Our Strategy & Team

» Our Strategy & Team

Strategy

Based in Auckland’s North, Kaipātiki Project is an innovative EcoHub, growing a sustainable future for people and nature.

We do this by empowering people, inspiring connection with nature and enabling sustainable living.

Along with our regular volunteers, we run a thriving native plant nursery, facilitate forest, stream & estuary regeneration, and promote zero waste and local food initiatives.

2022 Kaipatiki Project Strategy wheel

Our Values
Manaakitanga
We seek to encourage and uplift all those we welcome and work with.
Whanaungatanga
We nurture relationships and reciprocal connections that build belonging to community and place.
Kaitiakitanga
We continue to develop shared caring for and responsibility to our local places.

Our Culture & Practice
• Honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• Embrace Te Ao Māori & Mātauranga Māori
• Seek authenticity of local place
• Act with transparency
• Lifelong learning for sustainability
• World-class thinking and delivery
• Drive systemic change
• Team and volunteers’ contribution valued & recognised

Our executive team is small in number but large in impact. View our Annual Report.

Board Members

Charmaine Bailie

Chairperson

Charmaine grew up near the Kaipātiki Project EcoHub and has been involved with the organisation since 2000. She is a Regenerative Ecologist, ethnobotanist, and Te Taiao Practitioner, and was named NZ Environmental Hero of the Year 2022. Charmaine is also Director of Uru Whakaaro and a Hauraki Gulf Forum Board Member, with a deep commitment to community and environmental restoration.

Cerasela Stancu

Deputy Chairperson

Cerasela joined the Board in October 2016. She has had senior roles in environmental NGOs in her native Romania and in Hungary. Here in New Zealand she has led sustainability management programmes at Fonterra and Landcare Research and is now a consultant sustainability strategist.

Nigel Green

Board Member

Nigel joined the Board in October 2018. He has worked as a Manager in the Social Profit sector since 1993. He has a broad experience in all aspects of management with a particular focus on developing and supporting community.

Jenny Chilcott

Board Member

Jenny has been on the Board since July 2016. Her background is in community engagement & development, and she also worked at Waitakere City Council as a Strategic Advisor on Project Twin Streams.

Hilary Chidlow

Board Member

Hilary joined the Board in October 2018. She has over 22 years’ experience as Manager Education for Sustainability at Auckland Council.

Ben Sheeran

Board Member

Ben is an experienced resource management policy planner, environmental economist and project manager. He brings over 15 years experience in the practical application of sustainability and is actively involved in local community conservation.

Illana Franklin

Board Secretary

Illana first joined as a volunteer in our teaching garden in 2024, soon after arriving from the UK. Her professional background is as a commercial lawyer for international organisations. Surrounded by the lush bush and gorgeous beaches, but aware of the threat of ecological deterioration and climate change, Illana is passionate about living a more sustainable life, more aligned with nature.

Our Team

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Teresa Kavanagh

Kaihautū | Chief Executive

Joining us in 2025, Teresa brings extensive experience across charitable trusts, private enterprises, tertiary education, and local government. Her leadership in operational resilience, digital transformation, and community engagement empowers sustainability projects. Beyond her professional achievements, Teresa loves spending time outdoors—walking, exploring, and relaxing in nature. Always eager to embrace new experiences Teresa brings an adventurous spirit to her work and life.

Contact Teresa here.

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Joanne Kyriazopoulos

Funding & Impact Lead

Joining the team in June 2019 Joanne is keen to identify, analyse and action opportunities for organisational growth, and communicate the positive impacts Kaipātiki Project’s activities deliver across the community. She enjoys applying creative thinking to the workplace and building strong partnerships between our organisation and our funders.

Contact Joanne here.

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Blanka Ros

Communications & Engagement Lead

Blanka joined the team in July 2019, and brings 20 years of marketing experience with several of New Zealand’s leading companies. As an enthusiastic brand champion, Blanka is responsible for brand and marketing strategy, and will continue to celebrate Kaipātiki Project through authentic stories of our achievements, vision and values.

Contact Blanka here.

Sarah Colin

Sarah Colin

Finance & Operations Lead

Passionate about soil health and food security, Sarah joined the team in September 2023 after 12 years of corporate career around data-informed decision making and finance. She looks forward to helping improve processes and contributing towards supercharging the team's impact.

Contact Sarah here.

Robyn Forryan

Robyn Forryan

Sustainable Living Lead & Para Kore Zero Waste Activator

Robyn is a North Shore local and is passionate about zero waste initiatives. In addition to being part of our team, Robyn also teaches business and project management at Te Wananga o Aotearoa based at the YMCA Akoranga and is a part-time info centre staffer for Kainga Ora’s Northcote information centre.

Contact Robyn here.

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Neil Henderson

Kaiwhakahaere Taiao | Restoration Activator

After working in restoration in the Waitakere Ranges and the Whau River Catchment for over a decade, Neil joined our team in November 2018. As project manager for Weed Free Trust, Neil developed many useful tools and educational materials to assist private property owners as well as volunteers working on public land.

Contact Neil here.

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Anna Shaw

Operations & Engagement Administrator

Anna worked as a volunteer in the Kaipātiki Project nursery for 18 months before joining the team in August 2017. Originally from Sweden, she has lived in Glenfield for the past 13 years with her Kiwi husband and two daughters. Anna manages a comprehensive Compost Collective digital platform to ensure our courses are well promoted and attended.

Contact Anna here.

Crystal KP team

Crystal Aston

Nursery Assistant

Previously one of our longest-serving and most treasured volunteers, Crystal is now on the payroll part-time, doing what she does best; tending to plant health in our Birkdale nursery, and assisting volunteers with disabilities to be part of the team.

Contact Crystal here.

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Judith Rosamund

Teaching Garden Coordinator

Judith has joined the team to coordinate and develop our teaching garden, as well as to establish a community composting hub at Hobsonville site. Judith also teaches a zero waste program in pre-schools and is passionate about getting people growing food in their backyards and communities, growing her own food forest in her backyard.

Contact Judith here.

Maria

Maria Valkova

Restoration Group Co-Ordinator

Maria joined the team in July 2021, following a stint in restoration volunteering. Maria has MsD in Ecology, and was doing research on dynamics of the karst cave geosystems in Bulgaria, her home country. Now her interest focuses in native New Zealand forest and riparian zones and their conservation.

Contact Maria here.

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Waiata Rameka-Tupe

Kaiāwhina ō Rongo Teaching Garden

Passionate about the wellbeing and protection of our people and Earth, and with 4 years in Para Kore and Zero Waste activation, Waiata worked alongside Auckland communities to reduce waste and inspire conscious connection with our environment from Te Ao Māori perspective. Waiata hopes to grow her knowledge in food gardens and to share and connect with our community and the Earth.

Contact Waiata here.

Dan de Klerk

Dan de Klerk

Digital Communications & Event Facilitator

Joining the team in 2021, Dan has spent the last 9 years practicing and teaching Permaculture. He is passionate about social and environmental transformation and is excited to be using his skills in communication to share the amazing stories of the Kaipatiki Project's impact.

Contact Dan here.

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Natahma Judd

EcoHub Co-Ordinator

Natahma is our Eco Hub Coordinator, as well as working on other sustainability projects. Natahma is passionate about protecting and regenerating our natural environment, working together as a community, and living sustainably.

Contact Natahma here.

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Nicola Guthrie

Regeneration Nursery Grower

Joining in March 2024, Nicola manages the nursery and works alongside many passionate volunteers. Her role is focused on growing strong native plants that help regenerate local areas. Nicola has a horticulture and permaculture background and is interested in biodynamics. She has been a Beach Haven local for many years enjoying the amazing environment that the Kaipātiki region has to offer.

Contact Nicola here.

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Erin Anderson Scott

Sustainable Living Facilitator

Joining us in 2024, Erin is passionate about sustainability, inclusivity and corporate social impact. She has extensive experience in community engagement and partnerships. Known as 'business-minded but community-hearted,' Erin excels at connecting people and organisations for meaningful change. A dedicated Kaipātiki local, she champions sustainability initiatives part-time while raising her twin boys.

Contact Erin here.

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Karla Macdonald

Kaitakawāenga Hāpori | Community Activator

Karla is passionate about community well-being, sustainability and connection. With a background in project coordination and communication, she thrives on creating opportunities that inspire people to come together and make a positive local impact. Guided by her whakapapa and grandparents' teachings, she embraces kaitiakitanga, self-sufficiency and reducing waste, promoting whānau sustainability and connection to the whenua for future generations.

Contact Karla here.