Our board and patron

Katherine is a union organiser with Equity NZ, the performers union.

She has worked in academia, the arts, corporate and not-for-profit environments. She is an experienced trainer, knowledge management practitioner, activist and taxi driver of teenagers. Social justice and intersectional feminism are key areas of interest and action.

Olivia McGann is a Chartered Accountant who currently works as the Commercial Operations Manager (NZ) for Xero. Studying and working primarily in the finance industry she became aware of how important it is for women to feel and be empowered in all aspects of their lives.

She brings her finance, operational execution and strategy skills to the team along with a passion for learning and development.

Tēnā koutou katoa

He uri tēnei mai te Moana Nui a Kiwa

Ki te taha o tōku matua, no Pawarenga, no Ngawha, no Tauranga Moana

Ko Te Rarawa, ko Ngāpuhi, ko Ngāi Te Rangi ōku iwi

Ko Te Uri o Tai, ko Ngāti Rangi, ko Ngāti Makamaka ōku hapū

Ki te taha o tōku māmā, no Rarotonga, no Tahiti hoki

Ko Tupapa, ko Ngatangiia ōku hapū

Ko Juressa Lee ahau. Kia ora mai tātou!

Currently I am working as the plastics campaigner at Greenpeace Aotearoa. I have done a bunch of different things along the way including various roles in academia from business analysis to pastoral care for international scholarship students from developing countries. Project procurement and commercial administration in construction and engineering consultancies. In my spare time I try to help out with the rūmaki reo we’ve been fortunate to be part of, all hands on deck! Keen to see how to make all of this useful for AWC!

I love being more active and dedicated to protecting our planet and all the life it sustains. Am on the everlasting journey of decolonisation. As a mum and nan to brown skinned, Polynesian tamariki everything I do – work, voluntary, grassroots, etc – is with them in mind and what they will have to live with. I love the sentiment of being a better ancestor. As tangata whenua and tangata moana, it would be my pleasure and joy to bring my perspective to the table, joining courageous feminists committed to justice, equity and wellness for wāhine and non-binary, genderqueer people. Ngā mihi nui!

Mabuhay & kia ora koutou. Ko Liv tōku ingoa. I have a deep passion for activism and advocacy for progressive and feminist social movements, particularly in the field of international human rights, gender and LGBTQI+ equity, and migrant support.

I am a first-and-a-half generation migrant from the Philippines. My family moved to New Zealand in the year 2000 when I was nine years old from Manila. Through decades of my lived-experience as a kid growing up in a brand new country and adapting to a new culture, I have gained the resilience to overcome discrimination and systemic hurdles, and am driven to challenge antiquated patriarchal views in today’s political climate – which is holistically intertwined with my identity as an Asian woman.

My professional background is in the public venues and creative arts sector as administrative support, and it is an honour offer my expertise in the field to contribute to the development of Auckland Women’s Centre, so that it can continue to champion for a better quality of life for wāhine in Tāmaki Makaurau.

I have been involved with social research doing evaluation, review and auditing for my entire professional career. Much of it has been in the mental health, education and health sectors.

I’m deeply committed to women’s issues and have always wanted to serve the Auckland Women’s Centre as a volunteer. I have been helping set up evaluation systems here since 2019 and have been greatly impressed by the staff and the outcomes resulting from their work. This has increased my enthusiasm for being involved.

I decided to join the board after being retired from paid work for a year and am honoured to have been elected.

Jess is a fierce advocate for performers rights and women’s rights. She has been a member of MEAA/Actors Equity in Australia since 2002 and was elected to the National Performers Committee and the Independent Theatre Committee in 2017 where she served until her permanent move to NZ. Jess is now a proud and active member of Equity NZ.

Jess graduated from the University of Queensland with BA/LLB. She was on the Dean’s List for her academic achievements throughout her law degree, was a Peer Mentor at the Law School for incoming students and was also elected Vice-President of the UQ Law Society.

Since graduating from Law School and leaving the law as a profession, Jess has continued to take an active role in advocating for many and varied aspects of social justice and activism, participating in protests for such varied causes as Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 2017, The Rainbow Walk to support LGBTQ rights in Australia in 2017, Black Lives Matter in July 2020 and Support for Abortion Rights in the US in 2022.

Kia ora I’m Izzy (she/her), I’m a Pākehā person from Tāmaki Makaurau.

I’m a Project Manager at Women’s Health Action, a social change organisation working to improve the health and wellbeing of women and whānau. Utilising my sociological background, critical thinking/intersectionality, and commitment to upholding Te Tiriti, I am a staunch advocate for the rights and equity of women, Māori, and rainbow communities.

I have worked on major projects that prioritise the voices and experiences of consumers of health care services, for breastfeeding, body image, and reproductive rights/screening. I also run events (the Big Latch On), oversee website builds (findyourbreastfeedingsupport.org.nz) and write submissions.

 

For 4 years I worked at Life101 and Momentum Charitable Trust. Here I led the development of a mentor programme to support people leaving prison, alongside writing funding applications, online learning programmes, and websites. Additionally, I volunteer for People Against Prisons Aotearoa and help to run their annual Holiday Card Drive.

 

My professional roles have allowed me to express and explore my personal commitment to social justice, prison abolition, and health care reform.

Professor Judy McGregor, CNZM, was New Zealand’s first Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner  with the New Zealand Human Rights Commission between 2002-2010 and during that period published the “Caring Counts” report of employment in the aged care sector which was the catalyst for successful equal pay legislation. She was appointed Chair of the Waitematā District Health Board in June 2018., served as Head of the School of Social Sciences and Public Policy at Auckland University of Technology, has a doctorate in political communication, and is a trained lawyer and former newspaper editor. She has published eight books and hundreds of refereed journal articles relating to the media, gender equality, the employment and care of older people, and a range of human rights issues.