Trustees

Chair: Zoe Juniper

Zoe Juniper has lived in Upper Hutt with her family since immigrating to New Zealand in 2007.  Zoe is a talented crafter, working with wool fibres to make and promote wool fibre crafts in the Wellington region. As a member of the Upper Hutt Spinners and Weavers, Zoe is one of the organisers of the annual Capital FibreFest. Zoe works for the New Zealand Government as a professionally trained Emergency Manager and Geophysicist, with an MSc in Disaster, Risk & Resilience. Zoe brings a range of skills in governance, planning and risk management to support Whirinaki Whare Taonga.

Angele Toomey

Policy thought leader, diversity champion, evaluator, and poet - Angele Toomey joined the Board in July 2022. Angele is experienced in community-led design and people-centered design principles, as well as governance and strategy development. As a poet Angele performs regularly around the Wellington region and on Community Access Radio. Angele's first anthology of original work, Harbour, was published in May 2021.

Tim Thorpe

Tim Thorpe is currently the New Zealand manager for an Australian forestry company, the sector in which he originally trained. He has also worked in or consulted to the film, television and video games sectors over a number of years as well as in music and museums, including a range of government departments and industry associations. Tim is an amateur musician and a former committee member of the Upper Hutt Mainly Acoustic Music Club. He has lived in Upper Hutt for over 20 years.

Stephen Ward

Stephen is proven senior leader with extensive experience in leadership and management across both private and public sectors in New Zealand and the UK. He is currently the Head of Technology Workforce for BNZ, a role where he is passionate about workforce strategy, leadership practice, culture and engagement.

Stephen has had involvement in the arts for over 20 years, finding a passion in performing arts and musical theatre. Stephen has performed in a number of productions across both Dunedin and Wellington, and also contributed off-stage in various capacities, including serving as a board member.

Bringing a wealth of experience in leadership, governance, and strategy, Stephen is pleased to be able to share this with Whirinaki Whare Taonga and make a contribution to the future of arts and culture in Upper Hutt.

Alicia Rosevear

Alicia is currently working as a senior legal counsel for Meridian Energy, providing advice on corporate and commercial issues and navigating the regulatory and governance landscape. She has previously worked in private practice law firms focusing on financial markets and commercial transactions. Alicia is involved in numerous community groups providing governance and strategy support, or as an active participant. She lives in Upper Hutt with her family and is pleased to bring together her passion for the arts and professional experience. 

Emma Chatterton

Emma Chatterton has lived in Avalon with her husband and four children for the last five years. She is the Strategic Project Lead for ImpactLab, a Wellington-based company that helps to make investment work for communities. Emma is also an Advisory Board member for Women of Worth charity in Lower Hutt.

To the board of Whirinaki, Emma brings the experience of being a professional musician as a pianist and trained teacher; her knowledge of the charitable and philanthropic sector, strategic planning and public relations; and an understanding of business fundamentals. She holds a Master of Arts (Music) from the University of Cambridge (UK), a BA(Hons) in English Literature from Victoria University (Wellington), PGCE in Secondary Teaching from Buckingham University (UK), and CORe qualification in Economics, Business Analytics and Financial Accounting from Harvard Business School Online (USA). Emma is a strong advocate of arts education and has facilitated workshops for Music Education New Zealand (MENZA) as well as regularly volunteering in her children’s schools and ECE centres as a specialist music teacher.

Tania Jones

Born and raised in Whangarei, married to an RNZAF Officer, Tania moved to Upper Hutt with her family in 2015, after postings in Auckland, Christchurch and Blenheim. She has an employment background in Tertiary education, learning technologies, project management, and economic and community development. Now a leadership and development Coach with her own practice, Tania’s belief in the power and potential of young leaders guides her approach to mentorship and coaching. Currently on sabbatical undertaking Doctoral research with the School of Management at Victoria University of Wellington, Tania is researching volunteer involvement and inclusion.

A committed volunteer through a variety of formal and informal service to her communities, Tania has over 20 years of not-for-profit governance experience spanning a variety of organisations, across local, regional and national levels including being the Founding Chair of Youth Arts New Zealand and a previous Chair of Volunteering New Zealand. Tania is a champion of values-based leadership and an advocate for community-led development across education, business, and non-profit sectors.

Advisory Trustee: Hine Poa

Hine Poa is Orongomai Marae’s representative on the Board of Whirinaki. Hine Poa is of Tūhoe and Ngāti Kahungunu descent and is part of the Kaumatua group at Orongamai Marae. Hine was a founding member of the renowned Kapa Haka group Māwai Hakona and has been institutional in teaching many children throughout the region in te reo and Kapa Haka. She was involved in the Māori Women’s Welfare League and Rimutaka Prison for many years and brings to Whirinaki support and advice in Tikanga Maori and Kaupapa Maori.

Pumpkin Cottage Advisory Trustee: Suzanne Beere

Suzanne Bere is an art consultant with over 25 years’ experience in the art industry. She is the previous owner of Ngaio Fine Arts and has vast experience and knowledge of the Pumpkin Cottage Collection.  Suzanne and her father, Max Beer, bought the Lewis-Paape Gallery in Lower Hutt in the early 1980s, developing it into a reputable quality art gallery representing many of New Zealand’s best traditional and impressionist artists. They specialised in early investment work with clients throughout New Zealand. Suzanne supports Whirinaki with advice and assessment of gifts and bequests of artwork to the Pumpkin Cottage Collection.

Music Advisory Trustee: Sian Williamson

Originally Sian was a Pharmacist in the UK and arrived in New Zealand in 1975 with her husband and three children. Since then, she has been a music teacher in Upper Hutt, teaching piano privately and in schools and colleges and was also involved in church music. For many years, Sian has served the Institute of Registered Music Teachers at local and national level. She organised several national music teacher conferences, engaging internationally acclaimed musicians as presenters. Sian brings a lifetime of experience and contacts throughout New Zealand and beyond to the role of advisor for the Classical Expressions series.