The all-volunteer Southland Foundation Board of Trustees is comprised of 5 volunteer Trustees.
A Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors, Kathryn has many years of experience as a chartered accountant and a company director. She was a partner/principal in the local accounting and business advisory firm McIntyre Dick and Partners for many years, and prior to that a partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers and Coopers and Lybrand. She is now a self employed consultant, principally to clients of McIntyre Dick, as well as having other directorship and advisory roles, including as a director of Invercargill Central Ltd. Kathryn was a director of SBS Bank for many years where she was deputy chair and chaired the Audit and Risk Committee. She was also on the SIT Council for a number of years, including a period as deputy chair, and was involved in the establishment of the innovative “Zero Fees” scheme.
Kathryn is a passionate Southlander and now devotes a large amount of her time to local community causes.
Jeff, with his wife Julia have been farming (Sheep, Beef and Deer) at Balfour in Southland since 1983. Jeff was elected as a Member of Parliament in 1987 and served two terms including the role of Senior Government Whip in the National Government 1990 to 1993 then retired. Since 1994 Jeff has been predominately involved as a director or Trustee for over 25 Organisations and Companies of which he has been Chairman for ten organisations, including Landcorp, Wrightsons, New Zealand Meat Board, Meat and Wool NZ, Animal Health Board, Catapult Genetics, Ovita, Tulip International, Business Parliamentary Trust, Agresearch and Predator Free 2050. OSPRI Ltd. Locally Jeff has Chaired Milford Tourism, Mt Linton Station, Invest South and has been a director/Trustee of SBS Bank, Finance Now, Northern Southland Medical Trust, and Southland Community Trust. A passionate Southlander, Jeff is deeply involved in the community, embodying a strong commitment to enhancing the well-being and vibrancy of the region.
Sarah Collie is a born and bred Eastern Southlander, growing up in on a sheep and beef property in Knapdale, before attending school in Gore. Returning to Eastern Southland in 2016, after university studies and the beginning of her accounting career in Christchurch, Sarah is now a Director/Principal of O’Connor Richmond Ltd, a Chartered Accountancy firm. Sarah has a range of clients across agribusiness, agri-support services, retail and commercial; this spread ensures that her role as an advisor is both challenging and fulfilling. Sarah and her husband Andrew have two young busy boys, who keep them on their toes. Sarah is excited to be involved as a Trustee because 'we have a loyal, hardworking and generous community in Southland, it is fantastic to be a part of establishing an entity that allows Southlanders to give back to their region'.
Sarah is a former commercial lawyer who is now a professional director and has had extensive governance experience. Sarah is currently a director of NZX-listed PGG Wrightson Ltd, SBS Bank and Blue-Sky Meats. Sarah lives in Invercargill and is married to Keith, and they have 3 children. Sarah was formerly on a trustee on the Southland Boys’ High School Board and is highly involved with junior tennis and serves as board member of Tennis Southland. Sarah is excited to be involved in a foundation focused on giving back to the wider community.
A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Member of the Institute of Directors, Joe is an experienced director with a financial background that spans many industries such as transportation, concrete, timber processing, exploration piling and drilling, commercial property, fuel distribution and electrical distribution networks. He is the Chairman of the SBS Bank. He spent six years as general manager of finance for H W Richardson Group and during the past 12 years has focused on directorships and management consulting work with a large amount of time being spent with the K G Richardson group of companies. Joe lives in Invercargill and is married to Vic, they have 3 children. Passionate about making a positive impact on the community, he firmly believes that helping with the establishment of the Southland Foundation was an ideal avenue to bring about meaningful change.
sarah@southlandfoundation.org.nz
Sarah Hannan is a proud Southlander with extensive marketing and commercial experience. Since returning to Southland in 2009 she has been actively engaged in driving economic and community development initiatives. Her roles have included CEO of the Southland Chamber of Commerce and Programme Director for the Southland Regional Development Strategy (SoRDS). Sarah is Deputy Chair of The Hawthorndale Care Village, in what will be a significant community asset for Southland. “Reflecting on my involvement with the Hawthorndale Care Village, I have witnessed first-hand the remarkable generosity of people in Southland and the impact of collective giving. I am excited about the role the Foundation can play in providing a vehicle for people to give back in a way that leave a lasting impact for generations to come.”
rachel@southlandfoundation.org.nz
Born in Western Southland, Rachel now owns and runs Mt. Prospect, a family farm located in the Te Anau Basin. Living in Fiordland has allowed her to explore various opportunities in farming, tourism, conservation, and local government. After studying at Lincoln University, she worked in Policy & Community Development in Southland. This role gave her a unique perspective into the diverse communities across the Southland District. Her experience managing the Fiordland Conservation Trust and serving on the Te Anau Community Board has helped her understand the diversity of the region's strengths and issues. Rachel is excited to be part of the newly established Southland Foundation due to the potential impact this philanthropic giving model will have across the Southland region. The Foundation's vision, "Together, let's build an exceptional Southland," resonates with the collective energy in Southland's communities to address challenges and opportunities. She believes we cannot do this alone, but together, we can have a significant impact.
