was the Pro Vice Chancellor (Equal Opportunity) at the University of Auckland, and won numerous academic awards and awards for her writing, including the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement. Last year, she was made a KEA World Class New Zealander.

But a CV does not adequately describe Anne Salmond, the woman

who has a deep passion for New Zealand, who is creating an eco sanctuary in Gisborne, who worked to have a marae established at the Auckland University, who is enjoying the Rugby World Cup because it is a celebration for everyone and who is at the centre of a warm and loving family. She has a wisdom, an authentic beauty of one very comfortable in her own skin, and a wonderful mind. Her life has had huge breadth and depth from which she talks about the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand.

Anne’s academic research from the 1970s was largely focused upon the Maori culture, coming out of a deep friendship with two eminent Maori elders, Eruera and Amiria Stirling. She talks of the language, the music, the poetry, the waiatas, the tribal histories: “They are

Dame Anne SalmondConnecting with people

PROF

ILE ««

««

Page 9: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

7

such an integral part of the heritage of our country.” Her connection with and understanding of Maori culture has influenced the holistic way that she thinks about people and the environment around them as being intertwined; all part of one interconnected system.

In her recent work, she has been looking back to the Enlighten-ment and Adam Smith, who conceived the invisible hand of the market. “Adam Smith in the Wealth of Nations talked about all ben-efiting. The counterweight is the common good: justice, honour and truth. In those days, they did not have the boundaries that we have now. The focus on materialism puts life into boxes, at an extreme.

“We have lost balance, with all of the earth and its people being categorized as resources. And we now have the situation where the wealth is protected for the wealthy, while there are huge social and environmental problems around the world. There is a convergence too between the concentration of income and the concentration of power, which is unhealthy.

“Capitalism requires relationships, just as all species require rela-tionships.” She believes that many New Zealanders have held fast to relationships, and have a strong sense of justice. “Stephen Tindall has a strong sense of relationships and the environment.

“Kiwis have good basic values; they love the land, and they are generous, but they are not focusing on the right conversations. They are not always well informed. Unfortunately, the language has been captured by the media, with an often unhealthy connection between politics and the media. It is a concern too that the counterbalance provided by independent advice in the political sphere is removed: this undermines the democratic safeguards. Unfortunately, it hap-pens to all parties; as time goes on, they start getting more disre-spectful of those whom they represent.

“All New Zealanders should be thinking about the impact of pol-icies that focus wealth at the top end. They should be concerned about the loss of values of truth, justice and fellow feeling, and the focus instead on maximizing profit at all costs. We should be looking at the importance of relationships and of conversations; they underpin a democracy.”

Anne and her husband Jeremy have three children, raised while she continued with her academic career. “It was easy for me, as I was the first woman in our department to work at the same time as having children. They were more permissive about allowing me to work from home as much as possible, as they thought that was where I should be. They are much less tolerant these days. It is part of the same mechanistic formula; women need to fit in with the system. I hate that word human resources. How much better would it be if they looked at it more holistically: healthy breast fed children require mothers who can be flexible, and that experi-ence enriches young women.”

As Pro Vice Chancellor of Equal Opportunities at Auckland Universi-ty for nine years, Dame Anne was able to fight for women, although

she is still concerned at the challenges in front of any woman in an academic career who wishes to have children.

She worked closely with John Hood on the Knowledge Wave, and out of that came Starpath. This is a research project focused upon changing the outcomes for children who are currently underachiev-ing at secondary school. It is based upon research, with longitudinal databases tracking children through time, and a focus on then using the research on each child to advise academic counselling, parental connections and different educational initiatives.

“Educational inequality is one of our challenges. Running a school without tracking students over time is like running a business with-out a balance sheet.”

Her passion right now is the ecological restoration project that she and husband Jeremy are involved with in Gisborne. “We are looking to create a sanctuary without developing a huge and expensive mainland island fence. We have some wonderful young people involved. When you look after the land, it looks after itself. We are creating a place for the plants and animals, but also for the people. When there are more species, they talk to each other, they sit up and sing.”

Dame Anne is concerned that the Maori values should be part of a better future for New Zealand. “Some of the best things in our history occurred whether there was resonance between Maori and European values, such as tika and justice. There is the possibility of a justice and economic system that accommodates both values, and does not have the negative and destructive effect that the current system has for example on young Maori men.

“Relationships need to be inclusive. We have people capable of coming up with those models, such as David Baragwanath and Sean Elias.”

So what of the future? “We need a big philosophical shift. We have a world that is unhealthy and doesn’t work, even for many wealthy people.

“In really good writing, you think of the whole world, but write from where you are located. New Zealand can be a beautiful place and the spirit of New Zealand is innovative. You can do things here that are much more difficult to achieve in other countries. You do not have to be powerless. There are so many opportunities and it is not really about money. It is the people you can link up with, and the sense of purpose that can be developed together. Relationships and networks are key. No one person can do it alone.

“The world is shifting and it is not just about social media. It is about science, and DNA and new frontiers.

“I am not gloomy about the future. I work with many brilliant and wonderful young people, a generation who have very good values. There is humility to be learned from working with young leaders. They will come up with the things that we dream of. They are our future.” – Jo Brosnahan

Page 10: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

8

The class of 2011...

Tree huggers! John Kotoisuva, Richard Fitzgerald and Mike Brooker.

Russell Little, Damon Plimmer, Elaine Hultzer, Shalini Pillai.

Manu Keung, John Kotoisuva, Wizard, Cate Thorne, Sue North, Brendan Hoare.

Dave Hargreaves.

“Human, humble, true to self, and inspiring are just a few of the words that are now 100% at the core of what true leadership comprises of in my mind.”JAnine AttWooD

“i see quiet forms of leadership now that deliver more through the wisdom of the crowd than ever a single leader could achieve.”JAnette CAmpBell

“i am a firm believer that we are born with something that others need and leadership (for me) is about developing and refining that something, our natural gifting, turning it into skills and serving our communities.”JoHn KotoisuvA

“the quality of the speakers and what they have achieved in their lives has been very humbling, while their honesty throughout the year has also been a highlight.”JoHn o’neill

“the other standout area has been the need to be real with myself and others. spill the beans. speak your mind.”Josie ogDen sCHRoeDeR

Page 11: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

9

Jo Randerson with newborn son.John O’Neill with Shalini Pillai.Elaine Wong.

John Kotoisuva.

Catherine Schache, Shalini Pillai, Christine Spicer, Janette Campbell, Di Rump.

Sue North, Cate Thorn and Alison Taylor.

“the speakers have stimulated and pushed me to think deeper, and to appreciate the importance of being courageous and taking risks.”sHAlini pillAi

“As gandhi once said, ‘You need to be the change you want to see.’ this is the ongoing challenge for us as a year group and as Alumni.”CAte tHoRn

“i was rather ignorant of leadership that involved your heart and soul. i now know that emotional intelligence and a strong sense of self is so important in my journey of leadership.”DAn WAlKeR

“most importantly, through the programme, i have learned new ways to have conversations, debate issues, and find ways to help create our future that builds trust and pride in new Zealand.” liZ HAmpton

Page 12: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

10

The class of 2011...

Margaret Davison, Elaine Hultzer, Henare Clarke, Josephine Bartley, Peter Wilson.

Brendan Hoare, Richard Llewellyn and Josephine Bartley.

Shalini Pillai, Dave Hargreaves, Dan Walker. Catherine Schache, Margaret Davison and Liz Hampton.

Hans Verberne, Louise Marra (Programme Co-Director), Peter Wilson,

and Christine Spicer (Programme Co-Director).

Megan Courtney and John O’Neill.

Dan Walker and Shalini Pillai.

“What I’ve seen is how we each can bring positive change in all sorts of small and varied but significant ways.”MAx ADlEr

“We cannot afford to sit back and accept the status quo if we are going to truly influence what this country will look like for my grandchildren.”HENArE ClArkE

“The programme has taught me to be emotionally strong and connected to the decisions I make and ask of others.”DICkIE FArrAr

Page 13: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

11

Damon Plimmer and Dickie Farrar.

Liz Hampton and Megan Courtney.

Kirsty Pillay-Hansen and Megan Barclay.The late Sir Paul Reeves, Jo Brosnahan, Bob Harvey.

Rewi Spraggon with son Kawiti. Marlena Devoe and Darren Pene Pati.

Brendan Hoare.

“I have learned new ways to have conversations, debate issues, and find ways to help create our future that builds trust and pride in New Zealand.”lIZ HAMPTON “It has been a year filled with rich transformation for me; I have connected with my own passion and found a heart-felt courage to make challenging life changes.”ruSSEll lITTlE

“Being part of the 2011 Programme has made me a better person, introduced me to a whole new network of friends, provided fresh ideas for collaborative work in the community, and filled me with hope for our future.”DAMON PlIMMEr

Page 14: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

The 2011

February – exploring Leadership – Parnell rose Gardens, aucklandTeam Building Day; Different Facets of Leadership; Exploration of Leadership Models

Louise Marra & Christine Spicer

Programme Directors and Directors, Spirited Leadership

Tim Miles Company Director

Bob Harvey Chair, Auckland Waterfront Development Agency and Former Mayor of Waitakere City

Teresa TePania Ashton Consultant, Tepania-Ashton Consulting

MarCH – a Civil Society – refugee youth action Network (ryaN) Centre and Selwyn College, aucklandElements of a civil society; Ethics; Values; Communities; Community engagement; Social entrepreneurism; Deprivation; Human rights; Diversity; Education; Migration; Refugee resettlement; Youth

Pat Snedden Business Advisor

Gary Poole Chief Executive Officer, Refugees As Survivors New Zealand

Milton Henry Deputy Principal, Selwyn College

Professor Manying Ip Professor, School of Asian Studies, University of Auckland

Dr John Hinchcliff Former Vice Chancellor, AUT University

aPriL – Our History, Our roots – Moerewa, Te Tii Marae at Waitangi and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds at WaitangiOur history; Maori perspectives; the Treaty; Health; Community and community leadership

Chris Farrelly CEO, Manaia Health PHODebbie and Ngahau Davis Joint General Managers, He Iwi Kotahi tatou TrustPita Tipene Chairperson, Ngati Hine Forestry Trust

May – rural New Zealand: ‘Leadership: Stories from the Land’ – Palmerston North, Massey university and FieldingNZ, a biotic economy: Global food demands and trends; The opportunities and challenges New Zealand faces in global food markets of great complexity; Climate change

Jacqueline Rowarth Professor, Pastoral Agriculture, Massey University

Sam Robinson Chair, AgResearch and Farming Leader

Nicola Shadbolt Associate Professor, Farm and Agribusiness Management, Massey University

Morgan Williams Principal – Future Steps, Leadership New Zealand Trustee

Grant Bunting Leadership New Zealand Board Member

JuLy – Sustaining our Wellbeing – Landcare research Christchurch and yMCa – Wainui Park, akaroaOur economic and business challenges; Entrepreneurialism; Maori land and resource development; Natural resources and energy; The interconnection with the environment and communities

Sacha McMeeking Former General Manager, Te Runanga O Ngai Tahu

Dr Andy Pearce Specialist Executive and Director

Richard Gordon Chief Executive, Landcare Research

Bob Frame Principal Scientist, Landcare Research

Hugh Wilson Reserve Manager, Hinewai Reserve

Morgan Williams Principal – Future Steps, Leadership New Zealand Trustee

Programme Overview

Page 15: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

auGuST – 21st Century Governance – Legislative Council Chambers, Chapman Tripp, and Toi Whakaari, WellingtonNZ governance in a global context (central, local, corporate, SOE etc); The changing role of the state and societal expectations; Participation in decision making and the citizen’s role in democracy

Dr Lockwood Smith Speaker of the House of Parliament

David Patterson Partner, Chapman Tripp

Dr Alan Bollard Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand

Colin James Political Journalist

Julian Raphael Director – Community Music Junction

Christian Penny Director, Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School

SePTeMber – innovative Leadership – Wellington Zoo and Toi Whakaari, Wellington

Clive Jones Executive Director, Te Matatini

Darrin Apanui Associate Professor, AUT University

Christian Penny Director, Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School

OCTOber – Media: Forces That Shape Our ThinkingAspects of media – film, television, radio, social documentary, new media; How media contributes to the way we think

Dr Wayne Hope Associate Professor, School of Communication Studies, AUT University

John Barnett CEO Pacific Productions

Che Tamahori Managing Director, Shift

Bob McNeil Radio/TV Reporter

Sandra Kailahi Reporter/Presenter TV7

CLOSiNG reTreaT – NeW ZeaLaNd ON THe WOrLd STaGe

Sir Stephen Tindall Founder, The Warehouse

Joan Withers Chair, Auckland Airport

Rod Oram Journalist, Sunday Star-Times; Broadcaster

Page 16: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

14

Graduand Biographies

Max AdlerDirector, Adler and Associates

Background: I left Otago University 18 years ago with law and literature degrees. My qualifications reflect my creative and technical abilities. In every role since, my joy has been to bring positive opera-tional change to organisations with a social pur-pose. I’m motivated by work in the spaces where markets fail to strengthen communities or provide for their long-term interests, socially, environmen-tally or economically. I’ve worked to bring rigour and methodology to community services and strategic thinking and imagination to regulatory services. Both have been challenging! I’ve been employed by Hamilton City Council, the Queens-land Ombudsman, Auckland City Council, and the Auckland Council, and consulted and provided best practice training to most local authorities in New Zealand in the field of regulatory compliance and monitoring. I’ve had the privilege of advising non-profit organisations in Bali and the Philip-pines on their aid and development projects. I run a consultancy, Adler and Associates, focused on public service and civil sector innovation.

Reflection: I joined the Leadership New Zealand programme wanting to find travelling compan-ions – people who would inspire me and stretch me and back me. Hearing participants’ stories and the stories of the leaders who have visited us, and seeing how this motley crew can bind together has been inspiring. The potential impact of a relatively small group of people and their diverse roles within New Zealand reminded me of how one of my staff added colour to an analogy I drew about not trying to “eat the whole elephant”, a common pitfall of idealists commonly found wandering government and not-for-profit corridors. She said she was happy just to paint the elephant’s toenail. And what I’ve seen is how we each can bring positive change in all sorts of small and varied but significant ways. I hope to have the chance to continue the conversation and support with this year’s graduands, thinking about what we can contribute to our neighbourhoods and country together.

Skills offered: Creative change work anywhere in the cycle of investigation, analysis, visioning, planning, process development and implementa-tion, skills building, monitoring and evaluation for public service or social purpose organisations, especially in the community services, environmen-tal, or regulatory fields.

Current community involvement: Helping the young ones out at church. Volunteering for New Zealand-based fundraising agencies for overseas aid and development.

Location: Auckland.

Janine AttwoodHuman Resources Manager, Simpl Group Background: South African born, my love for travel led me to spend nearly six years in the UK. After various operational roles within the hotel industry, I was lucky enough to use this experience to kick start my career in Human Resources, which also corresponded with the start of my bachelor studies in communication and psychology.

New Zealand has been home for eight years now. Since arriving here, I have completed an honours degree in Organisational Psychology. I have also gained some great business experi-ence within a range of industries, all of which have been interesting and challenging in their own way. Studies and experience combined, I get to bring it all together in my current role as Human Resources Manager at the Simpl Group.

For me, working in the Human Resources field is focused on creating ‘happy and well’ or-ganisations. People are at the heart of what all organisations do, so all HR strategies and plans need to revolve around supporting the business and individuals to thrive in what they do best.

Reflection: The Leadership New Zealand pro-gramme is truly unique in its design of topics, selection of speakers and participants, as well as in how it is facilitated. In particular, the speakers’ leadership journeys and their willing-ness to share with us, creates a unique learning environment. This has all contributed to open-ing and challenging my thinking beyond the traditional management and leadership theories.

There is no doubt that the topics are both thought and discussion provoking, but it is my experience of the people, both participants and presenters, that has really solidified what leadership means to me. Human, humble, true to self, and inspiring are just a few of the words that are now 100% at the core of what true leadership comprises of in my mind.

As a result of this course, I have been able to initiate some change in my circle of influence. I now have the ongoing challenge to continue to use my learnings and insights in my everyday life, in order to continue the positive effect wherever and however I can.

Skills offered: HR strategy and operational planning; HR transformation; change manage-ment; coaching; employee engagement; organi-sational wellbeing.

Current community involvement: Mentor for the Omega Group.

Location: Auckland.

Josephine BartleyAdvisor, Ministry of Consumer Affairs

Background: I graduated from the Univer-sity of Auckland with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Law. In 1998, I co-authored a book on Education Law for Schools and was admitted to the bar in the Hamilton High Court. After a short stint as a lawyer, I joined the Ministry of Consumer Affairs in 2001 as a consumer advisor. In this role, I have served on the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commission, instigated Consumer Rights Days, consumer clinics at com-munity law centres, run a weekly radio show on consumer rights and developed community legal education programmes. The bread and butter of the job is monitoring consumer legislation to ensure confident consumer experience in the marketplace along with helping people who have been ripped off. Leadership New Zealand taught me to chase challenges that scare me, so I did my first television interview on Fair Go giving advice on group buying websites. Throughout my life, I have been involved in the community through a variety of volunteering and leadership roles.

Reflection: We are all busy people, no matter whether we have a high job title, letters after our name or volunteering. When I had my interview for this programme I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but reflecting back, it has been the best thing I have ever done for myself.

The Leadership New Zealand journey so far…• Making new friends and contacts – Good • Broadening my understanding of the issues facing our country – Very good• Learning from the speakers’ insights and experience – Excellent• Feeling validated as my own person and being stronger in my leadership as a result – PRICE-LESS!

Skills offered: Governance; networking and relationship building; community development/empowerment; plain language writing; project management; law; policy analysis and review; advocacy; facebook savvy; communications.

Current community involvement: Board Member Glen Innes Business Association, Ka Mau Te Wero Charitable Trust, PACIFICA Tamaki Branch, Member of Glen Innes Drug and Alcohol Group, Tamaki Alliance, Tamaki Inclusive Engagement Strategy (TIES), IamGI Youth Move-ment, Coordinator for Pacific Women’s Workshop for Te Waipuna Puawai.

Location: Auckland.

Page 17: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

15

Graduand Biographies class of 11

Mike BrookerGeneral Manager Legal, Foodstuffs (Auckland) Ltd

Background: Born and raised in Hamilton, I then went to Auckland University to study Law. After graduating, I joined a mid-sized law firm in Auckland and practised commercial law. After seven years, I changed firms to a larger partnership with international offices and also went back to Auckland University part-time to do a Master’s Degree in commercial law. After 12 years with that firm (nine years as a Part-ner) an opportunity arose to establish a legal team within one of the firm’s biggest clients, Foodstuffs (Auckland) Limited. I have now been with Foodstuffs for two years and have really enjoyed the role and the new challenges that it has provided. Legal issues affect our business every day and my work is incred-ibly varied and I get the opportunity to work with people from right across our organisation and at every level. We are also very often in the public limelight and the legislator’s focus as our business is fundamental to people’s everyday lives.

Reflection: My Leadership New Zealand experience so far has been about taking time to reflect on leadership and to learn from both the participants and the presenters. For me, leadership has always been something easily recognised but challenging to define. I remain of this view but it has been interesting to be exposed to a wide variety of viewpoints and perspectives on leadership. There are some common threads but also many diverse views. I think there is opportunity for everyone to take from the experience the parts that resonate for them, and have a bit of fun on the journey. I think our year group has been incredibly honest, respectful and accepting of each other despite diverse perspectives and viewpoints. It has been a privilege to have been a part of the group.

Skills offered: Legal; negotiation; govern-ance.

Current community involvement: Have been involved in numerous fund raising initia-tives for CanTeen, local schools and the like. Provided pro-bono legal services for Starship, Fred Hollows Foundation and other charitable organisations while at the law firm.

Location: Auckland.

Janette CampbellPartner, Cowper & Campbell

Background: At the end of 2001, after seven years in one of New Zealand’s larg-est law firms, I took the plunge into small business, founding Cowper Campbell with my former boss. Nine years later, we’re all still having a ball, working with major infrastruc-ture providers, large corporates, central and local government entities, environmental groups and other not-for-profits. We provide advice to applicants for resource consent, to those opposing, and to regulators (but not all at the same time!). Much of our work is outside of Auckland, and I have worked from Northland to Southland and many points in between over the years. My work is very varied, and I enjoy the insights into a wide range of business activities.

Reflection: This year’s programme has shown me that leadership is about far more than simply vision and charisma. True leader-ship is about creating an environment that allows all members of a team or organisation to contribute their utmost and encourages them to do so. I see quiet forms of leadership now that deliver more through the wisdom of the crowd than ever a single leader could achieve.

Skills offered: Environmental and resource management law; negotiation and mediation; project management; broad strategic planning and implementation.

Current community involvement: Pro bono legal advice to Royal New Zealand Forest and Bird Inc and the Tree Council Inc.

Location: Auckland.

Henare ClarkeRegional Manager – Operations, Auckland North, Downer

Background: At present, my role at Downer New Zealand is Regional Manager – Operations responsible for all operational teams in the Auckland and Northland area of our business.

There are a diverse range of skills and people within this business – from Parks and Reserve Curators, builders and constructors, to crews and teams that make sure you can travel on the roads and get home safely every night; from people with Masters Degrees to some that don’t have the basic requirements around literacy and numeracy.

My role is to build teams and provide positive leadership that extracts the best from both sides of the spectrum.

I have been in this industry for over 30 years having the great opportunity to work from a labouring role to a senior management role, and it is always rewarding to see other young people in our organisation striving to accomplish similar goals.

Coaching and mentoring skills are a key requirement when you are providing leadership to a large operational workforce, and having the time and ability to provide some valuable ‘one-on-one’ time with my staff is very rewarding to see the growth in people as part of my role.

Reflection: Leadership New Zealand has provided me this year a combination of learn-ings. Sometimes we are caught in our own little world and the exposure we had across a broad spectrum of speakers and subjects does expose some of the preconceptions you have built up over time – these were truly challenged and broken down.

The diverse group of 36 people provided a range of feedback and views which, whilst some did not always agree with, respected each other in a very safe environment and it added immensely to our understanding of how diverse New Zealand is and the part we need to play in it. We cannot afford to sit back and accept the status quo if we are going to truly influ-ence what this country will look like for my grandchildren.

Skills offered: Operational and business management; mentoring and coaching; strategy and planning.

Current community involvement: Trustee of the Genesis Youth Project Trust; assisting my wife in coaching local sports team.

Location: Auckland.

Page 18: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

16

Graduand Biographies

Megan CourtneyInspiring Communities National Team

Background: I’ve spent most of my working life in local government in Auckland. My role with Waitakere City Council from the mid-1990s focused on facilitating the brokering sector, place based and citywide partnerships to improve city wellbeing, planning, and outcomes. I am a believer in the power of communities and the real difference that local people working creatively and collaboratively can make.

In 2009, I joined the Inspiring Communi-ties team. We are a small NGO with a mission of growing the recognition, understanding and practice of community-led development in Aotearoa and noticing the difference this makes. We want to see all communities in New Zealand flourishing, with our work focusing on connecting, capacity building and learning to support local communities. Inspiring other communities to be inspiring communities!

Up until early 2011, my work with Inspiring Communities was solely Auckland focused, but in April our family decided to take a ‘provincial sabbatical’ and moved to sunny Nelson. I’ve continued to be part of the Inspiring Commu-nities team, now with more nationally focused learning, connecting and training roles.

Reflection: Having dedicated time to ‘step outside’ my business as usual each month to participate in nationally important conversa-tions and learning has been a real privilege and gift. For me, being part of the Leadership New Zealand programme has reinforced the importance of investing in cross-sector conver-sations, networks and relationships in multiple places, and at multiple levels, right across our country. I’m keen to use my skills, energy and passion to support a ‘leaderful communities’ approach throughout Aotearoa. I’d love to see more communities proactively thinking about and developing their own local leadership plans, which support and encourage multiple contributions, reciprocal relationships, gen-erosity, authentic empowerment and achieve-ment of local visions, hopes and dreams.

Skills offered: Community-led development; strategic planning; partnering and collaboration; community engagement and empowerment.

Location: Nelson.

Margaret DavisonDirector Policy & Research, Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs

Background: I have the privilege of working at the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs (MPIA). With almost 20 years’ experience in commu-nity economic development in Scotland, my role in MPIA has allowed me to reconnect with the work that I am most passionate about. Grassroots economic development provides a great opportunity to make a difference to the lives of those in our communities. The Ministry has a broad focus on improving outcomes for Pacific people living in New Zealand – including education, youth and economic development, housing and health. Our work involves policy development and influencing the work of others to ensure positive outcomes for Pacific people.

I have a degree in Public Administration and a Masters’ degree in Business Administration. I worked for a number of years for Scottish Enter-prise, Scotland’s economic development agency, before setting up my own consultancy. The work of the consultancy was at a more grassroots level working with a wide range of not-for-profit organisations, supporting their growth and development. I worked closely with a number of innovative housing associations and led on a Community Wind Farm project. I established a ‘best practice’ European Development Key Fund project to provide small grants to not for profit organisations.

Reflection: Leadership New Zealand has pro-vided me with a unique opportunity to examine in-depth many aspects of New Zealand society, culture and leadership. Engaging with so many inspirational Kiwi leaders in such an open and honest manner has been absolutely fantastic – a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Furthermore, the breadth and diversity of the 2011 group has further enhanced the experience. It is not often in our busy lives that we get the opportunity to step back and really examine what’s important to us, who we are and what makes us tick. Lead-ership New Zealand provided that environment and I am extremely thankful.

Skills offered: I have an extensive background in Scotland of working with not-for-profit organisations to support their growth and devel-opment, extensive governance experience and have been involved in a number of community boards supporting community regeneration. I also have extensive experience on rugby com-mittees!

Current community involvement: Junior rugby committee and civil defence.

Location: Wellington.

Dickie FarrarGeneral Manager, Whakatohea Maori Trust Board

Background: My family and I returned home to Opotiki in June 2010 after being away for a number of years working in the South Waikato, and I am currently employed as the General Manager for the Whakatohea Maori Trust Board, which is the mandated iwi organisation for the Whakatohea people. I affiliate to five of the six hapu of Whakatohea and have spent a majority of my time involved in iwi and Maori develop-ment over the course of my lifetime.

My background is in nursing and management, and I have a passion for working with people and in a team environment, with those who are committed to improving their own and others’ wellbeing.

My career for the past 10 years has been around organisational, strategic management and change. I enjoy the challenges of being in a senior management role and have progressed entities from start up through to new treaty claim structures.

Reflection: This last year has been an incred-ible year as I look back over the trials and tribulations that have occurred in the course of this leadership programme. With balancing my own workload then refocusing on what was required in the leadership programme, and the earthquake in Christchurch, the decision to continue on with the programme is certainly a tribute to commitment.

When I began this journey, I asked myself how will this programme add to my kete of knowledge and what learnings will I gain; I can say it has taught me to be emotionally strong and connected to the decisions I make and ask of others. It has also enabled me to learn a new set of tools, and learning to draw the best out of myself, my colleagues, staff and family. I have enjoyed practising with the learning gateways and believe this has strengthened me as a person.

This leadership programme provides an avenue to understanding other organisations/compa-nies and how each contributes to the wider economy as well as debating issues of impor-tance and hearing the experiences of others.

Skills offered: Strategy; planning; organising; and change management. I enjoy working with and developing teams, building organisational culture and ensuring we all achieve results. The tools I look for to enable this to happen are baseline evidential information backed up by clear strategy, great people, ability to execute and the cash to achieve results.

Location: Opotoki.

Page 19: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

17

Graduand Biographies class of 11

Penny Fitt Head of Design, Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School

Background: I am a set designer and theatre-maker. As a practitioner, I collaborate to create work that aims to ‘make a difference’; work that moves an audience. My passion for performance design and its potential drew me to mentoring young designers and then to creating and lead-ing design programmes.

Toi Whakaari is a learning community; as staff we learn every day alongside the students and we are committed to creating a school that is of this land and contributing to this society.

Alongside this, I work with directors who are interested in design as a co-collaborator in the making of new work for live performance.

Reflection: I wanted to meet people in the corporate world of business, people with differ-ent perspectives, people driven by contrasting motivations and value sets – I got it!

I wanted to be fed, to listen to other journeys towards an understanding and practice of leadership, to read articles and books that I would not normally bump into – I got heaps of this!

I wanted to have meaningful conversations, make a plan of action, make links with future collaborators and test my emerging ideas. I have begun this… and look forward to staying linked into my cohort.

This year I have got much clearer about the distinction between leading roles and the action of leadership. Leading, it seems, is much less visible than occupying a position of leadership and much more ephemeral.

I have been on about ‘politeness’ all year, although not sure why it’s bugged me so much. Being conscious of politeness is when I am hid-ing my personal thoughts in order to adhere to some (often unspoken) norm. Effectively I am either ignoring difficulties or saving face, and when doing this, I cannot lead because I cannot be truthful. This is what I have been working with this year in the group and in my work life. It has been a great opportunity to visit and re-visit ideas, to be involved in the group and to weave ideas from my organisation, my life and this programme together.

Skills offered: Tutoring and learning support; group work; community theatre skills; perfor-mance design experience.

Current community involvement: Eko Theatre collaborator; conversation group member (Forum for Personal and Social Enquiry, Wellington); visioning for Manutuke School’s application for special school status.

Location: Wellington.

Richard FitzgeraldChief Executive, New Zealand Young Farmers

Background: I was born in Wales, grew up in Australia and then in Nelson before studying at Lincoln University. There I completed a Diploma of Horticulture and an Honours Degree in Agricultural Science. I am a townie who married the farmer’s daughter. Ruth and I purchased the Methven family property which I farmed for ten years before moving on to run the Young Farmer Contest. This role evolved into my current role as CEO of NZ Young Farmers, where I have enjoyed watching a struggling organisation turn around, grow and flourish.

Ruth, myself and three children (Megan, Rhys and Samantha) live on our 253 hectare property which Ruth runs.

Reflection: The key learning this year has been about being ‘present’, particularly with my family. This learning was quite a revelation and has provided for higher quality family life and has helped build a better work-life balance. Another key learning has been about leading from your core. This means allowing your values to guide you in your leadership journey and for them to be the anchor of your leadership expression.

Skills offered: I am actively involved in our farming operation so I have a working knowl-edge of a broad range of agricultural systems. As a Contest Manager I developed my skills in sponsorship negotiation, strategy development, managing a large volunteer workforce, revenue building, brand management and television relationship management. As the organisation grew, I led the merger of two boards and set about a change management process. The skills I have gained include ‘Turn Around’ strategy, business development, industry collaboration, contract negotiation, change management for staff and volunteers and organisational culture development. The current CEO role also provides insights into the agricultural industry from the farm gate to industry and government level. Being a farmer with a national and interna-tional view provides a unique perspective of agriculture.

Current community involvement: Connect-ing people at a community level through NZYF; a leadership role in my local church with a range of activities from social community events to formally structured help groups; team referee for my son’s soccer team; sponsorship advice to help community projects structure their funding.

Location: Upper Canterbury Plains.

Carey GriffithsOperations Manager, New Zealand Police Prosecution Service

Background: I commenced my working career as a colour systems coordinator in the paint industry, before joining New Zealand Police in 1985. I have worked in Wellington, Lower Hutt, Hawke’s Bay and Dunedin, and have been working out of Police National Headquarters since 2007. From General Duties Constable, Enquiry Constable, Community Constable, Detective, Sergeant, Prosecutor, Prosecution Coordinator, Highway Patrol Team Leader, Road Policing Manager, Operations Manager for Road Policing, Acting National Manager of the National Community Policing Group, and now my current role as Operations Manager for the Prosecution Service, my polic-ing career has been extremely wide and varied – about seven quite different and exciting careers over the past 26 years. I have for the past two years been helping Pacific Island Po-lice agencies with developing their community policing strategies, which has been a fantastic experience.

Reflection: My journey on the 2011 Leader-ship New Zealand programme has really shown me that the development of leadership is very experiential and not theoretical. It’s very much about a reflection on who I am and how I influence others, and transcends the usual “course” approach that I have been exposed to in the past. The programme has really expanded my horizons in terms of the “New Zealand Inc” approach to our future as a nation by introducing me to leaders across a wide range of fields. How we build those horizontal linkages to meet our challenges as a nation is important to me, and the value of the programme has been the wide exposure to leaders in fields I would never usually come across.

Skills offered: Community engagement; people development and mentoring; strategic planning; criminal law and procedure; and engagement with ethnic and vulnerable com-munities.

Current community involvement: Vice President of Neighbourhood Watch Australa-sia; Lower Hutt Community Choir; and my cur-rent role is based on community engagement.

Location: Wellington.

Page 20: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

18

Graduand Biographies

Liz HamptonCorporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs Manager, IBM New Zealand

Background: I have worked in the IT indus-try for 25 years, where my roles have centred around communications, training, business systems and IT support. In my current role with IBM New Zealand, I am responsible for managing IBM’s citizenship profile and contribution in the community. I work with not-for-profit organisations and social agen-cies to develop collaborative partnerships that use the skills and expertise of IBMers to drive increased community contribution and participation.

Reflection: 2011 has been an amazing, nourishing and unique year in which I have connected with many diverse people from dif-ferent backgrounds, and grown my leadership through the Leadership New Zealand pro-gramme. This privileged year has challenged my thinking and mindset, taken me into unfamiliar territories, and lifted my vision to new horizons. Most importantly, through the programme, I have learned new ways to have conversations, debate issues, and find ways to help create our future that builds trust and pride in New Zealand.

Skills offered: Business/community part-nerships; communications planning; business writing.

Current community involvement: Mul-ticultural services; local school; corporate volunteering.

Location: Wellington.

Dave HargreavesChief Executive Officer, Foodstuffs NZ Liquor Ltd

Background: I was born and brought up in Liverpool in the North West of England. My first role was as a graduate trainee manager for Sainsbury’s, a national supermarket chain. I discovered a love and passion for retail which still holds true today. I had a great 15 years at Sainsbury’s and moved around the country; my last role was as a senior manager in Edinburgh. I thought I would be working for Sainsbury’s my entire career until I was ‘shoulder tapped’ 10 years ago to work for Woolworths New Zealand. This was a life changing opportunity that we have not regretted for a second. My operational and leadership skills have further been honed as Operations Director for Noel Leeming Group and my current role as CEO of Liquorland. The Liquorland role is a great role as I can put into practice everything that I have learnt over the past 20-odd years. I have a fantas-tic board and chairman who give me great support, coupled with the freedom to run the business without looking over my shoulder.

Reflection: My Leadership New Zealand ex-perience has helped me define and recognise leadership in a varied range of situations and walks of life. I have previously experi-enced hierarchical leadership which is easy to recognise; working with the 2011 cohort has given me insights into a leadership world that I have not previously been exposed to. It has been a very open and honest journey and not without its challenges. I have reflected long and hard about my circumstances to the point of being able to change leadership direction because of what has been shared and also learnt.

Leadership in the context and issues of New Zealand has also been a rich and rewarding experience. I have learnt more in the past six months about the opportunities and chal-lenges facing New Zealand than in all of my previous years in the country.

Skills offered: Strategic planning; opera-tional and logistics management; business mentoring.

Current community involvement: I have been involved in a wide range of charities, CanTeen, Waikato Hospice and True Colours, particularly involved in fundraising. I am very active in schools rowing in the Waikato, and I am President of the St Paul’s Rowing Club.

Location: Auckland & Hamilton.

Dave HarrisProduction Manager, Thirkettle Nurseries Background: Before beginning a career in nurserying, I trained as a freshwater ecologist at Otago University, and still have a huge interest in the preservation of our natural waterways. In my current role as production manager at Thirkettle Nurseries in Nelson, I lead a great team in a diverse and changing industry. I enjoy the challenges of the chang-ing landscape in which we work, and have a love for plants and gardening.

Reflection: Looking back now I realise how much my ideas and opinions on leadership have changed and evolved over the course of the programme. As the youngest member on the programme, I feel it has been a huge privilege to be involved in this course, with such a diverse and talented pool of leaders. The quality and openness of the speakers has been amazing, and allowed me to really develop my own ideas throughout the year.

Skills offered: Horticultural advice; techni-cal research.

Location: Nelson.

Page 21: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

19

Graduand Biographies class of 11

Brendan HoareManaging Director, Organic Systems Ltd Background: I am the founder and Managing Director of Organic Systems Ltd, an organisation committed to growing the organic and eco sector in Oceania, Pacific and Asia region. Our focus is in strategies that deliver innovative regional economic development consistent with the ethics and culture of organic.

I have been active in this sector for over 27 years, and over the past 12 years, I have served in leadership and governance roles within the primary production sector in New Zealand, and internationally.

My passion is in demonstrating practical change. I have designed and managed numerous award-winning projects through New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region. I am the founder and Team Leader for the Journal of Organic Systems and was instrumental in establishing and the development of a national organic certification participatory guarantee programme and the National Organic Sector strategy which led to the formation of our peak organisation Organics Aotearoa New Zealand. My family run an organic certified four-hectare property and training centre designed on polycul-ture systems of Asia/Pacific.

Reflection: My desire to attend the Leadership New Zealand programme was based on the recogni-tion that leadership in the 21st century cannot solely rely on personal attributes, intra discipline mentoring, or sheer self determination. Profes-sional training and personal and intrapersonal development is required in leadership, and as a whole for the future of New Zealand. I believe that Leadership New Zealand helps achieve this; we share an outlook for New Zealand where leadership is courageous and focused on a servant leadership style.

My purpose for attending the programme has been to enhance my leadership abilities and attrib-utes, and gain optimum insight into my own and others’ leadership styles. I see the opportunity to serve New Zealand and international communities better by applying myself to the programme and seeking better outcomes in commercial, not-for-profit and political environments.

Skills offered: Our networks are positive for trade and market development; growth of organic/eco sector; development of technical support and know-how; furthering the interests of regional economic strategies.

Current community involvement: Econa-tion2020 charitable trust; Journal of Organic Systems; BioGro NZ; local community initiatives and community education.

Location: Auckland.

Elaine HultzerPartner, KPMG

Background: I am a Chartered Accountant with a medical training background, and I immigrated to New Zealand from South Africa nine years ago. As a Partner in KPMG, my skills and experience are applied in exter-nal audit and risk assurance services in the financial services sector across New Zealand. My prime focus within financial services is the insurance and wealth management sectors. My career in the insurance, investment, bank-ing and broker sectors spans 17 years in both South Africa and New Zealand. My role also includes training, developing and mentoring future chartered accountants.

Reflection: Participation in the Leadership New Zealand Programme has been a remark-able privilege, not only to learn more about my country of choice but to meet and get to know the other 35 participants on this year’s programme, who have been incredibly supportive, insightful, enthusiastic and con-tributed to my self exploration and develop-ment. A key leadership theme that emerged for me throughout this year is around people engagement, connectiveness, creating space for people to do their best, and that includes self, essentially being “the change you want to see in the world”.

Skills offered: Accounting; audit; risk man-agement; governance; mentoring.

Current community involvement: Mentor-ing of female students at Auckland University Business School.

Location: Auckland.

John KotoisuvaChief Executive Officer, C-Me Mentoring Foundation Trust

Background: I left school at 5th Form and made my way to the top of the steel construc-tion company where I served my apprentice-ship. I taught at tertiary level for 10 years and was an industry assessor, looking after apprentices in industry for seven years. Today, I have set up an organisation called the C-Me Mentoring Foundation Trust where I mentor and encourage young people to fulfil their purpose; to help them find meaningful work and make a productive contribution to New Zealand’s success and future.

Reflection: Meeting the different types of people and listening to the different speakers at the Leadership New Zealand programme has confirmed and inspired me more than ever of the need to make New Zealand a better place. I am a firm believer that we are born with something that others need and leadership (for me) is about developing and refining that something, our natural gifting, turning it into skills and serving our communities.

Leadership New Zealand is about bringing people together, sharing ourselves with each other to redefine ourselves, bringing clarity to our true purpose in life and be better servants to humanity. True leadership is about mastering the art of serving. True leadership has nothing to do with followers but everything to do with beneficiaries of who we are meant to be.

Not everyone realises in their lifetime their true purpose in life. What we are is a gift and what we become is a choice. Leadership New Zealand is a great vehicle to get ordinary people to do extraordinary things. My last re-flection is on the consequences of the absences of true leadership. I believe the absence of true leadership is the fundamental cause of a lot of poverty throughout the world, “Poverty is ignorance of self, not knowing who you really are and what you’re capable of doing”.

Skills offered: Teaching, mentoring, pastoral care. I support parents who are struggling with their teenagers and I support and guide young people to have a purposeful life. My two sons are now qualified in the world of engineering and steel construction. I use my engineering skills and fatherly experience to encourage and motivate young men and women.

Current community involvement: Vice Chairman for the Board of Trustees for the West Fono Health Trust; Pacific Community Advisor – Manukau Institute of Technology.

Location: Auckland.

Page 22: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

20

Graduand Biographies

Russell Little (former) General Manager Business Integration, New Zealand Post

Background: I am a fifth generation New Zealander with a mixed European and Maori heritage. I grew up in rural Southland, at-tended local schools and began my working career as a forestry labourer. In my late-20s, I completed a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and then took on a logistics management role with Fletcher Challenge in Bay of Plenty for-estry. This was followed by an MBA, starting a family and an Auckland-based career progres-sion with Carter Holt Harvey and Progressive Enterprises in supply chain management.

I joined New Zealand Post in my early 40s taking on general management responsibility for people development, strategic programme leadership and managing logistics, market-ing and commercial portfolios. At the start of the 2011 year, I held dual roles of General Manager Business Integration and Commercial Manager Network in New Zealand Post.

Reflection: The Leadership New Zealand programme motivated in me a desire to make a more meaningful leadership contribution. At the time of writing this, I am transitioning careers. Midway through the programme, I left my high paying corporate role taking a sab-batical to investigate options for joining with an organisation that shares in my passion for improving the wellbeing of the society our children (our future leaders) are growing up in.

For me, participation in the programme has been such a privilege. The breadth and depth of conversation with other participants, Alumni and New Zealand leaders who give so generously of themselves has helped me to understand there is so much more I can contribute as a leader. It has been a year filled with rich transformation for me; I have connected with my own passion and found a heart-felt courage to make challenging life changes.

Skills offered: Mentoring; relationship building; strategic planning; marketing strat-egy; new product development; supply chain solutions; commercial stewardship.

Current community involvement: Coach youth soccer, touch and cricket; timekeeper youth swimming; parent-help at primary and intermediate schools; and the good-man be-hind my great-wife’s work with Genesis Youth Trust and our local school Board of Trustees.

Location: Auckland.

Richard LlewellynCorporate Relations Manager, Auck-land Airport

Background: I’m the Corporate Relations Manager for Auckland Airport, New Zealand’s largest airport and one of the biggest listed companies in the country.

In essence, my job is to strengthen relations with key stakeholders for the airport, par-ticularly media, government (both local and central), shareholders, airline partners, the tourism industry and the wider community.

It’s a lot about trying to understand and balance different interests and finding align-ment. The job involves a broad range of issues and is very dynamic.

Reflection: I’ve found my Leadership New Zealand experience immensely rewarding; not least because of the diversity, perspectives and energy of the people I’ve met, but also because of the profound learning and insights I’ve gained (and am continuing to gain) on myself, on modern New Zealand, on the changing world around us, and on the rich character of leadership.

As I continue to reflect, I feel I am develop-ing a much stronger sense of my own personal leadership and where I might make a real difference, however small or large.

Leadership New Zealand has also offered a precious space away from working life to deeply consider all these big (and small) things and better understand and value what they mean, for myself, my family, our com-munity, our culture, our country. For that, I thank you.

Skills offered: I’m an experienced corporate affairs and public relations professional with a background across a wide variety of public and private industries and sectors.

Current community involvement: Local school involvement.

Location: Auckland.

Sue NorthHead of Business & Programme Man-agement, ACC

Background: As Head of Business and Pro-gramme Management for the Claims Manage-ment Group of the Accident Compensation Corporation, I lead a team of talented people responsible for the planning, information and analysis, improvement, and risk manage-ment functions of the group. Over the past 20 years, ACC has offered me a challenging and stimulating environment in which to work and grow, and has provided the opportunity to take on a wide variety of roles including case management, learning and development, and advocacy.

Reflection: This year, the Leadership New Zealand programme has given me a fantastic opportunity to meet and talk with a diverse group of very talented and inspirational lead-ers. I have had conversations about issues facing New Zealand of which I previously had little knowledge and have had some long-held views tested. I’ve also had the opportunity to explore what it means to be a leader and to reflect on my personal and professional leadership challenges and how I can resolve them in a way that makes a positive differ-ence. Leadership New Zealand is developing a strong network of leaders who will contribute to shaping New Zealand’s future.

Skills offered: People management and development; facilitation; training design and delivery.

Location: Wellington.

Page 23: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

21

Graduand Biographies class of 11

John O’NeillSouthland Regional Manager, PGG Wrightson Ltd

Background: I have spent my professional career in the stock and station industry, com-mencing in 1989 as a livestock representative in Western Southland. Throughout my time in this sector, I have also been involved in rural finance and management, and worked for three companies, that through a series of mergers and consolidation have evolved to become PGG Wrightson.

I am currently the Regional Manager for Southland and lead a team of 90 people who service the region’s farming clients. This role has accountability for the Livestock, Retail and Real Estate businesses, and our focus is to partner our client base to increase productiv-ity and profitability in one of New Zealand’s most important sectors.

Outside of work, my time is spent on 60 acres of Southland paradise where I live with wife Bev and children Kelsi and Kieran.

Reflection: Participation in the Leadership New Zealand programme has made the 2011 year one to remember. It has allowed me to meet and interact with a diverse range of fellow New Zealanders, all leaders in their own right, who I would never have had the privi-lege to meet. It has exposed me to a number of issues we as a country face, and challenged me to think about the part I can play in the future. The quality of the speakers and what they have achieved in their lives has been very humbling, while their honesty through-out the year has also been a highlight. The year has also allowed for considerable self reflection, and challenged me to use my skills to contribute in some way to the future of my community and New Zealand.

Skills offered: Understanding of agricultural sector; finance; people management.

Location: Invercargill.

Josie Ogden SchroederChief Executive, Christchurch YMCA

Background: I have been involved with the Y since I was about eight years old. At some point, I decided I wanted to make a difference and began work as a Youth Worker with an agency that supports the families of prison inmates. I joined the New Zealand Police for about three years until 2000 when I had an epiphany and went back to the YMCA. I was Manager of YMCA Wainui Park for eight years then in 2008, I became the CEO. At heart, I am a youth worker; in practice, I am a manager; and in spirit, I am an ‘ideas’ person – there is nothing that cannot be achieved! I love the quote of Margaret Mead – “It only takes a few committed people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” The YMCA is therefore a great workplace for me; such a broad mandate to make a dif-ference in the community.

Reflection: Unsure what to expect of the Leadership New Zealand programme, I prob-ably only hoped to meet some cool new people, hear different perspectives, mix with people much cleverer than me, and get a refreshing and invigorating break from the office. What stands out in particular are the ‘lightbulb moments’ about how to manage the endless pressure of endless work – don’t run between meetings; don’t allow staff to ask for ‘quick’ meetings without prior appointment; take a few minutes out to shut your eyes and go to your happy place; sing; dance! The other stand out area has been the need to be real with myself and others. Spill the beans. Speak your mind. I do not have to do every-thing myself. It is okay to cry. And perhaps most important of all (and which crosses my mind very often), is that the truest, great-est leaders in our midst are often not the ones that are up in lights… on the cover of a magazine… getting awards… but the ones that no-one’s ever heard of. I met many of those this year, and it has enriched my life immeasurably.

Skills offered: Strategic planning, fund-raising, staff management/HR, governance, advocacy and risk management, crisis manage-ment; empowering others.

Current community involvement: Board member Outdoors NZ, and Christchurch Small Business Enterprise; member of Leaders of Youth Focused NGOs (LYNGO).

Location: Christchurch.

Patrick O’ReillyGeneral Manager – Property, DNZ Property Fund Ltd

Background: Originally from the South Island, over the past 20 years I have worked in Christchurch, Wellington and now Auckland within the property industry. I work with a very focused and intelligent team of people at DNZ Property – this inspires me. DNZ Property is a listed property company with 50 assets located throughout New Zealand. My role is to lead the Asset Management team dealing with the port-folio, property, tenant and building manage-ment. Property is an important part of operating a business but in most cases its ownership is not required as part of a company’s core busi-ness. We are privileged to be provided strategic insight into our tenants’ business which is stimulating and interesting. The success of DNZ is due to the focus on people (internally and our clients) and looking to achieve solutions for people rather than thinking about property as only physical structures. The values of the com-pany that I work for align with my own which I believe is important.

Reflection: The Leadership New Zealand pro-gramme provided a unique opportunity to gain insights into the background of industry leaders from diverse sectors – commercial and not for profit. The programme provided the opportunity to identify the essence that sets a leader apart and to reflect and learn from the challenges and successes during each individual’s leadership journey. To then relate these learnings and insights to my own experiences and place in society and the business community. Ultimately, the programme provided growth and develop-ment of my leadership style and the catalyst to consider my role as a leader in my industry and workplace. I enjoyed hearing the perspectives of intelligent and passionate people in regard to wide ranging topics; the conversations with the participants were rich and rewarding with people coming from different perspectives. The programme challenged my own comfort zone and thinking. I have found the course to be well organised and the monthly sessions to be professionally facilitated.

Skills offered: Funds management; commer-cial property investment.

Current community involvement: Property Council of New Zealand; Advisory Board member for IPD for the NZ Property Index; member of an international advisory group for Principles for Responsible Investment for the inclusion of property.

Location: Auckland.

Page 24: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

22

Graduand Biographies

Shalini PillaiGrants Advisor, ASB Community Trust

Background: I have been at the ASB Com-munity Trust for five years. As a Grants Advisor for the Trust, I am responsible for managing the Health, Youth Health and Development, and Refugee and Migrant sectors. What I enjoy most in my role is engaging with a range of communi-ties with diverse needs and supporting them to meet their goals – this is hugely rewarding work.

The ASB Community Trust funds not-for-profit organisations in Northland and Auckland, and we aim to be an effective grantmaker with a strategic outlook. This involves considerable research and evaluation work, which informs our practice.

I have also worked as a development instructor on a rural development programme in India and worked on a street children’s programme in Vietnam. These roles have given me a strong appreciation of community development and the role of women in development. This has given me a better understanding of the diverse needs of communities and the role that an innovative grantmaker can play in affecting change.

Reflection: The Leadership New Zealand programme has enabled me to engage with a diverse range of people to discuss what it means to be an effective leader. The programme pro-vides a good platform to discuss challenging is-sues facing our communities today, and to come up with responses which are innovative and multi-faceted; I have learnt the value of vision, values and authenticity in an ever-changing world. The real value in this programme is the exposure to different thoughts, ideas and ways of approaching issues in our local and global communities. The speakers have stimulated and pushed me to think deeper, and to appreciate the importance of being courageous and taking risks. The programme also has a strong practical aspect to it – the range of tools and conversa-tions we’ve had has enabled me to think about taking small steps to effect change. The learn-ing, listening and enquiring journey has only just begun!

Skills offered: Community development; grant/funding advice in the not-for-profit sector; research skills; health, refugee/migrant and youth sectors – community networking/engagement.

Current community involvement: Providing funding advice and community development support to community organisations working in Auckland and Northland.

Location: Auckland.

Damon PlimmerArchdeacon of Belmont and Vicar of St Alban’s Anglican Church Eastbourne, Anglican Diocese of Wellington Background: Having completed a commerce degree at VUW and a diploma of teaching (secondary) at Christchurch College of Educa-tion, I taught accountancy and economics for two years before being accepted for training as a priest in the Anglican Church. In the 13 years since my ordination, I have worked in a variety of settings, including an inner city church, a cathedral and, for the past nine years, a growing seaside parish. Alongside my role as parish priest, I am chaplain at the local Anglican boy’s school and the archdea-con for Belmont. This latter role involves the oversight and support of clergy, chaplains and parishioners in the Hutt Valley. I have further degrees in theology and philosophy/religion, and enjoy running and gardening.

Reflection: It has been a privilege to be part of the Leadership New Zealand programme. Not only have I learnt more about myself and what it means to lead in the 21st century, I have also met some wonderful people who have shown me, through their honesty, humour and humility, what it means to be human. As well as this, we have travelled to some special places and have been welcomed by some inspiring communities, and I have observed the tremendous amount of good being done across the many sectors of our society. Being part of the 2011 Programme has made me a better person, introduced me to a whole new network of friends, provided fresh ideas for collaborative work in the commu-nity, and filled me with hope for our future.

Skills offered: Group facilitation; mentor-ing; spiritual direction; celebrant; pastoral care.

Current community involvement: Church ministry; scout leader; school trustee and chaplain.

Location: Wellington.

Bridgette PrettyB.Bus CPA, Managing Director, BDC Financial Services Ltd

Background: In April this year, I opened my own Nelson accounting practice in partner-ship with an inspirational mentor. I have worked as an accountant for 15 years and am a fully qualified Certified Practicing Account-ant (CPA). My entire working career has been spent in accounting and managerial positions spanning the hospitality industry, manufac-turing, commercial, and the past six years in public practice. I am from a New Zealand farming background and helped manage my parents’ hospitality business before doing my Bachelor of Business and working in Australia for 10 years. As part of a very busy family business, I became well aware of the impor-tance of keeping financial compliance on a user friendly and straightforward basis and this is my focus when providing accounting and business solutions to my clients.

Reflection: The major leadership insight I have taken away from every single wonderful speaker during this year’s course has been the underlying importance to approach leadership with humility. This principle, and the count-less wonderful people I have met through the programme, have been inspirational. I have greatly benefited from broadening my horizons from the New Zealand history stories we have heard, along with where New Zealand sits on the world stage.

Skills offered: Financial, management and commercial accounting services and support. Making people’s life easier by identification and implementation of correct systems includ-ing vast experience with SAP, MYOB, Quick-Books, APS, Banklink, Xero and Accredo.

Current community involvement: I have had a passion over many years for working with and mentoring teenagers after growing up in an extended family with many foster children. I focus on building confidence and life skills for our youth.

Location: Sunny Nelson.

Page 25: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

23

Graduand Biographies class of 11

Di Rump General Manager, PostShop Kiwibank Store Network, New Zealand Post

Background: With my career spanning banking, finance, trustee services, retailing and postal industries, I was appointed to General Manager of the PostShop Kiwibank Store Network on the very first day of the 2011 programme! My career path sales, marketing, strategy, HR, organisation change and business transformation programmes.

Reflection: One might think, like I did, that as leaders we’ve already participated in or read lots about the topic of leadership – think again when it comes to this programme!!! I now know what a gift it has been to hear directly from some of New Zealand’s most influential leaders, to be immersed in readings, insights, experiences and thinking around personal, business and community leader-ship and moreover, from a truly New Zealand perspective across the widest range of themes. The opportunity to develop shared learning with and from a hugely diverse group of stimulating, passionate, intelligent and generous people has been incredible and it’s difficult to put the value of that aspect into words; awesome in a way I didn’t expect. So many perspectives, so many discussions, so much new dialogue, so many new friends, so many new skills that will help each of us influence in new ways and contribute to a uniquely Aotearoa future based on a much deeper belief of possibility and abundance. Thank you to all my wonderful new friends in Leader-ship New Zealand!! Manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata, haere whakamua.

Skills offered: Establishing organisational sales force effectiveness strategies, creating high performance sales management and leadership, turning around low performing business or sales teams; facilitation of problem solving, strategy sessions and business planning sessions; key message creation for leadership teams; pro-gramme leadership/management of significant change programmes; change leadership tactics for galvanizing and engaging people in business to the change agenda; writing business plans and presentations; business leader performance coaching; observation coaching.

Current community involvement: No 1 supporter of my two boys and husband; active supporter of a number of charities and not for profit groups; advisory and board positions in community organisations; member of a ukulele band, three barbershop singing groups and a waiata choral; advisor and “aunty” to my whanau communities.

Location: Auckland and Wellington.

Jo RandersonArtistic Director, Barbarian Productions

Background: I am the founder and director of Barbarian Productions, an independent arts company which creates theatre and purpose-built community events. My background is as an author including The Spit Children and the Keys to Hell, a playwright and as a stand-up comedian/performer. My work has travelled me around the world but now family keeps me in New Zealand. I currently work as a writer, public speaker, artist and theatre director. I live in Wellington with my husband and two young children.

Reflection: This programme has introduced me to a wide range of passionate people. I feel deeply heartened that so many New Zealanders care seriously about this coun-try and want it to be a place that fulfils its inhabitants. On a personal level, it has been highly beneficial to be part of a non-arts community and realise the value of a crea-tive perspective as well as seeing its cultural challenges. I have made some life-long friends on this programme whom I never would have met without Leadership New Zealand, and am very grateful for the way we have been held together by this programme.

Skills offered: Writing; public speaking; marriage and civil union celebrating; directing and tailor-making events for specific occa-sions.

Current community involvement: Mentor, advisor and spokesperson for creative com-munities in Wellington.

Location: Wellington.

Catherine SchacheSenior Legal Counsel, Solid Energy Background: I am a lawyer with nearly 15 years of practice in roles in the public and private sector in New Zealand and the UK and, more recently, in an in-house role at Solid Energy. My position demands not only an in-depth knowledge of Solid Energy’s business but also advice that moves beyond the strictly legal and into strategic – and it is those demands that make the role so varied and interesting. I lead a team of six lawyers from our head office in Christchurch as we provide advice to the company’s various operating divi-sions and sites around New Zealand.

Reflection: The strength of the Leadership New Zealand programme is in the sharing with other participants – sharing experiences, ideas and the courage to be a better leader; sharing jokes over a coffee; sharing the tears of heart-ache and disappointment; and sharing some amazing meals (with or without a song!).

I have enjoyed the opportunity to hear from a diverse range of New Zealand’s leaders and to be given their views of our great country and of leadership. From rural Manawatu, to the halls of power in Wellington, to Auckland’s incredible ethnic diversity, we have seen sides to New Zealand that would otherwise have passed us by.

As Tim Miles has told us, the “oh shit” mo-ments make us truly great. I believe that this year’s course has given me the strength to be excited about the prospect of those moments in 2012 and in the future.

Skills offered: Governance and legal counsel.

Location: Christchurch.

Page 26: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

24

Graduand Biographies

Alison Taylor Capacity Development Consultant

Background: I was born in England and came to New Zealand in 1997 on a Winston Churchill Fellowship, and have made Aotearoa my home. I have a background in health promotion and Public Health service management. Over the past 14 years, I have worked as a public health funder, CEO of the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, General Manager of the Ministry of Youth Development, and a Not for Profit sector Capacity Development Consultant. Over the past five years, I have held board roles with the Vodafone Foundation New Zealand, Philanthropy New Zealand and my children’s primary school in Warkworth. I love the mix of philanthropy and hands on development and leadership roles. I am passionate about the community sector and supporting the development of strong resilient organisations and leaders.

I have a wonderful husband, David, and two amazing children, Ruby and Sam, who are the centre of my world and keep me focused on what’s important in life.

Reflection: This year has been an amaz-ing journey and opportunity and I feel very privileged to be part of the Leadership New Zealand family. I came with an open mind and an expectation that I would be challenged, inspired, have fun, learn and grow – all of these things are true. I was excited about meeting lots of new people from different worlds; it’s been wonderful to spend so much time with everyone who has shared this journey, all the amazing participants, fantastic facilitators and wonderful team at Leadership New Zealand – thank you!

I have been so moved and inspired by every-one’s generosity, genuine affection and open-ness to sharing and learning. I feel nurtured, reconnected to my values and motivated about the future.

It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a participant in this programme and I have loved every minute, most of all the spirit and aroha in the group. So many great people all together, now with a shared experience and new relation-ships moving into the future with opportunities to support others on their leadership journeys.

Skills offered: Capacity development; strategic and business planning; reflective learning; governance development.

Current community involvement: Board member of Warkworth Primary School, the Voda-fone Foundation New Zealand, and Philanthropy New Zealand.

Location: Warkworth.

Cate ThornVicar, St John the Baptist Anglican Church, Northcote Anglican Diocese of Auckland

Background: Following ordination in the Angli-can Church, I worked at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland. Leading the Cathedral during a transition period marked my transition from a Cathedral environment to a sole charge position as Vicar of St John’s, Northcote. As Vicar, I have overall responsibility for managing the parish unit and developing its presence in a community with a diverse social and economic demographic. At a regional (Diocesan) level, I am a member of a number of governance committees delegated the task of the management, administration and development of the Diocese between annual Synods. At a provincial level, I have been variously organiser, facilitator and participant of and in a number of huis called to explore and share differ-ing, divergent, and at times, conflicting theologi-cal understandings of particular issues.

Reflection: The programme has given me a chance to explore more widely the issues arising in New Zealand society now. The conversations have raised my awareness also of the potential and possibilities available to us as a nation, and of the need for us to be intentional about shaping and claiming New Zealand’s identity internationally so it evolves as we would choose.

I think the biggest impact has been the gift of connecting with others across different and diverse disciplines. Unlike other ‘within industry’ leadership development opportunities, this pro-gramme requires you to step outside the comfort-able and familiar, connecting and communicating across difference and diversity. A curious process; in respectfully negotiating across such difference, I’ve found my core values, the career choices I’ve made, my unique combination of strengths, as well as my shortcomings all challenged, yet I’ve found myself also extended and encouraged.

As Gandhi once said, “You need to be the change you want to see.” This is the ongoing challenge for us as a year group and as Alumni. Because of our diverse spheres of influence, because collectively we bring a wider swathe of knowledge, wisdom and connections to a shared task, we, working together, can be much more effective contribu-tors within our organisations and to New Zealand society. I hope we work to continue together as we transition to be Alumni.

Skills offered: Mentor; community facilitator; strategic thinker; celebrant; wordsmith; enquirer.

Current community involvement: Collaborate with various community projects; ministry from the church into the community.

Location: Auckland.

Hans VerberneArea Manager, Midlands & East Coast, ACC Background: I work for ACC, an organisation that makes a difference for all New Zealand-ers. For the past three years, I have worked within the Claims Management Network, currently as the Area Leader for the Northern North Island, working with a team of over 350 staff committed to supporting people getting back to work and/or independence following an accident. ACC faces ongoing challenges and changes to ensure it continues to be a relevant and viable scheme for New Zealand, making it a stimulating place to work. My original training was in horticulture, having graduated from Lincoln University. I previ-ously worked in the areas of consultancy and quality assurance before moving into manage-ment roles with the Ministry of Agriculture, AgriQuality and AsureQuality.

Reflection: The Leadership New Zealand programme provides an experience unlike any other leadership skills programme in New Zealand I am aware of or have been involved with. It’s focus on the importance of effective and ethical leadership spans not only our professional lives, but also our personal and community lives, and has significantly broad-ened my understanding of what leadership is all about. The sessions have opened my eyes to both the similarities of leadership in vastly different organisations, as well as the differ-ences in leadership styles and approach that people bring to their roles. The opportunity to interact with and learn from leaders who have made their mark in New Zealand and inter-nationally in a wide range of disciplines and communities has been inspiring. The skills programme has complemented these presenta-tions very effectively. Interacting and build-ing relationships with the diverse, interesting and committed group of fellow participants in the programme has been another highlight.

Skills offered: Planning and organisational development; quality assurance; mentoring.

Location: Waikato.

Page 27: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

25

Graduand Biographies class of 11

Elaine WongAdministration Manager, Mainly Music New Zealand Trust

Background: Being the only fulltime staff member in a small but supportive team, my role at mainly music NZ Trust has been mine to develop. mainly music is about connection eg, the local church connecting with and support-ing its community families and I am passionate about developing that link. A day could see me in contact with families interested in bringing their preschoolers to our music and movement sessions, communicating with our mainly music volunteers, explaining our concept to Pastors, raising the pro-file of mainly music as I interact with denomina-tional heads and funders, organising our training events and supporting our Area Coaches.

Reflection: My time spent on the Leadership New Zealand programme has extended and benefited me in so many ways; I am now much better informed on the challenges faced in our country’s social, agricultural, sustainability and economic fronts. My interest in these areas continues to develop leading into a more natural initiation of and engagement in conversations revolving around these issues. I have also become much more conscious of the way I treat our environment resulting in a closer scrutiny of my basic everyday choices.

The introduction to different leadership models, tools and processes for reflection, including time spent examining my values, has been invalu-able for both myself and my organisation. As a result of a very simple model that our very first speaker presented, I took a question back to our organisation which really captured our Director’s attention – how connected are our clients to the whole concept of mainly music. Since that day, our response at mainly music has been to overhaul a key process, produce resources, organise events and develop training modules to ensure that our value of connection is upheld.

I have appreciated the care, warmth and interest that participants have shown during my leader-ship journey. Time spent reflecting, clarifying and discussing what has been presented to us in a safe and accepting environment has been truly precious. Having loads of fun and enjoying each other’s company is also something I’ve looked forward to each month.

Skills offered: I will be moving to Hong Kong at the end of 2011. After an initial settling in period, I would be happy to fact find, search out potential contacts and offer hospitality for those travelling to Hong Kong or travelling through Hong Kong to other parts of East Asia for business (or pleasure).

Location: Hong Kong.

Dan WalkerNational Commercial Sales Manager, Noel Leeming Group Ltd Background: I am a proud father, husband, son, brother and friend. My work has led me through a variety of business roles and I pride myself on achieving a great team environ-ment focused on empowerment, expectation and leading by example. I am also on the board of my Iwi focusing on the strategies that will improve the lives of the 9000 people. We have had numerous achievements such as the acquisition of the Taranaki Mountain House, setting up a Te Reo revival strategy, a company restructure and a record annual return. My most recent achievement was being recognised as an Emerging Maori Leader at the Aotearoa Maori Business Leader Awards.

Reflection: With over 17 years in retail, I have a thorough grounding in the cut and thrust of business leadership; I was rather ignorant of leadership that involved your heart and soul. I now know that emotional intelligence and a strong sense of self is so important in my journey of leadership. This programme has helped me to identify, evaluate and challenge my values and beliefs, as well as improve on my understanding of people. It has been a very enriching experi-ence for me and I look forward to taking what I have learned into my work and life. The op-portunity to meet so many great New Zealand leaders was a bonus.

Skills offered: People management; intel-ligent goal setting and leadership; sales performance improvement and target achieve-ment; governance; outcome focused business development; and P&L management.

Current community involvement: Pou Tuara Te Runanga O Ngati Ruanui and Mentor at the First Foundation.

Location: Auckland.

Peter WilsonRoof Tile Group Manager, Fletcher Building Ltd

Background: A seasoned portfolio leader of businesses, the majority of my career has been spent in the steel and building product sectors, managing across diverse geographies covering Asia, Australasia, America’s, Europe and Africa (having lived in seven countries during this time).

I currently lead the Roof Tile Group for Fletcher Building. This is a unique, truly global business which manufactures and sup-plies metal roof tiles to 120 countries around the globe, with operations located in New Zea-land, Malaysia, Hungary and USA. Our offer is a range of aspirational niche roof tiles sold under the Gerard and Decra brands.

Reflection: The programme has enabled me to gain an understanding of the diversity and richness that underlies New Zealand society. The ability to question and delve into chal-lenges and opportunities shared by the wide range of speakers has prompted me to reflect on these issues and what they mean to me personally as well as the business I lead and thereby change our outlook and approaches. In particular, the skills to be able to under-stand issues through many lenses, the need to bring people with you on the journey, and the important place of culture and diversity are all elements which have resonated with me.

As a relative newcomer to New Zealand, my network prior to joining the Leadership New Zealand clan was quite narrow. I have been deeply impressed by the incredibly rich range of backgrounds which my fellow participants hail from, and value the friendships that have started to form, and which I know will flow through into the Alumni in years to come… my network is starting to flourish and this is now leading to me considering opportunities where I can start to more actively contribute as a part of this group. Joining the Leadership New Zealand journey is far greater than just the year-long programme itself!

Skills offered: Global portfolio manage-ment; management of medium and large scale enterprises in a complex environment; people management/development in a cross cultural context; leading diverse teams; strong safety leadership; project management; senior stake-holder relations.

Location: Auckland.

Page 28: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

26

Sam Johnson Leadership in Action

Leadership Week Dinner

appropriate. We ignored the rules and did it our way. Civil Defence, for example, wanted volunteers to sign in and out in a book. It was unreasonable to expect students to drive across town to sign out, so we arranged for them to text when they were finished.”

The Student Volunteer Army (SVA) focused on outcomes. “You need to act when the motivation is high for volunteering. Volun-teers can’t be left waiting. They get frustrated and lose their moti-vation to help. Virtually the same thing has been happening with the Rena in the Bay of Plenty. To keep volunteers motivated they need food and water and they need to have some fun. We would send 20 people into one property for an hour so they felt they were achieving. They weren’t just shoveling. They were expressing their desire to help. There’s a fixation about volunteers being em-ployees and meeting Health and Safety requirements. We wanted to change that mindset.”

After some bad experiences working with other authorities, it was decided that ideally, SVA should manage the students. The students provided a range of services which other authorities could not handle, including pamphlet delivery and a call centre using recent technology.

SVA leaders did take advice from Louis Brown and the Social In-novation Trust which brought relationship, management and facili-tation skills to the table. They held night meetings to talk about emotions of the day. By day they cleared over 360,000 tonnes of liquefaction in 75,000 volunteer working hours.

SVA’s emergence is a story of the future. It’s about values and the next generation’s determination to do good by using the technolo-gies now at their disposal.

And what of Sam Johnson? He’s not too interested in politics. Towing the party line doesn’t appeal. His succession in the SVA has already been arranged. He’s involved with creating a new founda-tion, focused on volunteering with young people. Volunteering should, he thinks, be part of a student’s experience and added to their CV. He thinks more young people should engage with the community, so that it becomes a way of being. I do not doubt that he will succeed.

Sam Johnson was busy doing what a normal student does in October, trying to study for exams. He would rather not have to stop for an interview with me. But he did. By Jo Brosnahan.

I was intrigued by this assured young man in his early 20s who spoke to Leadership New Zealand’s Leadership Week dinner ear-lier this year. His was not just a story about students respond-

ing to the needs of their devastated Christchurch. It was about a new way of leading and managing. It was a story of leadership in action by the next generation.

Sam grew up in Mayfield in Canterbury. “My grandparents were always involved with the community,” he said. “Then when I was at school, I used to find projects to avoid doing school work. They were all cause related.”

And so at university, he spotted the chasm between the local community and the university when he tried selling tickets to a musical. His response was to stand for the local community board.

Then, when the first quake arrived, Sam wanted to show that students had more to offer the community than parties and couch burning. Social media was already being used to organise quake parties, and Sam decided to divert the energy into recovery action. He opened a Facebook page, created an event and invited 200 friends to join. But when he rang Christchurch City Council and Civil Defence the next morning he was frustrated by the call centre’s response.

He went ahead anyway. On that first day, 150 people turned up with their own shovels. There was no food to feed them, so he bought ingredients from a local shop and made lunch. Soon money and voluntary contributions arrived and individuals were appointed to lead aspects of the operation – such as catering, sourcing and assembling wheelbarrows and finding transport. It was about del-egation; how leaders delivered was their responsibility. An organic leadership model rather than a management model emerged.

When the February quake occurred, Sam was in Wellington at the Emergency Management Conference; he talked his way back to Christchurch. The student army grew from 160 to 1000 overnight. It now has 27,000 “likes” on its Facebook page.

“Individuals brought different skills to the group. My role was to look at the wider view and at the end result that the team could achieve,” he said. “I hate being bogged down with process, and I learned that the rules in place aren’t always

Page 29: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

27

The venue.

2011 programme participants.

Dan Walker, 2011 Programme Participant, with wife, Michelle.

Touch Compass Dance Company Performers.

Dilworth Cultural Group Performer with Lady Beverley Reeves.

Guest Speaker Sir Ray Avery, 2010 New Zealander of the Year.

Vijaya Nory (Leadership New Zealand Administrator), Manu Keung (Leadership New Zealand Programme Leader), Megan Barclay (outgoing-Leadership New Zealand Executive Director). Julian Wilcox (Master of Ceremonies) with Sapna Samant, Alumni 2009.

Dilworth Cultural Group Performer.

Page 30: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

28

2007CO

MM

uNI

TY L

EADE

RSH

IP

SkillsBank Walking the journey through Huntington’s Disease

««««

SkillsBank provides many opportunities to build on the Leadership New Zealand experience and to extend an alumni’s

personal repertoire; giving back to supporting strengthening communities and be part of an ongoing learning experience.

Many programme participants will have been privileged to have met Professor Richard Faull, leader of Auckland University’s world renowned

Centre for Brain Research, as one of their speakers. Among the participants in the 2009 Leadership New Zealand programme was Mark Dunlop, who had known the Faull family in Taranaki. Through this reconnection the first seeds for Mark to become involved with the Auckland Huntington’s Disease Association through SkillsBank were sown.

Based on his discussions with Richard, and an interest in a SkillsBank opportunity, Mark joined the committee for the Auckland Huntington’s Disease Association late in 2009, taking on the chairman’s role in 2010.

He freely admits that moving from a career in corporate or-ganisations to the not for profit sector has been an eye opener. However the Huntington’s team say his match with the associa-tion has been one of considerable value to the organisation and his corporate skills have brought much to this very small, but very dedicated group of people.

Mark says of volunteering with the Association: “It allows me to keep real. I’m working on some big projects, but these are the grounding moments. I always thought I needed to take the opportunity to give something back. I was talking to a colleague who was leaving Foodstuffs who said he was going to do a year of not for profit. Wow I thought! Then the ducks just lined up with Huntington’s. I have that Catholic upbringing and associated social consciousness, so it just seemed right. I just wanted to do something which made a difference and helped others.”

Tellingly Mark says he was apprehensive about the not for profit sector. “All of my experiences were corporate based. In a small organisation, you are working with limited resources, incredibly tight finances, willing volunteers, and pressures to respond to what appears to be increasing gaps in public fund-ing meeting the needs. You certainly have to be much more adaptive.”

This is a familiar phenomenon transferring skills from large organisations to the not for profit sector where people have to be aware of all conditions across the three sectors; social, economic, political. To be sustainable not for profits need to be trend intuitive, flexible and agile, and these are skills which often need to be learnt when venturing into governance roles.

The familiar catch-cry for so many small organisations, Mark has learnt that the separation of governance and management

Mark Dunlop.

Page 31: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

29

Walking the journey through Huntington’s Disease

is critical. The Association has gone from being a committee running the organisation to a committee that is doing the necessary strategy and development work for the Association team to be effective. It has added an administration resource to support the two field staff.

Simple but effective systems and structures are in place to ensure the organisation does not become exposed rapidly. Clear lines of delegation and control are established, with the challenge of separated duties addressed through some com-mittee overview. Too easily the small organisation can rely on the capability and willingness of one person with the result-ant risks, and lack of succession.

Many of the previous committee members remain and are key to the continuity of the Association’s direction and ser-vice, with new members, covering specific skill gaps comple-menting the incumbents.

Mark found he underestimated the time required, but this is worth it in terms of allowing him to keep real. “Not every-thing’s about food on the shelf in the supermarket or the price of steel in China; it’s about people’s lives.”

There are so many challenges for the HD Association. The disease is debilitating and genetic. Those diagnosed or at risk through inheritance, often keep this under the radar until symptoms become evident. Once you’ve been diagnosed with the defective gene, you are going to get HD. The consequenc-es of diagnosis are serious and the Association’s work through the field workers for those involved supports them through their life’s journey with Huntington’s.

Mostly Mark sees his role as steering the Association’s work, supporting those with the condition and their individual support networks, so sufferers can live as normal a life as is possible. This means the work of the Association is sup-porting families for lifetimes. It’s a tough, tough job for the extremely dedicated staff.

“The challenge is deciding what we can afford to do and where we have to say ‘no’,” says Mark. “We strongly resist the latter, but it comes at a cost, strains resourcing and capacity. Funding is limited, traditional funding sources through the various charitable trusts are also under pressure, so we just have to decide where the priorities lie.”

The Association has to a degree also created a rod for its own back. Its success in caring and its affinity with those connected with the disease means the team is often sought out. Despite there being other support groups around the country, they receive a lot of enquiries and requests for sup-port, carer education sessions, professional workshops etc. “We do what we can where it makes the most sustainable impact,” says Mark.

Mark has resisted getting overly emotionally engaged. “We have no Huntington’s gene in the family, so HD isn’t about me. Nor is the role. It’s about us as a committee supporting the small Association’s team to make the lives and conditions of the sufferers and those affected, better; it’s about the three people who are the Association.”

When you’re involved with such a tiny, but hugely significant organisation the board members have to roll their sleeves up and really become the ambassadors and champions of the work being done as well as taking responsibility to follow through. The governance team also need to ensure that the staff who are providing the services are insulated from the higher level tasks so they can keep their vital roles going.

Huntington’s Disease Association has benefited significantly by having someone like Mark Dunlop so committed to working with them.

Mark carries the important mantra for governance in the not for profit arena. He sees the need to develop the committee capability and experience and then hand on the reins in due course. There is a time and a place for different skills to be to the fore. Mark and the Association are working on more struc-tured succession; it will continue to be in good heart when Mark’s not there.

• To become involved with SkillsBank contact: [email protected]

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited brain disorder that causes cells in specific parts of the brain to die. Huntington’s disease is a genetic disorder. About one in every 10,000 people have HD, but one in every 1000 are touched by HD whether at risk, as a caregiver, family member or friend. The HD gene is dominant, which means that each child born to a parent with Huntington’s disease has a 50% chance of sharing the same fate. The symptoms of HD include:• emotional turmoil (depression, apathy, obsessive behaviour)• mental loss (inability to focus, think and recall, make decisions)• physical deterioration (weight loss, involuntary movements, diminished coordination, inability to walk, talk, swallow)

The disease leads to complete incapacitation and, eventually, death. At the moment there are no treatments that will slow down or stop the disease in humans. But hope for a meaning-ful treatment has never been more real. In recent years, basic research has dramatically increased our knowledge of HD. Various promising treatment strategies are now in the drug discovery pipeline. More than ever, now is the time to step up the fight against HD.

Ref: http://www.hdauckland.org.nz/abouthd

Page 32: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

30

PuRE

ADV

ANTA

GE What has NZ got to tell the world?

««««

So, the cat is out finally of the bag, eh? New Zealand is not-so-clean-

and-green. Almost feel a bit relieved… so what’s the big deal? The big deal is this: New Zea-land explicitly and implicitly leverages its unique clean/green brand to peddle its goods and services to offshore mar-kets and tourists.The value of that brand is estimated to be around $18 billion per annum. But in order to demand a premium for our exports, we must ensure that

our brand promise meets the scrutiny of a world increasingly focused on ‘pure’ credentials. Market access restrictions, negative brand sentiment and generally being outperformed by other nations would lead to an erosion of our unique position, and the revenue that goes along with it. This is the ‘stick’. The ‘carrot’ is this: There is no better brand in the world from which to claim a chunk of the global $6.8 trillion green industry. New Zea-land has all of the major pieces of the green growth puzzle already. Our government agencies like MSI, Scion and CarboNZero are teeming with capability in sustainable agriculture, low-carbon engineering,

biomaterials, carbon accounting and much more. But what we need is the political and commercial willingness to build and deliver a coherent Green Growth strategy.

Government should be congratulated over its green growth taskforce. It’s a good step, albeit a small one given the focus on SMEs, which are typically high on enthusiasm but low on cash and expertise. However, whilst we play in the margins, other countries are committing, literally, hundreds of billions to scaling green growth initiatives.

That’s not to say it’s all government’s responsibility. If the COP Process (Conference of the Parties) has taught us anything, it’s that industry needs to take the first step. Enter, Pure Advantage – a group of businesspeople focused on delivering a green growth para-digm shift in New Zealand. Behind the corporate branding is an aggressive strategy to get the public of New Zealand on board, prove the green growth business case through world-leading economic research, and deliver a road-map for activating government and corporate momentum.

The aim is wealth creation for New Zealanders, or as chairman Rob Morrison puts it: “You can’t distribute wealth if you don’t create it in the first place.” The tone of the campaign may be too money-focused for some, but in this instance it will unquestion-ably be the root-of-all-evil that delivers us to a healthier, wealthier green salvation.

• Duncan Stewart is campaign manager of Pure Advantage. Article first published in NZ Management magazine.

Brendan Hoare, Alumni 2011, interviewed Geoff Ross, a member of the Pure Advantage group, to learn what he is thinking on how New Zealand can get it right in the sustainability space.

“New Zealand is too sheltered from external opinions, naive perhaps to the consumer moves in the world. We lack a self confidence at times, perhaps feel slightly intimidated. This with a history bedded in the production of commodities and a rural economy that has a focus on volume means we are reluctant to see the opportunity. New Zealand has very few brands that are truly international. There is a good chance to get it right through what Pure Advantage calls Green Growth. We are on the edge of a ‘Green Boom’ and New Zealand has every opportunity to be a leader – we have a competitive advantage, one we call our Pure Advantage.

“Pure Advantage creates a call to action that says, ‘This is the New Zealand we want. It is a real opportunity, and we have a relentless pursuit of it. Pure Advantage is offering its leadership to help get us there.’

“We are going to have to lead by example. We need case studies that

exemplify the success we are talking about and we will do this through our website.

“Across all business we need a shift in values from being half cocked, lacking self confidence and closed to changes in the world’s consumers, to being innovative, quick on our feet and with a strong skill set and talent base.

“New Zealand has been pretty slow in adopting and adapting to the needs of the rest of the world. We will have to move fast on this one. As the world looks for greener food, beverage, tourism, energy, technology, fashion, etc, business opportunities will emerge. We have to acknowledge that issues like lignite, water quality

and GE are not what the world wants, or expects from us. And if we get some of that stuff wrong it will have a negative effect on a lot of our country’s revenue.

“Getting it right will require us being authentic about what we do, how we do it and what we stand for. Getting it right is our country’s competitive advantage: A Pure Advantage.”

Duncan Stewart.

Geoff Ross.

Page 33: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

31

What has NZ got to tell the world?

The first Leadership New Zealand Alumni Retreat was held in July this year, hosted by 2010 Alumni Caine Thomp-son at his place of employment, Mission Estate in the

Hawkes Bay. The aim for the retreat of 2011 was to help define some

thoughts and future thinking, and to establish what our legacy could be. The weekend was the first in what is hoped to be many to take the opportunity to renew connections, to initiate conversations across the alumni ‘body’ and to define what the legacy will be that we as alumni can create.

Key questions were posed throughout the weekend: ‘What did we take from our year as programme participants?’ ‘Who are we now; what have we retained?’ ‘Are we using our voices to create ideas generation as we all said we would?’ ‘Are we debating, are we testing concepts, are we contributing to the think tanks of our nation?’

We asked Aaron Topp, Alumni of 2008, to give his personal reflections on the weekend:

There was a touch of serendipity holding the first ever Leader-ship New Zealand Alumni retreat at the Mission Estate. Back in 1910 a couple of French Missionaries were facing the prospect of moving the winery’s giant homestead from the flood-prone flats of Meeanee up the road a few kilometres to the higher ground of what is now Taradale – a colossal task using only the tools and rolled up sleeves of the day. But it paid off big time; these days the Mission Estate enjoys a name that is associated with all things quality. It’s what made it an ideal backdrop to host a group of Leadership New Zealand dedicated to shifting New Zealand’s outlook to the same reputation.

The retreat itself was a little like heading to a family reun-ion – you know you’re in for a room of mostly strangers, but you take some comfort knowing they share the same DNA as

you. Being one of only two 2008 Alumni present, I initially sat amongst the rest of the other guys hearing them declare their love for their respective years. But considering we’d all taken the same journey to get to this destination, by the end of the wine tasting on the Saturday night we’d morphed into a new sub-year, and suddenly we were pioneering new ground for Leadership New Zealand that, as someone pointed out, an an-nual dinner in the big smoke would never satisfy.

We were asked early on what we wanted to get out of the weekend. For me it was simple, I needed a warrant of fitness. Living in the provinces makes it hard to get a double-shot of Leadership New Zealand and this was a great opportunity to remove myself out of the comfort zone I’d slowly fallen back into since the graduation night of 2008. Sure, this retreat had everything I’d missed about Leadership New Zealand – the inspiring people, the deep discussion, the diversity within the collective – but Megan, Karam and the rest of the team facili-tated each session with enough skill and flexibility that it felt like a Leadership New Zealand retreat specially tailored for us Alumni members. Did it achieve the desired effect? Do French Missionaries make a good drop of wine?

I’m happy to report there was some serious talk about con-tinuing this in 2012. For many it’ll likely fall on a committed weekend, or the kids’ sport will get in the way, or it’ll be hard to justify the cost of visiting whatever province it ends up in (I should also point out Caine was the perfect host – if it ain’t broke, mate!), but if you can make it, do it. There’s a whole new Leadership New Zealand group ready to welcome you. • With thanks to key organisers Caine Thompson, Stuart Orme, Hilary Sumpter and Karam Meuli plus the Alumni Representa-tive Group. And contributors – Morgan and Pam Williams, Clive Jones, Alumni 2009 and Mark Dunlop, Alumni 2009.

xxxx

xxxx

xxxx

Leadership NZ Alumni Retreat 22-24 July 2011Mission Estate, Hawke’s Bay

Page 34: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

32

Alumni Snapshots

CLASS OF 2010Tui Ah LooDirector, Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi Tamaki MakaurauSkills offered: Providing Maori responsiveness and

effectiveness advice to senior management to enable

them to actively engage with the Maori community

with confidence.

Current community involvement: Trustee of Te Taurahere o Ngati Porou

ki Tamaki Charitable Trust; inaugural member of Porou Ariki kapa haka

group; member of the Auckland District Police Maori Advisory board;

member of Unitec’s Runanga.

Location: Auckland

Nick AstwickGroup Manager, Personal Markets – KiwibankSkills offered: Strategy development; marketing;

financial governance; connecting networks; possible

investment and partnering; leadership.

Current community involvement: Micro Lending

Scheme – Nga Tangata Trust (through Kiwibank);

Financial literacy Programmes in community (again

through Kiwibank).

Location: Wellington

Glen BennettTeam Leader, Incedo IncSkills offered: Participatory action research work; com-

munity issues facilitation; community events coordina-

tion; group facilitation.

Current community involvement: Chairperson of Mar-

fell Combined Culture Trust; Marfell Community School

Board of Trustees; director Christmas At The Bowl.

Location: Taranaki

Devin BrownSales Manager – New Zealand & Pacific Islands, NorthpowerSkills offered: Strategic direction setting; opportunity

for growth criteria.

Location: Auckland

Gordon BrownRegional Contracts Manager, Downer NZSkills offered: People mentoring; planning and pro-

gramming skills; relationship development; negotiating

skills. I am an internationally qualified soccer coach.

Current community involvement: I have been assisting

our local community in Tairua for an annual event

aimed at promoting the village, its services and the area generally.

Location: Auckland

Olive BrownProject Manager, He Iwi Kotahi Tatou TrustSkills offered: Business trouble shooting; systems and

processes implementation; governance mentoring.

Current community involvement: Staff representative

HIKTT Board of Trustees; Northland Housing Forum

Working Party; member Big Homie – Lil Homie (Mo-

erewa School) mentor.

Location: Northland

Angela BullGeneral Manager Property Development, Foodstuffs (Auckland) LimitedSkills offered: Property; environmental law; governance.

Current community involvement: Dress for Success

Auckland board member.

Location: Auckland

Bernie ChoteGeneral Manager, Winstone AggregatesSkills offered: Project management and delivery associ-

ated with resource projects; broad strategic planning

and implementation including converting strategy to

action.

Current community involvement: Coaching of junior

soccer at Three Kings United Football Club; significant community liaison

on the associated activities of Winstone Aggregates.

Location: Auckland

Craig ChurchillSouth Island Regional Manager, Courier Post /Express Couriers LtdSkills offered: Leadership: Strategic planning, business

development, supply chain and operational manage-

ment, change management and organisation structure

optimisation.

Location: Christchurch

Barbara DelaneyPrincipal Advisor, Office of Treaty SettlementsSkills offered: Governance; legal counsel.

Location: Wellington

Justin EnsorPartner, KPMGSkills offered: Governance.

Location: Auckland

Page 35: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

33

Alumni Snapshots

Tony GerritsenArchdeacon for Ministry Development, Anglican Church, Diocese of WellingtonSkills offered: Facilitating reviews of organisations pri-

marily using the Appreciative Inquiry model; assisting

with conflict resolution.

Current community involvement: Primarily through

church and para-church organisations.

Location: Palmerston North

Deb GodinetManager Property, Auckland TransportSkills offered: I am a lawyer and planner by profes-

sional training and am the recipient of the Auckland

City Council’s Chief Executive Urban Design Excellence

Award.

Current community involvement: Chairperson, Wait-

akere Women’s Centre.

Location: Auckland

Stephen GuerinGeneral Manager – Rural Supplies, PGG Wrightson LtdSkills offered: Finance; corporate governance; HR

strategic planning.

Current community involvement: Netball North.

Location: Auckland

Scott McAlisterGroup General Manager, Cleeve TransportSkills offered: Strategic planning; operations manage-

ment; logistics planning.

Current community involvement: Surf lifesaving;

kayaking.

Location: Christchurch and Auckland

Dave McAteerGeneral Manager, Foodstuffs Own Brands LtdSkills offered: FMCG sales and marketing background;

commercial/general management; team leadership;

business assistance.

Current community involvement: I enjoy providing

mentor and leadership support on both an individual

and group basis.

Location: Auckland

Claire McQuilkenHead of Insurance Systems & Information, ACCSkills offered: Mentoring; management; leadership

development.

Location: Christchurch, Wellington

Puamiria MaakaManukura – Chief Executive, Te Waipuna Puawai Mercy Oasis LimitedSkills offered: Community development; organisation

management; relationship building with diverse com-

munities; strategic thinking; project management.

Current community involvement: Member of Hunga

Tiaki roopu, Tamaki Alliance, Auckland Social Policy Forum, NZ Christian

Council of Social Services (Auckland Services Group, Child & Family Policy

Group). Te Kura Maori o Nga Tapuwae parent and supporter.

Location: Auckland

Selina Tusitala MarshSenior Lecturer, The University of AucklandSkills offered: Running creative workshops; editing

self-published creative writing (poetry/short story).

Current community involvement: Conceptual designer

and facilitator of ‘Pasifika Mat’, part of the BEST Pasi-

fika Leadership Programme specifically targeting Pacific

peoples and launched by Best Leadership Academy

October 2011; co-editing a Ukraine-English anthology of New Zealand

and Pacific poetry; school poetry outreach for the Michael King Writer’s

Centre in which students composed their own poetry along the themes of

‘Matariki’ and ‘Our Place’.

Location: Auckland

Steve MerchantManager Call Centres, Auckland CouncilSkills offered: Coaching and mentoring.

Current community involvement: Secretary/Trustee,

Waitakere Women’s Centre.

Location: Henderson, West Auckland

Judy NichollGM Aeronautical Operations, Auckland AirportSkills offered: Strategy; human resource leadership;

conflict resolution.

Location: Auckland

Stuart OrmeWoodnetSkills offered: Governance experience both on start

up and established boards; land based perspective to

New Zealand opportunity and challenges (strategy,

planning, implementation…mentoring). ‘Camp fire’

relaxation to LNZ alumni.

Current community involvement: Chair of the NZ Farm

Forest Association – Wairarapa Branch Trustee on the ‘Reach House Trust’.

Location: Masterton, Wairarapa

Kirsty Pillay-HansenNational Training Manager, Foundation for Youth DevelopmentSkills offered: Youth development; youth participation;

training and facilitation; youth sector collaboration;

project management; mentoring.

Current community involvement: On maternity leave

up until start of 2012. Spending time with my family. Treasurer on Avon-

dale preschool parent management committee.

Location: Auckland

Page 36: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

34

Alumni Snapshots

Caine ThompsonViticulturist, Mission Estate Winery, Director, Spatial SolutionsSkills offered: Budgeting – development/tracking –

horticultural/viticultural advice; business management;

logistics management.

Current community involvement: Organiser of the

Hawke’s Bay Young Viticulturist of the Year Competition.

Location: Hawke’s Bay

Melanie WoodfordHead of Sales Planning, Retail – ANZ Banking GroupSkills offered: Branding; marketing; sales planning;

strategic planning.

Current community involvement: Previously, as a men-

tor for Future Leaders within YWCA.

Location: Auckland

Dianna RattrayVicar, All Saints Ponsonby, Anglican Church – Diocese of AucklandSkills offered: Community project management;

chaplaincy; celebrant; pastoral care; group facilitation;

mentoring.

Current community involvement: Church ministry and

leadership; Police Chaplain; New Zealand Police Nga

Pirihimana O Aotearoa.

Location: Auckland

Emily RedmondHead of Business Management, Insurance & Prevention Services, Accident Compensation CorporationSkills offered: Business planning; business writing;

strategy development.

Location: Wellington

Chellie SpillerLecturer, University of AucklandSkills offered: Coach; mentor; keynote speaker; train-

ing on Maori business approaches.

Current community involvement: Speaking to diverse

groups on relational wealth and wellbeing; involvement

in the Virtues Group and MVC (Compassionate Com-

munication); member of international organisations dedicated to creating

equality; member of Academy of Management.

Location: Auckland

Matt StrattonInvestment Administrator, ASB Community TrustSkills offered: Operations and process management;

investment strategy and planning.

Location: Auckland

Hilary SumpterCEO, YWCA AucklandSkills offered: Governance experience; strategy/futures

planning; marketing/communications; business and

project planning; fundraising/sponsorship.

Current community involvement: National Council

of Women Advisory Board/s; Leadership New Zealand

Alumni Rep Group.

Location: Auckland & Northland

“The task of the leader is to create Te Ao Marama, a world of learning and enlightenment, through transforming potential into reality.”– Chellie Spiller, 2010

Page 37: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

35

Alumni Snapshots

CLASS OF 2009Lynette AdamsChief Executive, Sport WaitakereSkills offered: Sport and recreation; not for profit govern-

ance; general management; organisational development

and strategy; community development; leadership and

collaboration.

Current community involvement: Bowls NZ Board; Wait-

akere Regional Hockey Turf Trust.

Location: Auckland Grant BuntingGroup Manager Operations, Scott Technology LimitedSkills offered: Executive management; strategy; market

development; change management.

Current community involvement: Trustee Jumpstart Chari-

table Trust; trustee Leadership New Zealand.

Location: Christchurch

Jacqui ClelandGroup Manager Human Resources, New Zealand PostSkills offered: Strategy; human resource management;

organisational development; leadership development;

coaching.

Current community involvement: Manager (and supporter)

for son’s sports teams.

Location: Wellington

Edward CookMarketing Manager, The Challenge NetworkSkills offered: Facilitation; training; public speaking;

change management; advocacy; marketing; promotion;

communications.

Current community involvement: Various social action

campaigns and projects with 16 year olds across the UK.

Location: London, United Kingdom

Bruce CullenExecutive General Manager, Downer New ZealandSkills offered: Project management; general management;

professional civil engineering expertise; change manage-

ment.

Current community involvement: Board member Netball

North.

Location: Auckland

Juanita de SennaRegional Travel Planning Advisor, Auckland Transport

Skills offered: Governance and board experience; cultural

competency; change management and policy; project

management group facilitation (focus groups); bicultural

training.

Current community involvement: RWC Volunteer – VIP

Host; board member Programme Waitakere Trauma and Abuse Counselling

Services (WATCS); chair Nga Mahi Kia Tupato o Tamaki-makaurau (Auckland

Maori Injury Prevention Coalition).

Location: Auckland

Mark DunlopPrincipal Consultant, M V Consultants LtdSkills offered: Governance advice and board roles;

business strategy; organisational alignment; perfor-

mance coaching; senior executive coaching.

Current community involvement: Chairman Hunting-

ton’s Disease Association (Auckland); mentor First

Foundation; advisory trustee Workchoice Trust.

Location: Auckland

Cheryl Gall National Manager, Operational Capability Develop-ment, Accident Compensation Corporation Skills offered: Rehabilitation and case management

expertise; leadership development; mentoring and

project management.

Location: Wellington

Karen GilesBusiness Services Manager, Manaia Health PHO LtdSkills offered: Accounting support and systems advice;

small business management support (including HR);

project management.

Current community involvement: Voluntary accounting

and fundraising support for several not-for-profits and

clubs.

Location: Whangarei

Jason Greene

Assistant Grower – Status Produce, Turners & GrowersSkills offered: Marketing; leadership; a youth’s

perspective.

Current community involvement: Encouraging the

younger generation into our primary horticultural

business, with a focus on the nursery and garden

industry sector.

Location: Auckland

Simon HepburnDirector, Mackley CarriersSkills offered: Budgeting; financial reporting; opera-

tions management and general management.

Location: Christchurch

Stephen HollandsCentre Manager, Operations, Accident Compensation Corporation

Skills offered: Leadership; operational management;

individual mentoring programmes; injury claims man-

agement.

Current community involvement: Volunteer with Refu-

gee Services NZ; member New Zealand Forest & Bird Society.

Location: Wellington

Page 38: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

36

Alumni Snapshots

Karam Meuli Employment Consultant, Workwise Employment Agency Skills offered: Innovation; personal development;

group facilitation.

Current community involvement: Shambhala

Meditation Centre.

Location: Auckland

Yvonne O’BrienRegional Manager Northland and Auckland, Te Wananga O Aotearoa (Auckland)Skills offered: Community engagement; women’s

leadership and transformation; Treaty responsiveness;

diversity.

Location: Auckland

Christian PennyDirector, Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School

Skills offered: Direction; facilitation; group work.

Current community involvement: Mentor and leader of

development projects in the theatre and related arts.

Location: Wellington

Tama PotakaGeneral Manager Corporate Services, Tainui Group HoldingsSkills offered: Strategic planning; project manage-

ment; facilitation; governance; organisational develop-

ment &/or review; board development; legal advice;

event management.

Current community involvement: Co-chair, Maori Law

Society.

Location: Hamilton

Michelle QuirkGeneral Manager, New Zealand Gynaecological Cancer FoundationSkills offered: Corporate; professional services; not-

for-profit strategy (including strategic review); busi-

ness transformation; board/CEO advisory.

Current community involvement: Mentor for First

Foundation.

Location: Auckland

George RileyInterim Chief Executive Officer, Te Runanga a Iwi o NgapuhiSkills offered: Facilitation; planning; advocacy.

Current community involvement: Have relinquished

most roles due to appointment. Still in the Hokianga

Accord and Responsible Trustee to Te Tii B3 Ahu

Whenua Trust.

Location: Northland

Beth HoustonCampaign Manager, Campaign for MMPSkills offered: Fundraising; marketing; public rela-

tions; workshop facilitation.

Location: Wellington

Cyril HowardSenior Grants Advisor, ASB Community Trust

Skills offered: Community funding advice; sports

coaching; community development support; community

organisation advice and support.

Current community involvement: Hapu/Marae Project

Development; Rumaki school whanau committee mem-

ber; trustee of community organisation.

Location: Auckland

Clive JonesDeputy Chief Executive – Strategy, UCOL Universal College of LearningSkills offered: General management; change manage-

ment; complex service delivery management; regulatory

affairs; higher education management.

Current community involvement: Speaking engage-

ments on climbing Mount Everest; what mountaineering teaches us about

leadership; why leadership is important to the future of New Zealand.

Location: Palmerston North

Iulia Leilua Director, Silk Associates Skills offered: Maori, Pacific and indigenous

journalism; communications strategy development and

implementation.

Current community involvement: Ngati Haua iwi

activities: Pacific Island Media Association.

Location: New Zealand and Pacific region including Pacific Rim countries.

Andrew McKenziePAK’nSAVE Group Manager, Foodstuffs AucklandSkills offered: Retail; operations management; strate-

gic planning; leadership development.

Current community involvement: Assisting with kids’

sports club and local school and kindy work.

Location: Auckland

Chris MartinDirector, Xpanda SecuritySkills offered: Strategy planning and execution;

financial performance management and measurement;

operational efficiency; governance.

Current community involvement: Member of three

security associations.

Location: Auckland

Page 39: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

37

Alumni Snapshots

Adrian WimmersPartner, KPMGSkills offered: Governance; strategic thinking; finan-

cial literacy. Also some knowledge of the voluntary

sector.

Current community involvement: I’ve recently become

the Chair of Volunteer Wellington (was Deputy Chair).

Location: Wellington

Rachel WottenOfficer and Trustee, Wonderful Works Charitable Trust www.wonderfulworks.co.nzSkills offered: Private consultations for energy heal-

ing, spiritual healing, Reiki and workshops on Guided

Imagery; Guided Imagery for Sales Performance

Success; Guided Imagery for Prosperity, Abundance & Creativity; Guided

Imagery for Personal Growth & Achievement; Guided Imagery for Relaxa-

tion and Stress Reduction; Guided Imagery for Pain and Illness Manage-

ment; Guided Imagery for Kids.

Current community involvement: Having just returned from maternity

leave, we are currently at various Community Houses on the North Shore

and volunteering at a Homeless Organisation.

Location: Auckland

Sapna Samant Company Director, Holy Cow MediaSkills offered: Writing; producing; communication;

creative skills training.

Current community involvement: Secretary of the New

Zealand South Asia Trust that is creating space for

South Asian youth in New Zealand.

Location: Auckland

Karanina SumeoSenior Policy Analyst, Ministry of Pacific Island AffairsSkills offered: Board member, Violence Free Waitakere;

Leadership New Zealand SkillsBank contributor.

Current community involvement: Samoan Congrega-

tional Christian Church – Grey Lynn; board member

Violence Free Waitakere.

Location: Auckland

Tony Te AuGeneral Manager, Tasman Insulation New Zealand (Pink Batts) Skills offered: Strategy – commercial and financial.

Location: Auckland

Richard VialouxPriest, Anglican ChurchSkills offered: Conflict resolution pastoral care and

response building project management.

Current community involvement: Chair of Albany Co

Inc; member of Albany Village Business Association;

General Church/Community life.

Location: Albany/Greenhithe, Auckland

Tracy VoiceGeneral Manager Business Enabling, New Zealand Post Skills offered: Strategy; leadership development;

information technology implementations; operations;

project management; process management.

Current community involvement: Board member of

Wairarapa Trinity Schools; Cub Leader in Scouting NZ.

Location: Wellington

Michelle Wessing

General Manager Solutions, Standards New Zealand

Skills offered: Project management; change

management; leadership development.

Location: Wellington

“For my work, and Maori in general, the servant leadership concept is essential for success operationally. Any recognition of that leadership paradigm is necessary for a comprehensive approach to leadership.” – George Riley, 2009

Page 40: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

38

Alumni Snapshots

Shane Chisholm National Customer Services Manager, Housing New Zealand CorporationSkills offered: Strategic planning; operational

management; change management; project management.

Current community involvement: Volunteer, Salvation

Army.

Location: Wellington

Alistair DrakeBusiness Accountant, Department of ConservationSkills offered: General management; coaching; facilita-

tion and financial advice.

Current community involvement: Board trustee with

Northable Disability Services; chair of the Finance Sub

Committee and deputy chair of main board.

Location: Whangarei

Gillian DudgeonChief of Staff / Programme Management, Risk Management, ANZ NZSkills offered: Change management.

Location: Wellington

Irene FeldgesManager, Manukau Community Health BoardSkills offered: Strategic planning; change management

for NFP; research; policy development.

Current community involvement: Trustee NorthPower

Electric Power Trust.

Location: Auckland

Carl GrahamBuilding Inspector Central Auckland, Auckland CouncilSkills offered: Building industry advice.

Current community involvement: Board member,

Manukau Beautification Charitable Trust and Manukau

Community Families Trust.

Location: Auckland

Tim HamiltonChief Executive Officer, Basketball New ZealandSkills offered: Strategic planning; project management;

facilitation; fundraising; governance; change manage-

ment; event management.

Current community involvement: Member, Leadership

New Zealand SkillsBank Advisory Group; chairperson of

North Harbour Junior Cricket.

Location: Auckland /Wellington

CLASS OF 2008Paul ArgarGroup Tax Manager, ZESPRI GroupSkills offered: Financial & tax advice; business case

development; strategy development; facilitation;

mentoring.

Current community involvement: Member, NZ Institute

of Chartered Accountants; Bay of Plenty Committees

and National Tax Committee.

Location: Tauranga

Marija BatistichSenior Associate, Bell GullySkills offered: Governance; legal advice (particularly

on environmental and local government matters).

Current community involvement: Environment

& Resource Management Committee of Auckland

District Law Society; Auckland Committee of Resource

Management Law Association; Croatian Cultural Society.

Location: Auckland

Moi BecroftManager, Maori and Pacific Education Initiative, ASB Community TrustSkills offered: Funding advice and networking.

Current community involvement: With organisations

that are involved in education with Maori and Pacific

Communities within Auckland and Northland.

Location: Auckland

Michael BerryVicar, St Philip’s Church, Anglican Diocese of AucklandSkills offered: Chaplaincy; celebrant; pastoral care;

Christian ministry.

Current community involvement: Church ministry and

leadership; member of Auckland East Rotary Club.

Location: Auckland

Leanne CampbellDivisional Manager, Community Development, Hutt City CouncilSkills offered: Youth leadership development; govern-

ance; fundraising; facilitation; event management.

Current community involvement: Assistant Governor

for Rotary District 9940.

Location: Wellington

Karen ChanBusiness Development Manager, Bell GullySkills offered: Media relations; professional services

marketing.

Location: Auckland

Page 41: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

39

Alumni Snapshots

Stephen HenryDirector, Fourteen LimitedSkills offered: Strategic planning; project manage-

ment; sales; marketing; governance; organisational

development/review; change management; board

development.

Current community involvement: Deputy chair

Neighbourhood Support.

Location: Wellington

Penny HulseDeputy Mayor, Auckland CouncilSkills offered: Local government knowledge; political

lobbying; community development; community

consultation experience.

Current community involvement: Trustee, Waitakere

Anti Violence Essential Services Trust; Community

Waitakere Trust; Swanson Community Railway Station Trust; Volunteer,

several other community organisations.

Location: Auckland

Deborah IngoldConsultant Support Manager, Hay Group LimitedSkills offered: Project/organisation skills; initiative;

people management skills.

Current community involvement: Membership officer,

Bays North Harbour Parents Centre.

Location: Auckland

Hilda Johnson-BogaertsGeneral Manager Residential Care Services, The Selwyn FoundationSkills offered: Governance; Clinical leadership; vision

development; change management; care philosophy/

models of aged care.

Current community involvement: Board member Eden

Alternative Australia-New Zealand.

Location: Auckland

Murray JordanManaging Director, Foodstuffs (Auckland) LtdSkills offered: Strategic advice.

Current community involvement: Trustee, St Heliers

School.

Location: Auckland

Lance KennedyService Manager for Community Probation ServiceSkills offered: Management and leadership; human

resources; mentoring and change management.

Current community involvement: Rewarewa D Whanau

Trust.

Location: Kaikohe, Northland

Manu KeungProgramme Leader, Leadership New ZealandSkills offered: Project management; community stake-

holder engagement; governance.

Current community involvement: Dress for Success;

Church Woman’s Group; Pasifika Women’s Auckland

branch.

Location: Auckland

Taane MeteFounder & Artistic Director, Okaraka Dance CompanySkills offered: Mentoring (art, dance & choreography);

art performance management.

Location: Auckland

Dave MillerAgribusiness Consultant, AgFirstSkills offered: Strategic planning; governance.

Current community involvement: Volunteer, Manga-

tautari Ecological Island Trust; rural mentoring; Harini

Tennis Club support; mentoring role for leadership

group of Potato NZ.

Location: Waikato

Sina MoorePrincipal Director, Consultant – Ola Consulting LtdSkills offered: Leadership and governance; strategic

management; mentoring; organisational capability;

social enterprise.

Current community involvement: Chair C-Me Mentor-

ing Trust; chair PACIFICA Auckland; director YWCA Auckland; trustee

Leadership NZ Board; trustee Pacific Music Awards Trust; co-convenor

Leadership Pacific Network; mentor Future Leaders (YWCA); I Have a

Dream, First Foundation.

Location: Auckland

Sacha O’DeaPublic Injury Insurance Manager, ACCSkills offered: Strategic planning; project management;

facilitation; governance; change management; analysis

and problem solving.

Location: Wellington

Deidre OteneSkills offered: Collaboration; youth engagement;

community development.

Location: Australia

Malcolm PaulGeneral Manager – Information Management Solutions, Foodstuffs (Auckland) LtdSkills offered: Strategic thinking; systems and

information technology strategy; planning and

operations.

Location: Auckland

Page 42: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

40

Alumni Snapshots

“I see the programme not only as a catalyst to a year of self-discovery, but as a vessel for continual shared knowledge and support through the new friendships gained and the expansive alumni base.” – Aaron Topp, 2008

Manu SioneGeneral Manager Pacific Health, Counties Manukau District Health BoardSkills offered: Management; advocacy; strategic plan-

ning and project management. Particular skills working

with Pacific peoples.

Current community involvement: Working with church

groups to support health programmes in the community.

Location: Auckland

Emma TaylorViticulture Project Manager, Villa Maria EstateSkills offered: Research; communication (scientific into

common language).

Current community involvement: Organiser, National

Young Viticulturalist Competition; board member, EIT

Advisory Board; committee member, NZ Winegrowers

Research Committee.

Location: Hawke’s Bay

Aaron ToppDirector Sales and Marketing, Hatuma Dicalcic Phosphate LtdSkills offered: Communication; marketing; writing;

strategic planning; collaborative or individual problem

solving.

Current community involvement: Takapau School BOT.

Location: Hawke’s Bay

Essendon TuitupouDirector, Impact MinistriesSkills offered: Business and community development.

Current community involvement: Leadership Factory

(developing community leaders); leads a community-

based health and fitness initiative in South Auckland;

advisory board member for several not-for-profit

organisations.

Location: Auckland

Michelle van GaalenIndependent Strategy & Change Consultant, van Gaalen & AssociatesSkills offered: Customer and market strategy; brand-

ing expertise; business strategy.

Current community involvement: Trustee, Chamber

Music New Zealand.

Location: Auckland

Annie WahlBranch Manager, Waikato Accident Compensation CorporationSkills offered: Leadership; injury rehabilitation;

strategic planning; change management; operational

management.

Location: Hamilton

Wane WharerauIwi Liaison Officer, New Zealand Police (Waitakere)Skills offered: Governance; community networking

projects.

Current community involvement: Chair, Ngapuhi ki

Waitemata Charitable Trust; trustee, Te Runanga a Iwi o

Ngapuhi; trustee, Guardians of the Sea.

Location: Auckland

Page 43: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

41

Alumni Snapshots

Robyn CormackExternal Communications and Marketing Manager, Department of ConservationSkills offered: Marketing and communications strategy;

social marketing; marketing research; online marketing.

Current community involvement: Chair, Belmont

School Board of Trustees.

Location: Wellington

Mark CrosbieDirector, Prolex AdvisorySkills offered: Property advice; construction/

development advice.

Current community involvement: Trustee, Keystone NZ

Property Education Trust.

Location: Auckland

Johnnie FreelandPae Arahi Matua, Auckland CouncilCurrent community involvement: Growing community

leadership capability at an Iwi level.

Location: Auckland

Rod GibsonPAK’nSAVE Brand Manager, Foodstuffs (Auckland) LtdSkills offered: Project management; organisational

change management; governance.

Current community involvement: School Board of

Trustees; Treasurer for a Baptist Church; operational

care for at-risk youth.

Location: Auckland

Greg GloverCompany DirectorCurrent community involvement: Vice Chair, New

Zealand Farm Environment Awards.

Location: Waikato

Jo Kelly-Moore Dean of Auckland, Anglican Diocese of AucklandSkills offered: Chaplaincy; celebrant; facilitation.

Current community involvement: Member, Auckland

Dioccese Council; Auckland representative, General

Synod.

Location: Auckland

Caroline Knight Skills offered: Project management; governance;

mentoring and coaching.

Location: Auckland

Wendy McGuinnessChief Executive, Sustainable Future InstituteSkills offered: Strategic planning; risk management;

scenario development.

Current community involvement: Working to produce

a national sustainable development strategy for New

Zealand.

Location: Wellington

CLASS OF 2007Andrew AitkenExecutive General Manager, Vero General InsuranceSkills offered: Governance; business excellence;

values-based leadership.

Current community involvement: Auckland Rotary.

Location: Auckland

Matt AndersonCo-Director, The Sleep StoreSkills offered: Small business management;

e-commerce; accident insurance; injury prevention.

Location: Auckland

Mark BakerGeneral Manager Supply Chain & Technology, PlaceMakersSkills offered: Operations management; strategic planning;

commercial management; retail and manufacturing process

design; technology solutions design; project management.

Current community involvement: Various Leadership NZ

SkillsBank projects.

Location: Auckland

Minnie BaragwanathChief Executive, Be. InstituteSkills offered: Disability advice; local government

knowledge; communication; collaboration.

Location: Auckland

Cheryl BowieDirector, VisionOnSkills offered: Project management; facilitation; or-

ganisational development/review; change management.

Current community involvement: Supporting SpringBoard.

Location: Auckland

Sally BramleyBranch Manager, Accident Compensation CorporationSkills offered: Culture change; performance enhancement.

Location: Waikato and Bay of Plenty

Jeanette BurnsRegional Manager Central Region Prisons, Department of CorrectionsSkills offered: General and operational management;

project management; change management.

Current community involvement: Involved in local school

activities and a number of community groups associated with the prisons.

Location: Waikato

Richard CopelandHuman Resources Manager – Tait Operations, Tait Radio CommunicationsSkills offered: Generalist human resources expertise.

Location: Christchurch

Page 44: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

42

Alumni Snapshots

Michael PriceManaging Director/Owner, J B PresentationsSkills offered: Governance; operations management;

process improvement.

Current community involvement: School PTA commit-

tee member.

Location: Christchurch

Ngaroimata ReidBusiness and Community Development Consultant, Tu Wahine TrustSkills offered: Business and community development;

project management; cultural advice; research; facilita-

tion and mentoring; Kaupapa Maori expertise.

Location: Waitakere

James Smallwood Director/Dairy Farmer, Berwick FarmSkills offered: Business development; change

management; international business experience;

personnel management; pragmatic view of the world!

Current community involvement: Chairman, South

Wairarapa District Council’s Rural Services Committee.

Location: Wairarapa / Wellington

Jennie VickersCOE (Chief of Everything), ZeopardSkills offered: Speaker on following subjects: skills de-

velopment for staff and stakeholders using web based

learning; thought leadership to influence funders and

attract supporters; respecting and protecting intellec-

tual property rights; NFP governance – realistic practice and practicalities.

Current community involvement: Auckland District Law Society Inc;

National Speakers Association Australia.

Location: Auckland

Serena WalkerPostgraduate Student, AUT UniversitySkills offered: Volunteer with Shine*.

Location: Auckland

Karyn McLeodFunding & Operations Manager, The ASB Community TrustSkills offered: Funding proposals; team development;

strategic planning; change management; governance.

Current community involvement: Trustee, North Shore

Women’s Centre; Trustee, Massive Theatre Incorporated.

Location: Auckland

Jodi MitchellGM Northern Region, SimplSkills offered: General management; IT strategy.

Current community involvement: Executive board

member, NZ Health IT Cluster.

Location: Auckland

Graeme Olding Principal, Chapman TrippSkills offered: Governance; legal advice.

Current community involvement: Chair, Mt Roskill

Community Trust.

Location: Auckland

Greg OrchardDirector – Property, Housing, Consents and Licensing, Wellington City CouncilSkills offered: Strategy; planning; governance;

finance; leadership; asset management; coaching;

mentoring.

Location: Wellington

Roslyn Pere Product and Service Manager, Air New ZealandSkills offered: Marketing; product and service

development; project management.

Location: Auckland

JR PereiraGeneral Manager, Pure Pacifika SamoaSkills offered: Management; marketing; economic de-

velopment – community development; village economic

development; arts management; cultural performing

arts (Samoa-Pacific); Samoan culture & protocols.

Current community involvement: Developing a village/

district farm for overseas exports, through a public/

private sector partnering.

Location: Apia, Samoa, but in and out of Auckland from time to time

Tara PradhanInternational Relations Manager, Economic Development, Auckland CouncilSkills offered: Facilitation; project management; event

management; sponsorship; international relations,

stakeholder engagement, strategic and business.

Current community involvement: Advisory Board

member, Film Auckland; Supporter of Massive Company

(Aotearoa Young People’s Theatre) and The Zenergy Trust.

Location: Auckland

“Being a participant of Leadership New Zealand for me is about building a deeper understanding of key economic, cultural, social and environmental issues facing New Zealand.” – Michael Price, 2007

Page 45: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

43

Alumni Snapshots

CLASS OF 2006Jane AickinLocal and Sport Parks Manager, Auckland CouncilSkills offered: Strategic planning; project

management; workshop/meeting facilitation.

Current community involvement: Chair, NZ Recreation

Association Auckland/Northland Region.

Location: Auckland

Dean AstillExport Manager, RD8 Fresh ProduceSkills offered: Governance; marketing; project planning.

Current community involvement: Board member, EIT

Horticulture Advisory Board.

Location: Hastings

Ian BalmeManaging Director, Forgotten World AdventuresSkills offered: Governance; project development;

environmental leadership; agricultural business;

forestry.

Current community involvement: Committee member,

Waikato Hunt Club.

Location: Waikato

Megan BarclayPartners Manager, Be. InstituteSkills offered: Programme management; organisational

change management; organisational continuity and

improvement; facilitation.

Current community involvement: Chair, Chelsea

Kindergarten Committee.

Location: Auckland

Tom BennettPartner, Bell GullySkills offered: Legal advice – corporate/commercial,

construction, and local government law.

Location: Auckland

Rourina BrownCommunity Advisor, Auckland CouncilSkills offered: Project management; facilitation; policy

and planning.

Current community involvement: Co-Founder and

member, Cook Islands Research Association; National

Pacific Disability Leadership Group.

Location: Auckland

Maureen CrombieManager Corporate Strategy & Policy, New Plymouth District CouncilSkills offered: Relationship management; project

management; governance.

Current community involvement: Chair, ECPAT

International; Trustee, Leadership New Zealand.

Location: New Plymouth

Quentin Doig Contract Field Office Supervisor, Earthquake CommissionSkills offered: Communications; PR; governance; HR;

change management; facilitating workshops/meetings.

Location: Currently working in Christchurch until end

of 2011 then return to Picton

Peter FentonGeneral Manager, Customers, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise Skills offered: Governance; business management;

human resources and operations leadership.

Current community involvement: Junior coaching;

sports administration.

Location: Wellington

Milton HenryDeputy Principal, Selwyn CollegeSkills offered: Programme development; mentoring

– youth and adults; identifying and prioritising

resources for diverse groups; thinking and literacy

skills; promoting effective student/teacher

relationships.

Location: Auckland

Cheryl HollowayLondonSkills offered: Communication; facilitation; coaching;

relationship strategy; organisational change; policy

development; creative writing.

Location: London

Carole Hughes Archdeacon of Central Auckland Region, Diocese of Auckland, Anglican ChurchSkills offered: Supervision; group facilitation;

chaplaincy; support; celebrant.

Current community involvement: Co-Vicar, Anglican

Church, Campbells Bay; Chaplain, Murrays Bay

Intermediate School; facilitator of post-ordination

training for Auckland/Northland region; church ministry selection and

appointments advisor to the Bishop; guest lecturer, St John’s College.

Location: Auckland

Page 46: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

44

Alumni Snapshots

Rangimarie PriceDirector, Naturally Right Ltd Skills offered: Executive leadership and strategic

advice in the areas of organisational development

and developing strategic relationships.

Location: Whangarei

Neville PulmanManaging Director New Zealand, Creative ActivationSkills offered: Wide commercial skills; strategic

business planning; cultural and team management;

consumer marketing; new markets planning and

development; product and category development.

Location: Auckland

Robyn ScottExecutive Director, Philanthropy New ZealandSkills offered: Organisational management; strategic

planning; workshop facilitation; supervision;

mentoring.

Location: Wellington

Adrian SoleManaging Director, Direct Traders Ltd Skills offered: Common sense; private sector

business and governance experience; sales and

marketing; vision and innovation.

Current community involvement: Treasurer E-

Learning Taranaki Trust; marketing/sponsorship

manager Taranaki Motorcycle Club.

Location: Taranaki

Parul SoodStrategic Projects Special Adviser, Auckland CouncilSkills offered: Strategic planning; project

management; resource planning; public and

government body communication.

Current community involvement: Board member,

Community Trust working in area of sustainability.

Location: Auckland

Teresa Te Pania AshtonConsultant; Director, Ngapuhi Asset Holding Company and Te Aupouri Asset Holding Company; Trustee, Leadership New ZealandSkills offered: Governance; management; strategic

planning; business planning; project planning.

Current community involvement: Community and

business mentoring; education project; geothermal project; marae,

hapu and iwi projects.

Location: Northland

Jackie KrugerRegional Manager, Pact Southland; Deputy Mayor, Invercargill City CouncilSkills offered: Planning; advocacy; funding advice

(in Southland).

Current community involvement: Chairman

Invercargill Te Ara A Kewa Health Trust; chairman

Southland Community Wastebusters Trust.

Location: Invercargill

Alistair Kwun Connections Navigator, Future Dragonz Skills offered: Communications strategy; sponsor-

ship; brand architecture; asian consumer insights;

event design; community relations; hospitality.

Current community involvement: Communications

and strategy advisor, New Zealand Chinese Associa-

tion Auckland; Outreach consultant, Integration of

Immigrants Programme, Massey University; Research Group, Asian

Aucklanders and the Arts, Creative New Zealand.

Location: Auckland

Theresa Le Bas Principal, Tompkins WakeSkills offered: Legal expertise in all areas of

resource management law (environmental and plan-

ning law).

Current community involvement: Resource Manage-

ment Law Association (NZ); National Environmental

Law Association (Aus).

Location: Hamilton

Kevin LeithGeneral Manager Operations, SovereignSkills offered: Strategic planning; general

management; marketing – brand, media

management, public relations; ecommerce and

innovation; sales and service.

Current community involvement: Hoping to assist

in providing school board support for lower decile schools within the

greater Auckland region.

Location: Auckland

Gavin PearceSenior Actuary Liberty International Underwriters Skills offered: Actuarial advice; financial modelling

and forecasting.

Current community involvement: Still getting to

know my new city...Sydney.

Location: Sydney

Page 47: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

45

Alumni Snapshots

Koroseta To’o Managing Director, Sustainable Pacific Development LtdSkills offered: NGO/Civil society capacity building

advice; industrial relations; labour/management

business development advice; business mentoring;

NGO restructuring; good governance and interna-

tional relations.

Current community involvement: Upskilling Pacific youths into

horticulture and farming in NZ and the Pacific islands; member of

the Samoa Potopoto Inc of Waitakere (a steering committee support-

ing sustainable development and environmental promotion in the

Pacific community); business mentoring and business administration

advice.

Location: West Auckland, Auckland, Pacific Islands.

Laura Vodanovich Collection Manager, Auckland Museum Skills offered: Recruitment selection and team

building; risk management; strategic planning.

Current community involvement: Chair, school

board.

Meredith Youngson Skills offered: Facilitation; mentoring; community

development.

Current community involvement: Swanson Station

Trust; Celebrating Swanson (a group committed to

fostering social capital in Swanson through a range

of events and groups); organiser for Swanson market

days and Christmas Parade; organise volunteers for the Community

Constables Office, treasurer for Healthlink.

My husband Robin and I have recently made a commitment to down-

size our lives and fulfil some personal dreams and ambitions now that

our children have all left home. To kick start our new life, we went on

a three month trip around Europe and the UK. Back in New Zealand,

we are taking some time out to reassess where we go from here in

terms of work, location and lifestyle.

Location: Matheson Bay near Leigh.

Tribute to Richie Dempster Leadership New Zealand Alumnus 200624 September 1962 – 17 September 2011It is with much sadness that we farewell Richie - a much loved,

respected, admired and valued member of the Leadership

New Zealand whanau. Our thoughts are with Richie’s family as we

all come to terms with such a tremendous loss to the New Zealand

community.

“Know how to tolerate

Know how to be peaceful

Know how to be modest

And know how to be respectful.

Knowing can provide endless solutions”

“The Leadership New Zealand course offers an opportunity for reflection – something not easily done in this busy world – particularly on our values and aspirations as New Zealanders.” – Tom Bennett, 2006

Page 48: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

46

Alumni Snapshots

Nick HadleyCEO, Kudos WebSkills offered: IT web marketing; management

marketing strategies; music.

Current community involvement: Leadership New

Zealand; Rotary BNI.

Location: Auckland and North

Glenn HawkinsChartered Accountant and Management Consultant, Glenn Hawkins & AssociatesSkills offered: Financial management; governance;

system reviews.

Current community involvement: Director of Ngati

Whakaua Tribal Lands – Iwi Authority; director of

Eastside Training – PTE for at-risk youth; advisor to a range of Maori

organisations including Hapu, Marae, Kura, Kohanga and community

groups.

Location: Rotorua

Kristy HillSenior Policy Advisor, Independent Maori Statutory Board Skills offered: Maori policy.

Current community involvement: NZ Women’s Football

Team (current).

Location: Auckland

Lisa Howard-SmithRegional Relationship Manager, Family and Community Services – MSDSkills offered: Strategic planning; organisational

and service development; change management;

mentoring and supervision; project/event management;

fundraising and promotions; funding and contracting.

Location: Auckland

Tracy MoyesDirector, Moyes Consulting Skills offered: Strategic planning; project

management; marketing and branding event

management.

Location: Auckland

Gia Nghi PhungEntrepreneur and MumSkills offered: Building capacity in community

organisations and bringing culturally diverse groups

together for active participation.

Location: Auckland

Phil RileyNational Manager, External Claims Management, Accident Compensation CorporationSkills offered: General management; project

management; communication management;

negotiation

Location: Christchurch

CLASS OF 2005Matt BollandCorporate Affairs, 2 DegreesSkills offered: Communications strategy development;

media relations; government relations and marketing.

Location: Auckland

Phil BurtSelf Employed Consultant, CFOSkills offered: Governance and general management,

business improvement; asset management and risk

consulting.

Current community involvement: Sporting and church

groups.

Location: Wellington

Debbie ChinChief Executive, Standards New ZealandSkills offered: Public policy; financial; private sector.

Current community involvement: Wellington Girls

College Parents Association; assistant manager of

Wellington Girls College 1st X1 cricket team.

Location: Wellington

Carlene CreightonExecutive Projects Manager, DB BreweriesSkills offered: General management; marketing;

business management; not-for-profit boards; project

management.

Location: Auckland

Mike DaviesSkills offered: Project management; technology;

business alignment; forming/aligning/building teams

and organisations going through significant change.

Current community involvement: Youth development;

charitable board/trust.

Location: Auckland

Irene DurhamDirector/Business Coach, Evoke EssentialsSkills offered: Business coach; business owner; New

Zealand Business Woman Award 1998-1999; property

and trust advice; clarity on issues for small to medium

New Zealand businesses and trusts; investment

strategy; financial planning.

Current community involvement: On boards for NorthHaven Hospice Endowment

Trust, NorthAble (Disability Services); Enterprise Northland and Destination

Northland; NRC Community Trust; Northland Business Development Trust; Trustee

NorthPower Electric Power Trust.

Chris FogartyDirector of Corporate Affairs, Allens Arthur RobinsonSkills offered: Communications and media advice;

Business planning

Page 49: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

47

Alumni Snapshots

Leisa Siteine Manager Arts & Culture South, Auckland CouncilSkills offered: People, facility and event management;

community arts management.

Current community involvement: Church leader;

trustee of Massive Theatre Fala Pasefika Committee.

Location: Auckland

Rewi SpraggonPaearahi Poutikanga Maori Protocols Manager, Auck-land CouncilSkills offered: Consultancy; broadcasting; television

presenter; event management; master of ceremonies;

Maori leadership programme kowai; creative innovation;

artist; musician; chef.

Current community involvement: Auckland Festival 2011; surf

lifesaving coach; Maori Television; Te Runanaga O Waitakere spokesperson;

traditional Maori weaponry teacher for at-risk youth; Te Waonui a Tane

board member; National Maori Men Group mentor; Te Atatu Rugby League.

Location: Auckland

Che TamahoriManaging Director, ShiftSkills offered: Online marketing and communication

strategy; technology strategy, design consulting.

Current community involvement: Chair of Wanganui

School of Design Advisory Board.

Location: Auckland

Vicky Taylor General Manager Smartfoods, Director Vehicle Testing New Zealand, Director Landcare Research, Founder of SpringboardSkills offered: Currently fully committed.

Current community involvement: Co-founder of

Springboard, a not-for-profit with an objective of

accelerating the development of young directors in New

Zealand.

Location: Auckland

Suzanne WeldLandscape Architect/Project ManagerSkills offered: Project management; community vision

development; facilitation; council annual plan and

resource consent process advice; landscape planning

and design.

Current community involvement: Member of Resource Management Law

Association; Yachting New Zealand; Ryder-Cheshire Foundation; Life

Education Trust Rodney.

Location: Auckland and Northland

Jim WhiteAssistant Bishop, Anglican Diocese of AucklandSkills offered: Community/group building; thinking;

celebrating.

Current community involvement: Restorative Justice

Facilitator/Mediator.

Location: Auckland

Sarah WilliamsExecutive Director, Porter Novelli Skills offered: General PR; communications disciplines

such as communication planning, writing, production

management, media relations, issues and crisis

management.

Current community involvement: Board member NZ

Heart Foundation.

Location: Auckland

“Leadership New Zealand has opened my eyes to the possiblities and opportunities that surround us. It has connected me with people who have challenged me, and supported me, but most of all it has introduced me to the power of knowledge and the importance of true leadership.” – Rewi Spraggon, 2005.

Page 50: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

Leadership New Zealand Events 2011

To celebrate the Programme opening with family and employers of the participants; to welcome the new participants to the Leadership New Zealand fold; to showcase Leadership New Zealand to our partners and potential partners, potential participants and forum members; and to provide a forum event – an opportunity for Alumni and the wider Leadership New Zealand family to reconnect.MC: Alumnus Tama Potaka Speakers: Bob Harvey, Chair Waterfront Development Agency, Former Mayor of Waitakere City; Alumni Hilary Sumpter and Kirsty Pillay-Hansen Musical Performers: Claire Caldwell, Darren Pene Pati, Marlena Devoe Venue: Jubilee Hall, Parnell Trust Building, Newmarket

Topic: Connecting with people through storytellingMC: Alumnus Dr Selina Tusitala MarshSpeakers: Dr Marama Muru-Lanning, The University of Auckland; Bruce Waters, Mighty River Power; Doug Poole, Poet; Penny Howard, ArtistVenue: Fale Pasifika, The University of Auckland, Auckland

Topic: Cultivating Leadership Presence; A workshop in mindfulness and personal wellbeing Facilitator: Maya Nova, Founder, MindBalance Venue: Botanic Gardens, Auckland

Topic: Connecting with people through storytellingMC: Richard Moss, Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama SchoolSpeakers: Christian Penny, Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School: Dr Karlo Mila, Poet; Jessica Prendergast, Sustainable Future Institute; Nick Astwick, KiwibankVenue: Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, Newtown, Wellington

A mid-year event hosted by Leadership New Zealand in a week designed to celebrate all that represents Leadership in New Zealand.MC: Julian Wilcox, Maori TelevisionSpeakers: Sir Ray Avery, 2010 New Zealander of the Year; Sam Johnson, Christchurch Student Army; Minnie Baragwanath, Be. InstitutePerformers: Dilworth Cultural Group; Touch Compass Dance Company; Rewi Spraggon, Alumnus; Jo Kelly-Moore, AlumnusVenue: The Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

Topic: Connecting leadershipSpeakers: Clive Jones, UCOL; Dr Morgan Williams, Leadership New Zealand Trustee; Pamela Williams, University of Wellington; Mark Dunlop, MV Consultants; Joseph Stafford, Ministry of ConversationVenue: Mission Estate Winery, Hawke’s Bay

Topic: Shifting thinking and creating change through storytellingMC: Alumnus, Karam MeuliSpeakers: Philip Patston, Diversity NZ Ltd; Lani Wendt-Young, Author; Reg Birchfield, Writer & Publisher on Leadership & Governance; John McCarthy, LifewiseVenue: Lifewise Merge Café, Ponsonby, Auckland

An evening to celebrate the Graduation of the 2011 Programme participants.Speakers: Tony Carter, Chair, The New Zealand Institute; Brendan Hoare and Josephine Bartley, Graduand Representatives; Master of Ceremonies, Karam Meuli, Alumnus 2009

February Programme Launch Cocktail Evening 18th February

May

First Café Session2nd MayAuckland

June

Mindfulness Workshop10th JuneAuckland

Second Café Session15th JuneWellington

July

Leadership Week Dinner3rd JulyAuckland

Alumni Retreat23-24 July

August

Third Café Session9th AugustAuckland

November

2011 Graduation Event12th NovemberThe Bluestone Room, Auckland

Page 51: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

SkillsBank PartnersSpecial thanks to the following who assist to ensure that the skills and work of our Alumni within the community continues to be connected:• Tindall Foundation• ITC Services

Scholarship Partners Special thanks to the following who assist to ensure that diversity continues to be achieved across the Programme through the generous funding of scholarships:• CPA Australia• Hay Group• Inspiring Communities• Kerridge & Partners• Leadership New Zealand Alumni• NZ Management magazine• The Tindall Foundation

Event Sponsors/ContributorsSpecial thanks to the following who have assisted in providing event venues, donated goods/catering, valuable time, or subsidised discounts for their services:• ACC• Auckland Botanical Gardens• Baleringe• Be. Institute• Bell Gully• Caroline Ducobu Photographer• Centre of Pacific Studies, University of Auckland• Claire Caldwell• CourierPost• Darren Pene Pati

Programme HostsSpecial thanks to the following who have sponsored venues or provided valuable time and assistance for our Programme requirements:• Auckland Airport • Chapman Tripp• Chris and Jo Brosnahan• Community Music Junction• Counties Manukau Police DHQ• Grant and Jackie Bunting• Greenhouse Gas Research Centre• He Iwi Kotahi Tatou Trust• Hinewai Reserve – Maurice White Native Forest Trust• Landcare Research• Legislative Council Chambers, NZ Parliament• Mangere Refugee Centre

We only exist because of the generosity of others.Leadership New Zealand is forever grateful for the generosity we receive throughout the year from our very generous supporters through a variety of contributions. In appreciation of that generosity, we sincerely thank all contributors for their valued input into both our organisation and growing the future leaders of New Zealand.

Other ContributionsSpecial thanks to the following:• All invited contributors and people who gave their time to be interviewed for this publication• Auckland Airport – for their assistance with psychometric profiling• Authors who have assisted with 2011 Leaders’ Magazine and Yearbook content – Reg Birchfield, Jo Brosnahan, Selina Tusitala Marsh, Megan Barclay, Brendan Hoare, Josephine Bartley, Hilary Sumpter• Bell Gully – for their legal advice and meeting venue provision, plus providing office space for the Leadership New Zealand team• Canon – for providing printing supplies for the Leadership Week Dinner and assistance with copier relocation to new premises• Grateful appreciation to those who assisted with the 2012 Programme interview process – Tony Nowell, Jennie Vickers, Vicky Pond Dunlop, Jo Brosnahan, Jodi Mitchell, Peter Merry, Hilary Sumpter, Morgan Williams, Beth Houston, Penny Fitt, Stuart Orme, Sina Moore, Neville Pulman, Liz Hampton, Tim Hamilton, Teresa TePania Ashton, Reg Birchfield, and any others who are assisting with interviews yet to be held at the time of writing.• Kerridge & Partners – Claire Denison and Peter Kerridge for their assistance with the selection process for the Leadership New Zealand Chief Executive search• Kudosweb – for their valued IT and website support• Leadership New Zealand Alumni who gave their time, talents and energy at various events and SkillsBank projects• Leadership New Zealand Trustees, Advisory Trustees and Funding Partners for their ongoing support and invaluable advice• Mediaweb – for their publication and photographic support• Oceania Coachlines – for providing subsidised transport for the Waitangi programme session• Pricewaterhouse Coopers – for their annual audit support• Winsborough Ltd – Nicholar Richmond for her assistance with the psychometric profiling for the Chief Executive Officer search

Our sincere thanks to…

• Dilworth Cultural Group• Foodstuffs• Fruitfed Supplies• KPMG• Lifewise Café• Marlena Devoe• Mission Estate Winery• The Edge, Auckland Town Hall• Touch Compass Dance Company• Webfilms

• Massey University• NZ Post Media Centre, Parnell• PGG Wrightson• Refugee Youth Action Network (RYAN) Centre• Selwyn College, Kohimarama• Te Tii Marae, Waitangi• Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School• Waitapapia Station• Wellington Zoo• Whangarei Public Library• YMCA – Wainui Park, Akaroa

Supporting Partners

Key Partners

Page 52: Leadership NZ Yearbook 2011

Key Partners

Supporting Partners

Accident Compensation Corporationwww.acc.co.nz

ASB Community Trustwww.asbcommunitytrust.co.nz

Bell Gullywww.bellgully.com

Foodstuffs (Auckland) Ltdwww.foodstuffs.co.nz

Altris Ltdwww.altris.co.nz

Bartercardwww.bartercard.co.nz

BoardWorks Internationalwww.boardworksinternational.com

Canon New Zealandwww.canon.co.nz

Hay Groupwww.haygroup.com

ITC Serviceswww.itcservices.co.nz

Kerridge & Partnerswww.kerridgepartners.com

Mediawebwww.mediaweb.co.nz

NZ Management magazinewww.management.co.nz