Team at Volunteering NZ

Michelle brings a valuable mix of management and leadership skills, and the ability to work collaboratively and innovatively. She is well known and respected within the sector and is passionate about increasing recognition for the value and impact of volunteering. Michelle has a background in communications, marketing and community engagement, and volunteer leadership. She has previously worked for a social enterprise, in the public sector and within the publishing and training industries and holds several governance leadership roles in the community sector.

Sarah leads the creation, organisation, and implementation of marketing and membership services and management of the membership journey with Volunteering New Zealand. Key projects include: national campaigns, Pivot conference, annual report, webinars, blogs and newsletters. Sarah has extensive volunteering experience and knowledge of the sector – so this role is a perfect fit! Sarah currently volunteers as a Trustee for Joy for Generations, a photographer for The Good Registry, and a Job Mentor for the Job Seekers Network at English Language Partners Wellington. Sarah has a Diploma in Marketing and a Bachelor of Design with Honours.  

Karishma supports Michelle in various project, financial and admin tasks at VNZ. She has been involved in a few volunteering roles and is excited to be working in an organisation that encourages volunteering. Karishma has a Bachelor of Commerce & Administration majoring in Marketing and Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology. 

Taylor is the web developer for VNZ working on the VNZ website, InvolveMe, Student Volunteer Week, National Volunteer Week, the annual VNZ conference and many more projects. Taylor is a professional freelancer with a degree in Computer Science. Taylor’s website: www.taylorhamling.com

Ross completed a Masters in Experience and Service Design culminating in his ground breaking research Civic Circles. Ross specialises in youth engagement with Non-profit organisations. When Ross is not thinking of ways Volunteer organisations can engage more people in volunteering in their communities, he is volunteering his skills in community projects such as the Youth Aotea-Reo Project – developing an app for New Zealand youth which aims to provide youth support services in a more convenient way. Ross is also the President of the Multicultural New Zealand Youth Council. He also works as a consultant Service Designer in the LabPlus team in the All of Government Service Innovation Lab.

Lauren is helping the team with communications material for National Volunteer Week 2019. She has a background in journalism, and has also worked in government and non-profit organisations. She is excited to help share the stories of volunteers working in communities across New Zealand.

Marcelo is an experienced ICT professional with focus on Business Analysis. He brings knowledge of digital transformation projects across complex enterprise environments. Whenever possible, he enjoys spending time with friends, and barbecuing on weekends.

Johann leads VNZ’s work on research-informed advocacy and the development of strategies for an inclusive, ethical and impactful sector. Johann brings expertise in humanities and social science research, strategy development, and translational research that links academia with policy. Johann has over a decade of experience in the community/voluntary sector, and previously led the development of VNZ’s recent migrant volunteering strategy. Johann is passionate about harnessing the power of volunteering to achieve social justice.

Johann is a Rhodes Scholar and postgraduate student at the University of Oxford. He currently holds a B.A. (Philosophy and Politics) and B.HSc (Public Health).

Erina Papp is an experienced organisational development and HR professional with a focus on engaging others to achieve results and turn vision into reality. She brings a unique mix of in-depth HR and senior management experience, coaching, counselling and community development expertise enable her to work with people to address both business and interpersonal challenges.

Anusha is the Senior Test Analyst for VNZ working on the InvolveMe and LeadMe tools. Her recommendations, in collaboration with the VNZ team, bring together more robust products and processes. Anusha completed her masters, majoring in Human Resource Management with a research merit and she holds a B.Sc in Information Technology.