Peter is the National President of Parent to Parent. He lives in Christchurch and has a family member with special needs. Peter brings a wealth of experience to the Board. He has worked for many years in the Health and Disability Sector and is currently the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Salisbury School in Nelson.
Rita is from Wellington and first joined the National Board in 2006. She was then re-elected in 2008 for a further two-year term. Rita is married to Shaun and, together, they have five children in their blended family. She is currently completing a degree in social work and also works with vulnerable families in the community on a part time basis.
Rita first became involved with Parent to Parent some 18 years ago when her oldest child, who has both physical and intellectual disabilities, was around two years old. Since then, two of her other children have been diagnosed with medical conditions also.
Rita feels privileged to be able to bring a family’s perspective to the Board of an organisation which she has previously received valuable support from herself.
Anne was appointed as CEO of Parent to Parent in 2003. She lives in the Waikato and has been involved with Parent to Parent as an employee and a Support Parent since 1990. Anne and her husband have four children, one of whom has an intellectual disability
Helen
Johnson
Helen Johnson hails from Palmerston North, and was first elected to the
Board in 2007, and then re-elected in 2009. She has been involved with
Parent to Parent since 2001 as a Support Parent, Committee President and
an Advocate. Helen has a BA in Education and was awarded the High Achiever
Award at the New Zealander of the Year awards, 2010, for her extensive
volunteer work with Parent to Parent, School Boards of Trustees, Special
Olympics and other groups who encourage people with disabilities to live
a normal life.
Helen is
married to Malcolm and has three grown children, including a daughter
with a disability. In 2008 she won the Watties’ Coach of the Year
national title for her volunteer work encouraging people with disabilities
into Special Olympics. She now works for Sport Manawatu as a Sport Opportunity
Advisor working on getting people with disabilities active in sport. Helen
strongly believes in the value of the support, training and friendships
which families can access through Parent to Parent and is looking forward
to making a positive contribution to policy development during her time
on the Board.
Hi. My involvement with Parent to Parent has been varied over the years. From my initial contact, when I was searching for information, to Committee member, Support Parent and Advocate. Currently, I have the privilege of serving as a National Board member.
My husband and I have three fabulous children. Our eldest child has a very rare chromosomal deletion condition, which has resulted in many challenges for her, and us as a family. Because of this, I am also an active member of The Chromosome 18 Registry and Research Society (Australasia) and I regularly attend and contribute to conferences and research held here in New Zealand and overseas.
I have a
nursing background and am really passionate about self care for parents/caregivers,
and ensuring that family/whanau are aware of the variety of supports available
to them, in order for them to best decide how to navigate through their
journey.
David
Senior
David Senior lives in Kaitaia and is married with four grown -up children,
two of whom have special needs. David has been totally blind since the
age of thirteen.
David has always had an interest in the needs and issues affecting people with disabilities, and their families, and has been involved with Parent to Parent on a regional level for approximately ten years. He is enjoying being involved on a national level as a Board Representative.
Alastair
Druett
was co-opted to the Parent to Parent National Board earlier this year
so as to add his management expertise and business knowledge to the dynamics
of the Board. Alastair has been involved in the construction industry
for many years and is currently a director of Alpha Interiors in Hamilton.
He is married
to Michelle and has two active young sons who keep him busy outside of
work. Alastair has personal experience of a family member who has special
needs. He understands how important it is that adequate support be given
to parents who are raising children with disabilities, in order that the
best outcomes can be achieved for the entire
family.
Rob Hamill - Patron
Rob is an outstanding role model for all New Zealanders, being someone who has pushed boundaries to the limit, and succeeded in overcoming challenges along the way. He has experienced adversity in all its forms and triumphed nonetheless.
In 1997, Rob Hamill and Phil Stubbs completed the Atlantic Rowing Race in 41 days, 2 hours. This feat was not only a world record, but they were also 7 days ahead of their nearest competitor.
Rob has also won a silver medal at the World Championships in 1994, gold at the Commonwealth Regatta, and a world record on the indoor rowing machine. He has also represented New Zealand at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. Rob is a motivational speaker and the author of the ‘Naked Rower’.
Rob is married to Rachel, who has been a Parent to Parent Support Parent for a number of years. They are the parents of three active young boys, one of whom has a rare eye condition.
He has given of his time voluntarily to Parent to Parent on several occasions over the past few years to help raise awareness of the organisation. He is a keen advocate of the organisation and actively promotes the services it provides to families who are raising children with disabilities.
Parent to Parent is privileged to have such a Patron who is well-regarded both nationally and internationally, and who also has a personal awareness of parenting a child with special needs.