Julie Paterson and Pauline Harrison reappointed with three new Board members joining:
We are delighted to confirm the reappointment of Julie Paterson (pictured left) and Pauline Harrison (pictured right) to the board of Women in Sport Aotearoa (WISPA), along with the appointment of three new Board members.
Julie and Pauline are both original foundation Board Members and were required by Constitution to roll-off and re-stand for a further term. Both are exceptional contributors to WISPA. Julie originally co-founded the organisation in 2016 alongside Sarah Leberman MNZM, and continues today as co-chair. In 2019, Pauline was appointed chairperson of the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport and continues to deliver outstanding leadership as WISPA prepares to stage it in May 2022.
Erin Roxburgh-Makea (Ngāti Porou) has joined in the vacant Board position advertised and will have full voting rights. Erin has a fantastic background as an athlete and also extensive experience in governance and policy. She is currently a second-year Ph.D student at Victoria University looking at Governance in Māori organisations. She brings with her exceptional cultural skills and networks.
Tim Corbett has also joined the Board with full voting rights. Tim was a stand-out applicant, so the constitutional option to appoint him as a full board member via a co-opted position was agreed. Tim has a strong experience in the social and commercial development of sport and in working with Māori organisations. The Board Appointments Panel was particularly struck by his ‘out of the box thinking’ around strategy. He is currently Head of Platforms at BrandWorld (Clemenger Group).
Finally, reflective of the high-calibre of applicants received, WISPA has also taken up the option to appoint Kelly Evans as a non-voting associate member. Kelly will be well-known to many in sport, as founder and Managing Director of Cultivate Group. She was the first New Zealand female accredited rugby agent and now manages a number of high-profile athletes. She also has a strong interest in helping communities under-represented in sport, particularly Māori, Pasifika and Muslim women.
Tim’s addition takes the WISPA Board to a total of nine positions (plus Kelly as an associate, making 10), three of which are now male, taking our gender quota up to 33%. WISPA continues to work toward its commitment to achieving 40% gender equity on its Board by the end of 2021, as required under Sport New Zealand guidelines.
Julie Paterson, co-chair, said: “First of all, I am delighted to have been reappointed to the Women in Sport Aotearoa board, alongside Pauline Harrison. We’ve both been there from the very beginning and are more committed today than ever to ensuring that women and girls receive equity of opportunity to participate, compete and build careers and play, active recreation and sport.
It is going to be an exciting but challenging few years ahead. The 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport is just over the horizon in May 2022, and we are continuing to navigate the impacts of COVID-19 on both our organisation and on the opportunities available for women and girls in sport and active recreation. Therefore, having Erin, Tim and Kelly join us right now is fantastic timing and I am sure they will add significantly to the way we are bringing our vision for equity into reality.”
The full membership of the WISPA Board is now:
- Julie Paterson (co-chair)
- Sarah Leberman MNZM (co-chair)
- Louisa Wall MP
- Pauline Harrison
- James Gibson
- Nicki Nicol
- Martin Snedden CNZM
- Erin Roxburgh-Makea
- Tim Corbett
- Kelly Evans
Click here to find out more about all WISPA Board Members.
===
Meet our new Board Members:
Erin Roxburgh-Makea
Ph.D Student, Victoria University
Board Member, Oceania Handball Federation
Head of Competitions, Oceania Handball Federation
Recent Board Member, NZ Handball Federation
(full voting member)
–
Erin (Ngāti Porou) is currently in her second year of a scholarship at Victoria University, undertaking a Ph.D looking at Governance in Māori organisations. Prior to this, she has worked as a Policy Analyst at the Ministry of Education; Business Development Manager at Wellington Sports Medicine and Willis Street Physiotherapy; and as a summer intern and Research Analyst at the New Zealand Treasury. She recently finished a four-year term 2016 – 2020 on the board of the New Zealand Handball Federation (NZHF) with a volunteer operational role managing social media for two years before taking over as head of New Zealand Beach Handball. She has now stepped up onto the board of the Oceania Handball Federation and has taken a volunteer operational role as Head of Competitions. Prior to these roles she was also a member of the Wellington Handball Committee, and the “Team Vic” Netball Committee. Erin is a very committed and passionate volunteer, as demonstrated by her receipt of a Victoria Plus Leadership award from Victoria University for services to the community. She is a keen sportswoman and is currently Captain of the NZ Women’s Beach Handball Team, a member of the NZ Women’s Handball Team and also plays premiership Netball in Wellington.
Tim Corbett
Head of Platforms, BrandWorld (Clemenger Group)
(full voting member)
–
Tim is a highly experienced and passionate professional with a diverse and rich background in creating impact and change on a neighbourhood, national and international level. He has a strong background and experience in both the social and commercial development of sport. He is able to work ‘end to end’ from strategy to execution with a skill set that reaches from digital to innovation to leadership with a strong focus on engagement and customer experience. Prior to his current role, Tim held a wide and varied set of positions in conservation, healthcare and education regularly working closely with and learning from, Maori organisations. When asked, Tim describes himself as “a holistic ‘3D thinker’ comfortable working across cultures, industry sectors and from community level across to Board level”.
Kelly Evans
Managing Director, Cultivate Group
NZ Rugby Players Association Accredited Rugby Agent
(non-voting associate member)
–
Kelly founded Cultivate Group in 2012. Since then, she has been working to drive positive change around the way women in sport are valued and visible. Kelly was the first New Zealand female accredited rugby agent and manages advocacy and welfare; contract negotiation; commercial partnerships; strategic career planning; and more for the athletes on her roster. After years navigating the challenges and perceptions that come with working in a male dominated industry, she is now a passionate advocate for the equal rights of women when it comes to participating, competing or building careers in sport and recreation. She also has a strong interest in helping communities under-represented in sport, particularly Māori, Pasifika and Muslim women. Prior to Cultivate, she was High Performance Manager at Massey University.
