Incorporated under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957 there are four Trustees given the responsibility of governing the trust and ensuring its purpose and principles are attained.
We believe in and encourage the philosophy “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime (Maimonides, Ancient Jewish Philosopher). Therefore, we advocate the approach of a “Hand Up NOT A Hand Out”
Sharon Clair – Chairperson
As Chairperson, Sharon brings a wealth of community, governance, and service delivery experience – Steering Committee Member, Every Child Counts; Co-Chair Make Poverty History; Policy Analyst; Child Counselling; Life Coach and Case Management.
Her focus is to lead the development of our service delivery model wrapping around and supporting children, youth and families who are trapped by abuse.
Moana Cooper – Trustee
As a Trustee, Moana brings a wealth of business and commercial experience – successful entrepreneur, executive management and business owner; current Board Member, Treaty Negotiator and CEO for Rongomai Wahine Iwi.
His focus is to provide due diligence and oversight on all aspects of our operations.
Hopepa Cooper – Trustee
As a Trustee, Hohepa brings a wealth of community, education and training experience – PTE and training industry sector expertise; current teacher and Marae Chairperson.
His focus is to provide due diligence and oversight on all aspects of our operations
Nic Rees- Trustee
Nic is the youngest person in our organisation, who currently works in the community as a programme coordinator for children and young people. Her strengths in connecting with and building relationships across the community bring added value and knowledge to Hands Up.
Rhoda Johnston- Trustee
Rhoda is our newest trustee who has come on board as our Financial Administrator. Rhoda comes from a Nursing background and offers us her expertise in administration, management, project management, HR and has been an advocate for Social Justice for many years that involved representing and negotiating for womens working rights. Rhoda has years of experience in Māori governance and is a grandmother raising her grandchild and knows first hand how to help families in need.
