The Board of Inspiring Stories.
Our Board is made up of incredible humans from across Aotearoa New Zealand, who are passionate about our vision and kaupapa in supporting young people to realise their potential. Each of them come from different backgrounds and sectors, and bring unique experiences and skill-sets to support our work.
Andrew Weaver, Chair
Andrew has a background in banking and technology sectors, with over 30 years of experience in hands-on management, consultancy and systems development throughout New Zealand, Australia, Asia and the Middle East. Andrew loves the vision and kaupapa of Inspiring Stories, and was a volunteer with us for three years before officially joining the Board and taking up the role as Chair. Outside of Inspiring Stories Andrew leads the work of Digital Identity NZ, as well as consulting to local and international firms on banking technology and fraud prevention.
Aaron Hape, Trustee
Aaron is a public servant and a strategic advisor to several non-government organisations. He currently works at MBIE as part of the Provincial Development Unit, providing strategic oversight of a multi-billion dollar investment fund. He has previously worked in New Zealand’s Parliament, and the justice and economic development sectors. Aaron is also an advisor for The Queen's Commonwealth Trust and was appointed as a Member of the Advisory Panel for The Queen’s Young Leaders Award.
Arizona Leger, Trustee
A proud child of Oceania, Arizona Leger has no fear of ‘venturing into the unknown’ to break new grounds of opportunity and equality for all young women. Arizona represented Aotearoa New Zealand at the G(irls)20 Summit in Tokyo in 2019, and is a part of the Kau Tuli steering group for the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. Her ideal world prioritises representation and challenges society to consider the full effect of intersectionality on our young women’s ability to succeed in the workforce.
Callum Skeet, Trustee
Callum has a background as an accountant and chief financial officer, and has held various leadership and governance roles in both private business and community sector organisations. Callum provided financial advisory to Inspiring Stories for a number of years, and had attended Festival for the Future multiple times before officially joining the Board in 2018. Now based in Eketāhuna, Callum is particularly passionate about the opportunities around solar and renewable energy, and getting out on his bike!
Jemma Balmer, Trustee
Based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Jemma is a professional fundraiser who first came across Inspiring Stories through joining the One Percent Collective five years ago. In Jemma’s words, she has watched our “passion for activating and equipping young people explode across New Zealand during this time”, and is delighted to offer her skillset to help future-proof our work at Inspiring Stories. Jemma has also trained with Seth Godin and is an altMBA Coach, which sees her working globally with a diverse range of leaders.
Kim Young, Trustee
Kim is a marketing and communications professional, and a total project management ninja. Kim first connected with Inspiring Stories when she was leading the Suffrage 125 celebrations for the Ministry for Women, in which she overseen the activation of more than 300 events across New Zealand recognising 125 years since women secured the right to vote. Kim joined the board in 2018. Kim is a proud mum, and is passionate about making a difference for our future.
Mary Haddock-Staniland, Trustee
Mary is a champion for inclusion, and has invested several years in pioneering movements of social change. She is New Zealand's first Chief People Inclusion Officer for NZ tech company, Timely. Before this role, Mary was Head of Membership Services at Diversity Works. Mary has also held a senior HR role at the global advertising agency Ogilvy. Mary has extensive networks and excels at senior level client care and relationship management. She is highly sought after as a keynote speaker on diversity and inclusion – cultivating and promoting a positive culture is one of the keys to her success.