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  1. About us
  2. Our People
  3. Board

Board

Dame Lesley Max

DAME LESLEY MAX

Co-Founder and Co-Chair

Dame Lesley Max is the Co-founder and Trustee of Great Potentials Foundation.

Her background includes University of Auckland; secondary school teaching, mainly in London; freelance journalism, principally for METRO and writing. Her book “Children: Endangered Species?” (Penguin, 1990) has been profoundly influential in New Zealand.

Dame Lesley co-founded Great Potentials Foundation (originally known as Pacific Foundation) in 1990, together with businessman, author and broadcaster, Gordon Dryden. Lesley created the Family Service Centre model, introduced HIPPY (Home Interaction Programme for Parents and Youngsters) in New Zealand, and developed MATES (Mentoring and Tutoring Education Scheme).

Awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship, Lesley studied successful interventions in child protection and education in five countries. On her return, she was influential in the establishment of Family Start in New Zealand.

Lesley is patron of Family Help Trust, the National Council of Women, and Teach First NZ.

She has been appointed to a number of roles by Governments, including as a Director of the Northern Regional Health Authority, and a member of the Family Violence Advisory Committee to successive Ministers.

She was a founding supporter of the Brainwave Trust and has filled advisory roles for a number of tertiary institutions.

Lesley was awarded a MBE in 1994 and was made Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2010 for services to the community.

Fuimaono Tuiasau

FUIMAONO TUIASAU

Co-Chair

Fuimaono graduated from Auckland University with a BA and LLB and then practiced for many years as a senior lawyer. Fuimaono then joined the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, Auckland Chamber of Commerce with a focus on policy, research and operational projects.

Fuimaono has managed a range of strategic and operational relationships and has a strong interest in innovative approaches to community and business development.

Fuimaono is also currently a Trustee of the NZ Youth Mentoring Trust, Chair of Ember Service, and Pacific leader. Fuimaono is also a teacher at De La Salle College in Mangere, Auckland

Dr Leeanne Mataira

DR LEEANNE MATAIRA

Trustee

Leeanne is a dentist working in Newmarket, Auckland.  She grew up in Dunedin where she attended Queen’s High School and the University of Otago, where she completed her dental degree in 1990.  In 1994, Leeanne completed a Masters degree in restorative dentistry at University of London. 

She returned to New Zealand in 2003 with a young family of four children and has since then been working full time for her family and as a dentist.  

Focus on her family and improving social outcomes for all New Zealanders motivates Leeanne’s involvement with Great Potentials.

Katie Jacobs

KATIE JACOBS

Trustee

Katie has worked in marketing roles for a number of companies in New Zealand, Australia and Japan and has extensive experience in branding, strategy and sponsorships.

After graduating with a BA/BCom conjoint degree from University of Auckland, Katie began her career in advertising, first with Saatchi & Saatchi in New York working with Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble businesses, before continuing to roles in London and then back in Auckland.

Katie also sits on the Board of Directors for Auckland Theatre Company.

Murdoch Dryden

MURDOCH DRYDEN

Trustee

Murdoch is a property developer and investor with a particular involvement in the Auckland suburb of Glen Innes, where Creating Communities Ltd have led a regeneration of the State Housing Estate with the expectation that mixed housing tenure, in conjunction with improved housing quality, can be a catalyst for better health, education, and economic outcomes for the Glen Innes community.

Murdoch graduated with a Masters degree in Management from the University of Waikato and worked in project management roles within a number of New Zealand companies involved in the primary industries, technology commercialization, and construction and development.  He has also had an involvement with NZ Rowing which continues with having a leading role in the establishment of The Highbrook Regional Watersports Centre at Highbrook, Auckland, a facility to foster the development of Rowing and Waka Ama sports in South and East Auckland.

Murdoch is currently a Trustee of the NZ Rowing Foundation, and sits on the Boards of several development entities.

Henri Elliot

HENRI ELIOT

Trustee

Henri is the Founder and CEO of Board Dynamics.  Previously a senior executive  with JP Morgan Chase and PwC in the UK, Deloitte in New York, the Bank of Montreal in Toronto and Spark NZ in New Zealand.

Henri has an international education and broad experience.  He received his LLB (Hons) from the University of London, his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from McGill University, his MBA from Richmond University, Certificate in New Venture Leadership from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Post Graduate Masters Level degree in Entrepreneurship from the University of Cambridge. 

Henri is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand and Associate Member of Arbitrators & Mediators Institute of New Zealand.  He trained as a mediator at Harvard Law School.

Along with his work as an executive, Henri is a business columnist for Stuff.co.nz in New Zealand and a regular contributor to the NZ Herald, National Business Review, and Idealog magazine. His interests range from technology to fine wine and music. Henri recently published his first book on corporate governance entitled Board Shorts. 

Henri is currently Chairman Balle Bros Group, Dodson Motorsport and Trustee for Plunket Foundation.

Helen Jones

HELEN JONES

Trustee

Helen has a legal background and is currently doing work for the Citizens Advice Bureau, having recently returned to New Zealand after living in New York.

Wendy Schofield

WENDY SCHOFIELD

Secretary & Treasurer

Wendy is a Chartered Accountant in public practice and has been involved with Great Potentials since 1994.

Prior to having children Wendy was a senior Manager in Business Services at Deloitte, Touche, Tohmatsu.

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Latest

  • Marissa's Story:

    Marissa's Story: "HIPPY gave me confidence"

    Marissa was 18 when she had her first baby. Shy and lacking confidence, she thought her working life was over. Until she started her son on the HIPPY programme and her confidence began to grow...

  • Garden Vision: ‘Growing for Good’ at ELC

    Garden Vision: ‘Growing for Good’ at ELC

    Papakura Early Learning Centre’s Team Leader has a vision for transforming the centre's unused outdoor spaces into an edible garden, with a worm farm, composting and recycling system to teach the children sustainability...

  • Creating Connections in Kaikohe - with DIY Deodorant

    Creating Connections in Kaikohe - with DIY Deodorant

    Group meetings – or ‘whānau hui’ – are an important part of HIPPY, helping build connections and combat isolation. Kaikohe Coordinator, Emily Rogers, recently took her HIPPY whānau to a local drop-in centre/pregnancy hub and did a very cool enrichment activity making DIY deodorant...

  • Our Learning Plan

    Our Early Learning Centre offers a curriculum based on Te Whariki. Each child is welcomed for who they are. Our staff are skilful at settling and working alongside children, following their play ideas. Whānau experience respectful relationships with kind and caring teachers who value their children.

Most read

  • Accessibility

  • HIPPY Programme

    HIPPY Programme

    HIPPY is a home-based Early Learning programme that helps parents from disadvantaged communities lay the foundation for their children’s success in school and later life...

  • Making Ice Cream, Shaping Lives

    Making Ice Cream, Shaping Lives

    Through play children solve problems, test out ideas and explore their imaginations. HIPPY helps parents create a fun learning environment at home where creativity is unleashed, bodies get moving and children develop a life-long love of learning...

  • Garden Vision: ‘Growing for Good’ at ELC

    Garden Vision: ‘Growing for Good’ at ELC

    Papakura Early Learning Centre’s Team Leader has a vision for transforming the centre's unused outdoor spaces into an edible garden, with a worm farm, composting and recycling system to teach the children sustainability...

  • Family Service Centres

    Family Service Centres

    Our Family Service Centres assist the community with housing, food, health care, employment support and wellbeing services as well as offering early learning services, parenting programmes, playgroups, social workers in schools, counselling and more...

  • Auckland is at Level 3 again

    Auckland is at Level 3 again

    The Government has just announced our third Covid lockdown here in Auckland - initially for three days. We will keep the website updated, along with our Facebook pages. Our Auckland sites are closed but our staff are working from home to continue to support our families and programmes.

  • Making a Difference: Girl With Cake Project

    Making a Difference: Girl With Cake Project

    Maiyah, a former "HIPPY child", is an 8-year-old girl from Hornby in Christchurch. Since she was five years old, Maiyah has been baking and selling cupcakes to raise money to help the homeless in her city. She’s just a young girl, but she’s making a huge difference...

  • MATES Programme

    MATES Programme

    MATES Mentoring and Tutoring programme addresses the underachievement in education of disadvantaged youth in New Zealand, intervening at key transition points to create pathways for success...

  • Privacy Policy

    PRIVACY POLICY: This policy explains how and when greatpotentials.org.nz (the ‘site’) collects personal information, what we do with it and your right to see or change it. The Foundation complies with the Privacy Act and the associated Privacy principles. We don't use, share or transfer personal information in connection with the site except as set out in this policy, or as otherwise set out somewhere on the site (including in terms linking to the site).

  • We Are Open (again) at Level 2

    We Are Open (again) at Level 2

    The Government has announced that Auckland is moving to Alert Level 2 from 6am Sunday. This means that from Monday 8 March our office, Takanini Family Service Centre, Papakura Family Service Centre and Papakura Early Learning Centre will be open as normal, with Level 2 protocols in place.

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Great Potentials Foundation is a Registered Charitable Trust with approved donee status - CC32333