EMPOWERED LEARNING - Key Persons


Alison Westerby


Andrea Muggeridge


Ceri Parr


Cherie Mason


Danielle Ross


David Aldridge

SpecSavers Optometrists, 83 Cuba Street Mall & Cnr Dixon Sts, Wellington. Ph: 04 801 9793 Mob: 027 645 4596 emai l: aldridge7@paradise.net.nz

Diane Walford


Hayley Hathaway

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board
  • Secretary of the Board
  • Funding Manager
NZ Diploma in Business, NZIM Diploma in Management, Diploma in Marketing, Diploma in Human Resources . Hayley and her husband Robert are dairy farmers in Reporoa. She has three young children. Hayley is passionate about identifying and supporting special learning abilities after the diagnosis of her children with Dyslexia, Irlen Syndrome and APD. She believes in equitable access to support and wants each child to feel happy and confident at school. She is keen to raise awareness both school and community-wide of these common learning abilities that present challenges to so many. Hayley is excited about contributing to the incredible work Empowered Learning Trust has achieved so far.

Jee Soo Park


Joanna Sharp


Karen Barker

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board
  • Treasurer of the Board
Dip Pharmacy, Registered Pharmacist; Advanced Dip Art & Design, Business Owner. Karen is a Registered Pharmacist (who no longer practices), with qualifications in design, communication and management. She assists her husband Ross in the running of their business. They have four adult children, some of whom live with Dyslexia and Irlen Syndrome. Her personal experiences with these learning difficulties as her children grew up encouraged help set up the Trust. Karen was selected as a finalist for the Women of Influence Awards 2019 Diversity category, and was a Kiwibank Local Hero Award for Rotorua in 2019.

Karen Blundell


Kathryn Sears


Kathy Cane

Job Titles:
  • Business Owner
  • Member of the Board
  • Registered Nurse
NZ Registered Nurse, Business owner. Kathy and her husband Malcolm run a deer farm in Reporoa, including production of their own dietary supplement Canes Deer Velvet, which is sold online. They have 3 adult children. Kathy is a Registered nurse who has a passion for understanding how the human body functions, and is currently studying bioenergetics. Her vision is that the Empowered Learning Trust will make a difference for those challenged with learning difficulties so that they may follow a more positive path in life, than they may otherwise have.

Keren Leslie

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board
  • Screening Manager
Keren and her husband operate a diary farming business in Reporoa and have three children. Keren is a passionate Irlen screener and advocate for helping young people with learning differences.

Kim Shearer - Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of the Board
Dip Occupational Therapy, Business Owner. Kim and her husband Grahame are dairy farmers in the Reporoa area. They have two teenage sons, and Kim is a keenly supportive mother. Kim is a qualified Occupational Therapist, and then was managing the Reporoa Community Health Service which operates in the wider Reporoa area. Since resigning from this post after ten years of service in this position, Kim has trained to become an Irlen Screener and has been screening for the Empowered Learning Trust programs for seven years.

Linley Boon


Paul Kelly


Prue Deighton


Renee Halliday

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board
Renee and her husband have recently moved to this area from Canterbury. They have four children and know first-hand how different every child's learning needs vary. She is a self-confessed people person with a passion for helping the community. She first heard about the Empowered Learning Trust when her son was diagnosed with Irlen Syndrome and later Dyslexia. She is determined to give back to the charity and be a part of helping more children gain confidence with their learning.

Robyn Harawira


Sarah Bycroft

Job Titles:
  • NATIONAL DIRECTOR IRLEN NZ
For all Irlen enquiries and to order Irlen resources, or organise an Irlen training: email: sarah@irlen.nz Albany Optometrists, 44 Corinthian Dr, Albany. Ph: 09 414 4484 Fax: 09 414 4483 email: info@albanyoptometrists.co.nz

Sue Simpson


Susan Richardson