COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT - Key Persons
Afamasaga Jackie Curry has over 20 years of experience working in Samoa and New Zealand, bringing with her, experience in a wide range of industries and organisations such as: Pacific Business Development & Entrepreneurship, Tertiary Education, Digital Marketing, Tourism, Fashion, FMCG & Manufacturing, Pacific NGOs, Pacific Community Projects, Events and the Health sector.
Her current focus is to continue to contribute to Pacific development by empowering our Pacific women, to build successful businesses, thereby setting up their families, including the wider community for success, all while upholding the importance of cultural values and links back to homelands.
Job Titles:
- Communications and Administration Advisor
Originally from Cambodia, Amie has built her career in various communications roles and industries, including a non-profit organisation, banking institutions, an advertising and event management company and media institutions and an oil & gas company
Amie's academic background mirrors her global professional footprint. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Communications from Massey University in New Zealand, a Diploma of Public Relations from LBUS in Romania, and a Bachelor's Degree in Media Management from RUPP in Cambodia. Beyond formal education, she has enhanced her skill set through various management training programs conducted in Singapore and Vietnam. This diverse educational foundation equips Boramey with a holistic perspective that complements her practical experience in the field of communications.
Job Titles:
- International Programmes Director for Habitat for Humanity New Zealand
Dr. Elizabeth Fitton-Higgins is the International Programmes Director for Habitat for Humanity New Zealand. She has over 20 years' experience working across the public sector, NGOs and consulting. Habitat for Humanity New Zealand is implementing a 5 year Negotiated Partnerships programme, funded by MFAT, working across Fiji, Samoa and Tonga on improving access to resilient housing and shelter. Prior to her Habitat role, Elizabeth was a Director of the Mangrove Collective, a humanitarian and development consultancy focusing on the Asia Pacific region.
Job Titles:
- Board Chair / CEO, Save the Children
An experienced leader with strong business, management and accounting skills gained through a career in both corporate and not-for-profit organisations, Heidi first joined Save the Children New Zealand in 2015 as Finance Director before being appointed Chief Executive in May 2017. Heidi's business interests include developing partnerships that will positively influence strategic direction and performance, enabling the achievement of organisational objectives.
Joby George is an international health professional with over 25 years of experience in leading large-scale health and nutrition programmes in developing countries. He has worked for Catholic Relief Services, CARE, World Vision International, Save the Children US, Save the Children International and UNICEF in India, Cambodia, Malawi, Bangladesh, and Somalia. He has also done short-term consulting assignments in Timor Leste and Bangladesh. His focus areas include reproductive health, newborn and child health, maternal and child nutrition, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and health systems strengthening.
Joby holds a bachelor's degree in nursing and a master's degree in health administration. He is currently pursuing his doctoral degree at the University of Otago, Dunedin. His research focuses on the role of health sector governance to improve healthcare quality in low-and-middle-income countries on their pathway to Universal Health Coverage. He has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals based on his past work.
Lucy is currently enrolled at Te Herenga Waka and is aiming to complete her Bachelors degree in International Relations, Development Studies and Management at the end of this year. Lucy will be assisting with event planning, administration and training, including the CID Conference 2023.
Her studies have allowed her to apply theoretical ideas to relevant global, domestic and international issues. She is passionate about ensuring that everyone is equipped with the rights tools to act appropriately on a range of issues, in order to promote effective and long-term change. Lucy is committed to tackling a range of issues in Aotearoa New Zealand and the world to make a positive difference.
Job Titles:
- CEO of UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand
- Treasurer / CEO, UNICEF Aotearoa
In December 2020, Michelle was appointed CEO of UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand. UNICEF drives change for children and young people every day, across the globe. They work in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. And never give up.
Prior to this appointment, she was drawn to the role of Chief Executive Officer at Kilmarnock Enterprises; a pioneering social enterprise providing education, employment and opportunities for people with learning disabilities. For over 11 years, her passion for the non-profit sector enabled me to use commercial excellence as a tool to demonstrate the value of people with intellectual disabilities to customers and the community.
Peter is a strategic-minded, impact driven and outcomes-oriented leader, with a deep set of skills and experience accumulated over 25+ years working within the private sector (local and multi-national companies) and public sector, including international government agencies in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and Fiji.
Peter is a results-oriented executive with a particularly strong professional background in strategic leadership, international development, economic development and global trade & investment. He has worked with New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE), the New Zealand government's export and investment agency and in leadership roles with multi-national organisations including the Institute for International Research (IIR). He has experience as a Founder and Chief Executive with New Zealand based companies and has extensive governance experience.
Prior to joining CID, Peter was appointed by DT Global (on behalf of Australian Department Foreign Affairs & Trade) to lead the transition, establishment and operations of the Pacific Island Food Revolution (PIFR) to a stand-alone Non-Government Organisation (NGO) and registered Charity in New Zealand to continue their innovative development programmes in the Pacific. Before this, Peter was responsible for the establishment, management and sustainable growth of the inaugural Fiji Trade Commission to New Zealand on behalf of the Fijian Government.
Peter has degrees in business and management from Auckland University of Technology and is an active member of the Institute of Directors and Institute of International Affairs.
Job Titles:
- Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
Rachel Harrison graduated from Victoria University of Wellington in 2019 with a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Studies. In early 2020 she spent two months volunteering with Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) in Tonga, supporting the Tongan Ministry of Internal Affair's Youth Development Division, before being repatriated to New Zealand due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She maintained her linkages with Tonga by continuing to volunteer remotely with VSA for both the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the New Zealand High Commission until the end of 2021, while also working as a Programmes Coordinator at Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand since July 2020. Rachel's role sees her looking after development and humanitarian programmes primarily in Tonga, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.
Job Titles:
- International Programme Manager at the Adventist Development and Relief Agency
Sahara is an International Programme Manager at the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) of New Zealand, where she has worked 8 years.
Job Titles:
- Standards and Humanitarian Manager
Sam brings a wealth of practical experience, having both lived in, and worked across various roles, in small island developing states. He's worked with low-carbon shipping services, sailing essential cargo to some of the remotest and underserved regions of the Central Pacific, affording him key insights into the practical realities and challenges of crucial 'last mile' humanitarian and development service delivery.
During a three-year tenure in Fiji, his dedication to sustainable development and a recognition of the crucial role traditional knowledge plays in achieving this, motivated him to construct a traditional Fijian voyaging canoe. During this period, he also collaborated with medical charities as a relief skipper delivering primary health services to remote and isolated communities.
Recently, Sam combined his practical expertise with formal education, earning a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Economics, and an interdisciplinary Master's of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Victoria University of Wellington. His master's thesis focused on modeling behavioral responses to energy-efficient technologies and how these can have adverse effects on meeting climate targets.
Job Titles:
- Conservation International
Guided by curiosity and heritage, Schannel is a National Geographic Explorer, and a marine biologist working with Conservation International's (CI) Asia-Pacific Program as Marine and Heritage Director. He has worked in 15+ countries across diverse environmental initiatives from Antarctica to Europe, Asia and Oceania. He has demonstrated leadership, sustainability, and environmental management experience honed in working at the intersection of traditional knowledge, science, education, tech, and environmental policy.
Trusted technical practitioner, Schannel is a passionate Pacific advocate, Polynesian voyager (double-hulled traditional voyaging canoe), divemaster, and field scientist. He has spent significant time on the open ocean exploring nature across many Islands between Aotearoa New Zealand, to Hawaii to Mexico, Cocos & Galapagos Islands.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Union
Tim Sutton is the Executive Director of UnionAID, a small but growing Development Agency that empowers workers to organise and advocate for their rights.
Before joining UnionAID just over 18 months ago, Tim worked as a development professional for UNICEF for more than 25 years. He was based first in Bangladesh, then Iraq, Bhutan, the Pacific multi country office in Fiji, and then as deputy head of UNICEF in China. Then until 2021, he was the head of UNICEF in Sri Lanka.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chair of the Board
- World Vision New Zealand in 2018 As Their International Partnerships Director
TJ Grant joined the World Vision New Zealand in 2018 as their International Partnerships Director and is also the Deputy National Director. He has served on the CID Board since 2019 and has a Master's degree in International Development studies.
TJ has worked with World Vision globally for more than 15 years and has a passion for working with and walking alongside the poor and vulnerable.
Walter lives in Christchurch, has 45 years managing irrigation and environmental engineering projects in New Zealand, working as a consultant on development projects in Southeast Asia and is a board member of several community service organisations.
Since retiring he has completed a PhD looking at relationships between the parties that get into development, and he hopes to do some advisory work in that field.