Te Korowai o Waiheke Trustees

The Te Korowai o Waiheke Trust board is diverse, consisting of community representative trustees, mana whenua trustees, and co-opted trustees chosen for their specific skills. More than two-thirds of the trustees are either full- or part-time local residents

Erika Barden

Passionate about exploring our beautiful Island with her husband and three active children.
Erika has over twenty years of project delivery experience and genuinely believes in the value of people over process. She loves sharing Agile ways of thinking, leading, and delivering to enable greater value, quality, and transparency.
Michelle Hooper

A mountain biking enthusiast and nature lover, Michelle has called Waiheke home for 20 years.
With 25 years in high-performance sports and event delivery, she led the record-breaking 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup. Her venture, Sprintify, focuses on business sustainability through Rapid Goal Attainment. Awarded a King’s Honour in 2023 for Services to Sport, Michelle is committed to achieving a predator-free Waiheke by 2050.
Grant Leach

Lover of both pets and wildlife, and meetings that don’t run overtime.
Grant is CEO of Living Green Group, a leading manufacturer and marketer of natural eco friendly home and personal hygiene products. He is highly passionate about conservation of our ecological environment and the biodiversity that makes NZ so truly unique. He is currently the Chair of The Endangered Species Foundation of New Zealand.
Andrew Payne

Keen sailor, tramper, cyclist and all round nature lover.
Andrew has a background in engineering and worked his entire career overseas on large civil infrastructure projects. He is passionate about protecting our precious flora and fauna. He now enjoys waking to the ever improving birdsong and the sounds of the sea.
Kate Sedgley

Kate lives on Waiheke with her partner and 2 young boys.
Kate is a career resource management specialist. She is passionate about the environment and its ability to support our well-being, and therefore our need to look after it.
Sarah Smith

Permanent resident of Waiheke for 9 years. Married with 3 kids (2 grown up & 1 in senior school) Animal lover. I walk every day & enjoy exploring & boating around different parts of the island.
Passionate about the predator-free Waiheke goal & would love to help with this including fundraising where needed. I have had experience in fundraising for the local community here & off island.
I have many friends on this Island who share my passion & love of wildlife.
Lisa Tauroa

Ko Pukeōkai te maunga
Ko Awaawaroa te awa
Ko Tikapakapa to moana
Ko Waiheke te motu
Ko Ngāti Kapu te hapū
Ko Ngāti Pāoa te iwi.

Lisa is tūpuna led and mokopuna focused. She has raised four children and is now a proud nani to three mokopuna. With a strong background in local government and community-led kaupapa, she is currently completing her Master’s degree at the University of Canterbury. Lisa is deeply connected to her Ngāti Pāoa whakapapa and is committed to bringing a mana whenua perspective to the restoration aspirations of Te Korowai o Waiheke. Passionate about Indigenous-led approaches, cultural revitalisation, and strengthening whānau and hapū connections, she is dedicated to ensuring the mauri of the motu continues to flourish for future generations.
Ruth Jackson-Smith

A permanent resident on this unique motu with a passion for tramping, conservation, fitness, and ‘giving back’.
Ruth enjoyed an all-consuming and challenging career as a financial adviser and sharebroker, and aims to bring these experiences, along with her commitment and dedication, to the restoration journey. She loves hearing the growing diversity and volume of birdsong in her backyard and acknowledges the absolute privilege of living here. Ruth also volunteers in the community and enjoys having family on the island.