Our Team
Our Board Members and Staff
Board Members
The governing Board of Tūao Aotearoa Volunteering New Zealand
Carolyn manages her own financial advice business. She has been a volunteer with Coastguard Canterbury for ten years, as a rescue vessel crew and welfare officer. She is currently on the Board of Coastguard New Zealand and has championed the development of its volunteer strategy. Carolyn is of Tongan descent.
Ethan has whakapapa to Niue, Tonga and Denmark. Currently a Kaiārahi – Family Court Navigator for the Ministry of Justice and a Youthline training Facilitator. He is passionate about supporting our Rangatahi, normalising speaking up, reaching out and asking for help. Ethan is a trustee of Henderson Budget services and is a member of the Youth Advisory Committee for Youthline.
He says, “Volunteering is important for the sustainability of our community and it is vital that we continue to improve volunteering to keep it going. It is important that we look after our volunteers as they are the backbone of helpline organisation.
“My time spent volunteering at Youthline has been so valuable to myself, the organisation, and the people that we serve. I have a particular interest in our Rangatahi Māori and Pasifika as they have more barriers when it comes to volunteering.”
Francois is a Chartered Accountant with post-qualification experience across a variety of sectors in Te Tauihu (Northern South Island).
He is Chairperson of Life Education Trust Marlborough, and was Treasurer of the Rotary Club of Whakatū. He has volunteered through sports coaching, fundraising, mentoring and governance.
He is passionate about seeing local organisations meeting local needs, and is excited about the work Volunteering New Zealand does to drive outcomes for our volunteers across the motu.
Glenda is the Outreach Manager at Volunteering Canterbury. She attended the 2017 IAVE Asia Pacific Regional Conference, and the 2022 IAVE World Conference.
She is a member of the COGS Christchurch/ Banks Peninsula local distribution committee, chair of the Christchurch Community House Trust, co-Chair of Hear This Education and a member of the Christchurch City Council Accessibility Advisory Group.
Glenda has held volunteer roles in Christchurch, and also in Laos and Bangladesh.
Leon works for IHC NZ in volunteer management. He has professional qualifications in accountancy and tax law and has worked in these fields both in New Zealand and overseas for 20 years.
He has experience in governance specifically in the not-for-profit sector: as a trustee of Community Trust South, treasurer of Invercargill Public Art Gallery, and Chair of Greenlight Innovations, a Southland based community connections charity.
He says, “I am passionate about making volunteering a wonderful opportunity for growth. I consider it paramount that volunteers and those who work in the sector are supported and recognised for their work.
“I understand the challenges that not-for-profit organisations face and believe that organisations such as Volunteering New Zealand have a key role in empowering our sector with resources and expertise.”
Melanie has experience in a wide range of public policy, operational policy and regulatory environments. Prior to her career as a public sector manager, she practiced as a lawyer for 15 years in New Zealand and the UK.
Her governance experience includes chairing a national education provider for gifted children (NZCGE) and sitting on the Board responsible for all property for two Wellington schools (St Marys College, and St Catherine’s College in Wellington). In October 2021 Melanie was named an ‘Emerging Director’ by the Superdiversity Institute.
She says, “I believe that volunteering is a life affirming practice that is a foundation of wellbeing for communities. All of my governance experience has been as a volunteer and I have volunteered throughout my whole career, starting as a student representative at University.
Misty is a personal growth coach and co-owns a coworking space in Mangawhai, Northland. Having spent most of her time living in rural and small towns throughout New Zealand and growing up with the values and aspirations passed down from Tūhoe tīpuna, she knows the value that volunteering brings to the communities and people involved.
She is passionate about the kaupapa of Volunteering New Zealand. She is excited for the opportunity to help develop the practical application of te ao Māori to enhance the overall goals and mission of VNZ. Her background is in business and marketing, and she is currently studying towards a masters in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Nate works as a Fundraising Specialist for Hato Hone St John, while pursuing postgraduate study in Māori Studies and Strategic Communication.
He has experience in governance at Hato Hone St John, on governance committees including the Nominations & Appointments Panel and the Volunteering Advisory Group. He has also represented Aotearoa New Zealand on the St John International Youth Advisory Network.
Nate is on the governance group for Auckland Council’s Hauora Network, and dedicates his time to volunteering in community engagement and youth programmes throughout the community. Volunteering from a young age has most importantly instilled in him an unbridled passion for hauora and community.
“He aha te take nui i roto i tō tātou mahi aroha?”, Nate says, “koia ko te mahi tahi tātou mō whai ana i te pikinga o te ora i roto i ngā hāpori, mai Aotearoa ki te ao”; we volunteer together to make life-changing differences—impact that is felt in communities around Aotearoa and the world.
Staff members
People who bring our purpose to life
Evelyn Tobin is Volunteering New Zealand’s Kaitiaki. She is a registered teacher with a current full (Pūmau) practising certificate who consults as an accredited provider and facilitator of professional learning development and training support for teachers, principals, boards of trustees, and community groups.
She is a pioneer of kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa Māori, and Aotearoa Māori Netball Healthy Lifestyles initiatives and has educational expertise and networks in te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori particularly in Māori medium education. She has long term associations in the nation’s repositories of the National Library, Archives NZ and Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Evelyn is a creative, critical thinker and bilingual communicator who has extensive experiences and service on national governance boards, advisory, and ministerial groups.
Heidi has worked in the voluntary sector for 15+ years, holding national volunteer manager roles across government and NGO’s. At Volunteering New Zealand she runs multiple projects, including our annual national mentoring programme and organising our national conference.
Heidi is passionate and driven about the voluntary sector, and is happy to share her experience with others, be that as a keynote at an event, running a workshop or a coffee catchup! She is also an avid volunteer in her community.
Johann is Director of Research at Volunteering New Zealand, leading the organisation’s research agenda.
Johann is an award-winning academic and community leader, bringing expertise in humanities and social science research alongside translational research that links
academia with policy. Johann has over a decade of experience in the community/ voluntary sector and has been the principal researcher and author of several flagship VNZ publications, including the industry-leading State of Volunteering reports (2020, 2022, 2024) and the MBIE-funded Recent Migrant Volunteering Strategy.
Johann completed his PhD (DPhil) in political philosophy at the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He also holds a BA (Philosophy and Politics)
and BHSc (Population Health) from the University of Auckland, and an MPhil (Political Theory) with Distinction from the University of Oxford. Alongside his work for Volunteering New Zealand, Johann is a full-time academic in the United Kingdom, holding an appointment as a Lecturer/ Assistant Professor.
Margaret has over 20 years’ experience in marketing and communications with local and central government and not-for-profit organisations. She’s a volunteer matchmaker with the Community Comms Collective.
Margaret oversees our communications strategy and much of the regular communication with our audiences, including newsletters, social media, and media liaison. She is passionate about using her communication skills to support volunteering and further the goals of Volunteering New Zealand.
A successful and experienced leader in people and organisational management, Michelle leads the staff and volunteers at Volunteering New Zealand to achieve its purpose, uphold its values, and advance its strategic priorities.
Building strong relationships and fostering collaboration are central to Michelle’s leadership, alongside ensuring the right resources are in place to support Volunteering New Zealand’s national work and its members. Under her leadership, the organisation has successfully expanded the delivery of accessible capability development for volunteer managers, amplified the voices of volunteers, and advocated for greater recognition of volunteers and volunteering.
Michelle’s background includes governance, marketing and communications for a social enterprise, legal publishing, and public sector experience in both New Zealand and the UK. She loves volunteering when she has time and serves as a trustee for Bellyful New Zealand.
Nicola brings over 20 years of experience in administration and project work to her role as Operations Coordinator at Volunteering New Zealand.
Her volunteering includes supporting her childrens’ schools and sports clubs.
Taylor is the web developer for VNZ. Taylor is a professional freelancer with a degree in Computer Science.
Taylor’s website: www.taylorhamling.com