Joanna Pidgeon, Chair

LLB (Hons)
Joanna is a lawyer and the founding partner of Pidgeon Judd, a boutique property and commercial law firm. She has a particular interest in property matters, sitting on the New Zealand Law Society Land Titles Committee, Auckland District Law Society Property Law Committee and formerly chairing the Auckland District Law Society Inc Property Disputes Committee.

Gavin Rennie

Gavin has been a Lecturer in the Department of Social Practice at Unitec since 1991. He has a long-standing interest in church social services, social justice and housing issues.

Linley Wood

MBA (Finance), BA (History)
Linley is an experienced independent director and trustee with strong legal and financial expertise. Having worked in the financial services industry at executive level for 25 years, she has accumulated wide-ranging leadership experience across strategy, legal and regulatory compliance, people and culture, communications, community partnerships and support, and end-to-end customer experience.

Linley has been involved in a number of building projects and she is passionate about our important HomeGround building programme and the transformation of organisational culture and ways of working resulting from this community development.
Linley is currently a director of the Bank of New Zealand, and a Trustee of the Melanesian Mission Trust, King’s School and the Auckland City Mission Foundation.

Dr Lyndon Drake

BSc (Hons, Computer Science), DPhil (Computer Science), BA (Hons, Theology), MSt (Theology)
The Ven Dr Lyndon is the Archdeacon of Tāmaki Makaurau (Te Pīhopatanga o Te Tai Tokerau) where he oversees the Māori Anglican churches of Auckland. He is of Ngāi Tahu descent.

Lyndon is a former Vice President of Barclays Capital in London, with a broad knowledge of capital markets and specialist expertise in derivatives. He has a long-standing history of involvement in the community and programmes addressing the hardships of poverty.
Lyndon chairs a number of other trust boards, including Te Whare Ruruhau o Meri, the Venn Foundation, and Te Kaunihera (St John’s College).

Evan Davies

Evan is the Managing Director of Todd Property Group Limited, Director of Panuku development Auckland, Chair of the Capital Investment Committee and Chair of the Christchurch Hospital Redevelopment Partnership Group.

Previously, he was Managing Director of SkyCity Entertainment Group and General Manager of Brierley Properties.

He is the Chair of the Tāmaki Regeneration Company Limited and holds a number of other governance roles in both the public and private sector.

Graeme Birkhead

Graeme has more than 30 years’ experience in the building sector. He is a Director of Graeme Birkhead Consulting and has considerable governance experience.

He is National President of the New Zealand Institute of Building, a board member of the Property Council of New Zealand’s Auckland Branch and an advisory board member of the Auckland Council Urban Design panel. During his career Graeme has led major projects including large-scale housing developments, business parks, manufacturing facilities, infrastructure works and public sector facilities.

Dr Elana Taipapaki Curtis

Dr Elana Taipapaki Curtis (Ngāti Rongomai, Ngāti Pikiao, Te Arawa) is a public health physician currently working as Senior Lecturer Medical at Te Kupenga Hauora Māori, University of Auckland. She has recently submitted her Doctorate of Medicine (MD) focused on indigenous health workforce development and is involved in Kaupapa Māori research investigating the teaching of indigenous health within medical education, ethnic inequities within emergency department settings, ethnic inequities in cardiovascular care and is developing a research focus exploring the prevalence
of dementia among Māori.

Paul Gilberd

Paul has significant experience in organisational change management, business development, service delivery and communications as well as in governance. He is the Chief Executive of Community Housing Aotearoa, a nationwide peak body for Community Housing Providers. Prior to this he was the General Manager of the social enterprise, Community Finance, which provides low-cost finance to New Zealand’s Community Housing Providers. He spent 10 years with the Meningitis Foundation as founding Director and Board Member. Paul has been a consultant to, and member of, the Anglican Church of Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia and advised various tikanga Māori and pakeha Boards of Anglican entities. He is a previous General Manager – Strategy and Development of the New Zealand Housing Foundation and was the Development Manager for the University of Auckland Business School.

Arend Merrie

Arend is a surgeon and senior health leader with governance experience. He has a particular interest in Māori and Pacific health inequity. Alongside his work in general and colorectal surgery, Arend is a trainer on Auckland DHB workshops related to interpersonal skills and culture and a senior examiner for General Surgery for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He was previously the Director of Surgical Services for Auckland DHB and the Chair of the DHB’s Surgical Board. His other previous governance and leadership roles include Board Member of the Gut Cancer Foundation; Member of the Clinical Advisory Group for MercyAscot Hospitals; Chair of the General Surgical Specialty Group for MercyAscot Hospitals; Member of the Executive for the New Zealand Association of General Surgeons; Director of the Auckland Colorectal Centre and Director of Endometriosis Auckland. In addition, Arend is an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Auckland and a visiting surgeon at Auckland City Mission’s Calder Health Centre.

Erica Whineray Kelly

Erica is a Health Sector Consultant, Breast Cancer Surgeon and Executive Leader based in Auckland. Erica has shifted from clinical practice to sector consulting with an innovation and equity focus following 25 years as a doctor and advocate. Erica has considerable experience leading teams in high pressure environments, and leading innovation. Erica co-founded and was the Managing Director of both Auckland Breast Centre (ABC) and Focus Radiotherapy exiting the former to Private Equity. She has been a consultant with Breast Screen Aotearoa, an expert for the Health and Disability Commissioner, and was the founding Chair of the Advisory Board for InZone Girls. Erica is a Fab 50 leader with Be Lab advocating for accessibility, and a member of New Zealand Global Women. Outside of this, she is a mentor to STEM students, and married with two children.