Pete Chandler (Chair)
Pete has worked in healthcare for nearly 40 years in both the UK and New Zealand. After 12 years of frontline clinical work as an operating theatre practitioner Pete moved into clinical leadership and then took on a variety of executive roles within the NHS and private healthcare sector in the UK. With a career focus on healthcare development and improvement Pete has been involved in major hospital rebuilds, developing quality systems, organisational culture development and performance efficiency improvements.
After moving to New Zealand in 2011, Pete was the Chief Operating Officer at several District Health Boards before being appointed as Chief Executive of the Bay of Plenty DHB with a focus on societal and life course wellbeing. Pete has worked to build cross sector relationships to develop new approaches to wellbeing with a strong focus on child wellbeing and the importance of giving our children the best start we possibly can as a key to their future life wellbeing.
Michelle Crook (Secretary)
Michelle has been actively involved in Foundation matters since she was asked in November 2022 to help secure the additional funds required for Te Waka Aorangi (the Children's Wellbeing Centre) to be completed as a single stage project. By working on this project and securing $1m in funding from the Wright Family Foundation, Michelle had the opportunity to work alongside philanthropists and senior health officials, and so she learned of the gap that can exist between best-practice healthcare projects/outcomes and government funding.
Michelle has long been driven by a desire to see community's pull together for the greater good. She believes that the Foundation provides a wonderful conduit for those who want to fund health projects (to be able to contribute), and those who have experienced great healthcare to 'give back' so that more can be done and achieved.
Michelle received a MNZM in 2021 for services to the community.
Garry Webber
The Western Bay of Plenty is facing challenging times meeting the health and well being needs of its people and I am privileged to be a Trustee on this Health Foundation which aims to fill the critical need of identifying and fumding the gaps in the Health arena.
Over the last 40 years I have gained real experience in the areas of Senior Executive Leadership and Governance through my roles as CEO of Alpine Dairy Products, GM of Milk Supply for Fonterra and Mayor of the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.
As a previous trustee of a national health foundation (Child Cancer), I have had a long term commitment to ensuring that all children and teenagers get every opportunity to be the best person they can be. The initial project of the Foundation is very much aligned with that aspiration.
Sarah Mitchell
Sarah L Mitchell BSc (Commendation), MappSci, PhD, DSA, FCSP
I qualified as a physiotherapist in 1988 from Queens College Glasgow. I then completed a Masters in Sports Science in 1994 and a PhD in 2002 from Glasgow University.
I worked in Scotland in clinical roles before moving to the Scottish Government where I worked for 12 years in various positions but latterly as the National Programme Director for the Allied Health Professions (AHPs) Active and Independent Living Programme (AILP). This Government policy and the previous National Delivery Plan were aspirational strategies aimed at transforming healthcare at a national level. In 2018 I was awarded a Fellowship from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy for my contribution to National Allied Health initiatives.
I moved to NZ in 2018 and in 2019 was appointed Executive Director Allied Health Scientific and Technical. From May 2023 until early 2024, I was the Acting Group Director of Operations at Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty, a role that I very much enjoyed.
I am passionate about promoting the significant impact that Allied Health can have on the health and wellbeing of the people who use our services.
Owen Wallace
A qualified accountant, Owen has a strong track record in corporate management - including finance, data & digital, performance measurement and risk management – within the New Zealand health system, including in publicly owned and funded healthcare organisations, public/private joint ventures, and charitable trusts.
After 35 years working for and within the New Zealand health system, the majority at executive and governance levels, Owen recently stepped away from full time work to spend more time on various personal projects. Despite that he remains passionate about the NZ healthcare sector and is acutely aware of the challenges the sector faces in delivering high quality care to its communities.
Constrained workforce and financial resources mean traditional care models and funding approaches cannot meet service demand. Innovative health care approaches and new funding resources are essential to building healthcare system success and meeting community need. That is what excites him about being involved with this foundation.
Parewhati Taikato
Profile to come.
