Olwen was introduced to the Wellington Volunteer Centre in 1994, in her role as District Manager, Income Support, Porirua. This led to a 5 year partnership whereby a Volunteer Centre was established within the Porirua office to provide clients with an opportunity to participate in the community and gain work skills through volunteering. Olwen provided change management assistance to the Chair of the Board of Trustees in establishing the new-look Volunteer Wellington in 1999 and served as a board member from 2000 to 2004 and chairperson from 2004 to 2006.

Olwen has been a member of Zonta International Club of Wellington since 1997, serving as a board member from 1998 and Club President in 2000-2001. As a member of Zonta she has been engaged in organizing fund-raising events and managing Club awards for young women. She brings with her a wealth of public service experience primarily with Department of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). Her current role is Senior Advisor, Work and Income.

She was appointed to the board in November 2006.

Lloyd is chairperson of Volunteer Western Bay of Plenty and Literacy and Language Bay of Plenty He is part-time general manager of Te Tuinga Whanau Support Services Trust, a social work, youth development and literacy provider in Tauranga and the owner of MediationPlus, a company providing dispute resolution and organisational development services.  Lloyd has held several senior management positions in the health, social services, sport and recreation sector as well as independent management consulting. A JP and an active Rotary member, he has been a volunteer board member of several not-for-profit national and local organizations.  His major focus for volunteering is to continue advocacy for equity of volunteer effort and recognition with paid personnel as well as advocating continued overtures to government, the commercial and charitable sectors to continue to financially support volunteer services.

Lloyd’s passion for volunteering and the realization of the valuable contribution volunteers make to the social health of our community began in the late 1970’s when he was instrumental in initiating a comprehensive volunteer service, the “Befrienders” in Horowhenua. This group was initially established to support statutory social workers with their low to medium risk clients. This service is still operating, although now offering quite different services.

Heather has worked for the NZ Fire Service for 9 years providing a Human Resource Consultancy service to both paid and volunteer firefighters within the upper half of the North Island.  The NZFS has a history of volunteering going back 127 years.Her professional career includes ten years as a human resource practitioner with the Royal NZ Foundation for the Blind which like the fire service has a proud history of volunteerism, enabling them to achieve phenomenal results whilst working within a not for profit environment.  In her work with the Foundation, Heather learnt the value volunteers bring to an organisation and how frequently we fail to fully recognize their worth and expertise.

The skills Heather brings to VN Z are her knowledge in human resource management, both paid and volunteer and a strong understanding of the challenges facing managers and leaders of volunteers from recruitment, motivation, recognition and performance management.

Dianne is the Chairperson for Volunteering Auckland and works 20 hours a week, at the Waitemata District Health Board as the co-ordinator of the Volunteer Stroke Scheme, which is a unique and specialised service, helping people who have communication difficulties following a stroke. In this role she recruits, trains and supports volunteers throughout the Auckland Region.

Dianne brings to the board many years experience with both working and managing volunteers and working as a volunteer within the community/disability& health region. Her experience in the sector includes President of the Loddon Campaspe Disabled Persons Council, Regional Convener of the Office of the Public Advocacy and Guardianship Board, Board member of Volunteering Victoria, and as a Probation Officer for the Office of Corrections, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.

In New Zealand she has been a volunteer as a Mentor with Project K, working with youth in the community, and is on the board of Volunteering Auckland as the Chairperson, and has been on the board of VNZ since 2007.

She enjoys training and mentoring, and is passionate about volunteers and enjoys the opportunity to make a difference.

Tyron is a descendent of Te Ati Awa (Te Whanganui-a-tara). He trained as a primary school teacher in Wellington and upon graduation travelled to the UK where he taught for two years. Tyron returned to New Zealand in 2002 to study management and was an assistant lecturer in the school of management at Massey University between 2004 and 2009. He is currently a full-time doctoral student studying corporate philanthropy through narrative theory at the University.

Tyron is working with both Philanthropy New Zealand and Volunteering New Zealand to strengthen Māori communities through the promotion of generosity/giving in New Zealand. Tyron believes that supporting Māori communities is about preserving a culture with which all New Zealanders can identify.

Alison was the chairperson of Volunteering New Zealand, a position she has held between 2002-2010. She has also had a long involvement with Volunteering Waikato, having been a member of the steering committee established in 1992, a member of its inaugural Board and completed a second term on the Board in 2006, having spent time as the Board chairperson. It was through her involvement with Volunteering Waikato that Alison became involved with the establishment of Volunteering New Zealand.

Based in Hamilton, Alison is the National Manager Volunteer Services for the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind and is also a Locality Co-ordinator for the Waikato/Bay of Plenty area working with the Foundation's Community Committees.

Prior to joining the Foundation she worked with IHC in Hamilton as a Community Services Manager and before that with the Department of Social Welfare as a Social Worker in the Whakatane area. She was also employed by the Waiariki Polytechnic in Whakatane as a part-time tutor.

Married with 3 teenage and young adult children, Alison has been involved with Guides New Zealand as a District Co-ordinator and in a variety of activities related to her children.

Alison has a passion and commitment to volunteering and to community involvement, on both a professional and personal basis, with wide-ranging experience, interest, skills and enthusiasm.

Jane Poa (Board representative for Pacific Peoples Members) is currently the CEO of CIFICAP TRUST – Hawke’s Bay Pacific Health Services. As a former Director of the Pacific Business Trust Jane has continued to work with Pacific Businesses and community based organisation’s.

This has included strategic alliances with key stakeholders, community development support, cultural competency training and support in Social Work training. She is a graduate of Massey University's holding a Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in Social Policy and Education.

Jane has a Postgraduate Diploma in Business and Administration and continues to facilitate and co-ordinate Pacific Cultural Competency Training programmes at Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawke’s Bay and with Plunket, and Community based organisation’s.

Jane is married with three adult children and has four grandchildren. She is fully involved in Pacific Islands church and community activities both locally in Hawke’s Bay, regionally and nationally. She is also the Deputy Chair of Health Care Aotearoa, a National organisation which supports Health providers in that sector.

Jane brings with her a Pacific perspective on the voluntary sector to the organisation with the ability to work across all Pacific cultures. She has had extensive experience in the voluntary sector and not-for-profit community groups. She is also a past member of International Year of Volunteer Ministerial Reference Group.