RĀTĀ FOUNDATION - Key Persons
While actors like Kit Harrington and KJ Apa are all the rage right now, Angela has a different screen hero - Anthony Carrigan. Carrigan has alopecia - as does Angela - and seeing someone famous rocking it on screen is inspirational; he also does great work with the Children's Alopecia Project in the US. Angela adores her family, especially her two grandchildren. One is based in Japan, so she loves it when she catches up with her daughter and grandson on video-calls. Angela is inspired by art, music, writing and nature.
Angela feels blessed to be able to work on purpose - it gets her up and out the door. She believes everyone should have opportunities, doors opened, barriers removed and support when it's needed.
Anne-Marie has a leadership background and engages with communities through work in education, local government, community, and business sectors in Christchurch. In recent years she has held governance roles with charities operating in the areas of social services and health and well-being. She is a people person who enjoys the challenges of strategic thinking and implementing change and development.
Cam could be described as Rātā's in-house comedian - always ready with a joke or a quick comeback. Outside of work, Cam spends time with his basketball-mad family, taking part in church activities and sharing kai. Cam is a busy guy, but when he finds the time he would like to get into tramping and learn to play the banjo with his double-jointed thumbs.
Cam says he didn't choose the non-profit sector - it chose him. He is inspired by people that are truly self-sacrificial; people who aren't about the selfies or the virtue signalling, but who are actually doing work for the betterment of others.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- General Counsel of Te Rūnanga
Chris is the General Counsel of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Group and has been in that role for over 13 years. Chris started his legal career at a Christchurch law firm practicing in commercial and property law. He has worked in Dublin and London, including a 7-year stint as General Counsel of an international company with London headquarters.
Dave has spent over 20 years in accounting and is the founder of not one, but two, accounting firms - DJCA and Sidekick. He is a member of the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants. He is skilled at advising clients on strategy, planning, goal setting and implementing business structures. He has worked with clients throughout New Zealand and overseas, particularly the UK.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the NZ Institute of Directors
Glenn is a Presbyterian Minister, as well as a former long-standing Christchurch City Councillor, representing Christchurch for 9 years during the best and worst of times. Post-quake, Glenn promoted the concept of an independent Earthquake Tribunal through the City Council, which has since been established by the government.
Glenn is a member of the NZ Institute of Directors and has experience on both commercial and philanthropic boards.
Howie works as General Manager - Commercial and Marketing for mutually owned banking institution Nelson Building Society (NBS). He has over 30 years' experience in the finance industry and currently oversees the larger debt and investment clients for NBS, along with sponsorship and communication responsibilities. Before moving to the Nelson region, Howie lived in Melbourne for 12 years, employed by ME Bank which is owned by a group of large industry based superannuation funds.
Job Titles:
- Māori Engagement Advisor
- Māori Engagement Advisor / He Kōrero an
John represents the Nelson region on the Board of Trustees. He works as an accountant in Motueka and is involved with a wide range of community groups in the region.
John is passionate about the environment and strives to improve the region's flora and fauna by supporting environmentally-focused organisations.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Senior Governance Adviser With the Institute of Directors' Governance Leadership Centre
Judene is a Senior Governance Adviser with the Institute of Directors' Governance Leadership Centre.
She has run her own consultancy for over 20 years specialising in governance, policy, fundraising and communications working across a wide range of sectors, including housing, health, sport, infrastructure and economic development.
Her governance experience includes being Deputy Mayor of Nelson City Council, director of Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology Ltd, a three-term Tasman District Councillor, a director of Nelson Airport Ltd and a trustee of Network Tasman Trust.
Job Titles:
- Head of Community Investment
Kate hails from Devon in the UK but feels she's found her spiritual home in her adopted New Zealand. Cultural pursuits are important to Kate - and as a linguist she is on a cultural journey to improve her understanding of Te Reo and Aoteaora's rich bi-cultural heritage through her work at Rātā as Head of Community Investment. Her love of singing is legendary in the office and she often leads the team in our Waiata.
Kate has a strong background in grassroots community philanthropy, as well as, strategic funding and is passionate about enabling people and whānau in their pursuit to affect inter-generational social change.
Leighton loves connecting with people, having fun and forming great relationships. Sport combines his love of teamwork and community participation. You will either find him on a football or rugby field most weekends - giving it his all! He spends much of his spare time hanging out with his children, who he credits for keeping him young. A hero of his is author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek - his ‘every day is an opportunity to inspire someone' ethos really resonates for Leighton.
Leighton is driven by his desire to support people to do great work, and inspire them to reach their potential. He believes Rātā Foundation is perfectly placed to support and enable communities and people to achieve inter-generational change through supporting great causes. He's proud to serve in a role which demonstrates transformation through Rātā's community investment programme.
Job Titles:
- Team Leader - Responsive Programmes
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Advisor
Michael is a partner in Christchurch-based law firm Corcoran French. Michael started his legal career at another Christchurch law firm practicing litigation with an insurance law focus following the Christchurch earthquakes. His area of law practice now includes general practice, commercial and business law, subdivisions, and property law.
He has previous experience on Boards and has put his love of rugby to good use a prior Chair of the Ellesmere Rugby Judiciary.
Do you know anyone who can shoot an English longbow? Well, now you do! Nicola met her husband while shooting the longbow. When she's not in the office, Nicola likes to spend time with her family, watch her collection of Bollywood films, read, and make bread and pasta from scratch.
Nicola joined the Rātā whānau because she likes working in an environment where the purpose is to benefit the community, and improve the lives and experiences of society.
Philippa has lived and worked in the Marlborough community since the mid 1990's. In that time the region has seen tremendous growth and the opportunities to participate in the community have been plentiful. She has been actively involved in a range of health, social, sporting and arts organisations in both paid and voluntary capacities.
Job Titles:
- Office Administrator
- Office Administrator / He Kōrero an
Rachael was drawn to Rātā as she was looking for a role with heart and purpose; where she could play a small part in helping the team achieve amazing feats in the communities we serve.
She says Rātā genuinely encourages staff to be themselves (her passion for bold statement earrings is a prime example!) and she loves stepping into the team environment each day.
Away from work, Rachael volunteers with the Christchurch Aunties as a delivery driver, supporting women and children affected by family violence.
She enjoys spending time with her boys, whether it's a quick camping trip or a meal together, and loves to escape into nature to recharge. A long walk in the hills above Tai Tapu, or being on or near the ocean, helps to clear her mind.
It's because of this that Rachael is also passionate about helping children to have opportunities to be involved in sport as a means of enjoying being outdoors, exercising and connecting.
Job Titles:
- People and Operations Manager
If you ever pop ‘Dancing Queen' or ‘Mama Mia' on the speakers, you won't be able to stop Sandy from singing along - she says she'll never, ever stop being an ABBA fan! Sandy is an avid walker, and likes taking in everything Mother Nature has to offer. She loves spending quality time with her family and friends, having a good laugh, and travelling to far-flung places.
Sandy is inspired by selfless acts of kindness, and is in awe of all the unsung heroes in our community who work tirelessly to help those less fortunate. She feels privileged to work for an organisation that supports and helps communities like Rātā Foundation does.
Sharon has a professional Doctorate in Indigenous Development and Advancement, alongside her First-Class Honours in Masters (Hons) in Māori Studies from Te Whare Wananga O Awanuiārangi and a Masters in Education from Victoria University. In 2018 she joined the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for her services to education and Māori. Sharon has been a Director of Blenheim-based Koru Institute Training and Education for nearly twenty years.
Job Titles:
- Cultural and Community Relationships Team Leader
Job Titles:
- Grants Advisor
- Grants Advisor / He Kōrero an
Job Titles:
- Strategic Communications Manager
Tanya loves hanging out anywhere that has water - particularly close to her heart is Blackwood Bay in the beautiful Queen Charlotte Sounds. She enjoys watching her children play sport and gets a kick out of them participating and enjoying what they do. JFK, Martin Luther King and Dorothy from Oz are heroes for her - because they weren't afraid to envision a better world!
Tanya relishes her role at Rātā for the bird's eye view it gives into the work being done by people every day for our communities. She likes being a storyteller, because behind every grant Rātā makes, there is a great story about participation, collaboration, connection and transformation waiting to be told.
Job Titles:
- Finance
- Investment Analyst
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Advisor