Governance

Chair, Business Operations Manager - Pathways

I have been a KPI Programme Sponsor for the last five years. In addition to this role, I have chaired the NGO Benchmarking Club since its inception in 2015.

My aspiration for the KPI Programme is to see it continue to bring the sector together to genuinely improve service provision for people. I have seen a lot of great initiatives emerge from people coming together through the Programme.

By really understanding data and benchmarking and then collectively setting out to improve an aspect of service provision I believe genuine quality improvements happen and it is my hope the Programme continues to grow its impact across the sector.

General Manager - Mental Health and Addiction Services - Te Toka Tumai Auckland, Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora

Auckland is the fourth largest district in Aotearoa and one of the fastest growing. As a KPI Programme Sponsor, I represent the National Mental Health and Addiction General Managers Network.

My aspirations for the KPI Programme include that we continually share and learn from each other and that we make a difference.

General Manager - Balance Aotearoa

I live in Whanganui where I work with Balance Aotearoa to improve outcomes for our tāngata whai ora through effective peer support, education and advocacy. Within the KPI Programme I have supported different streams through our Lived Experience Partnership and now bring forward the voices of people with mental health and addiction needs who access services to the KPI Programme Sponsor Group.

An avid networker, I thoroughly enjoy connecting with different people and groups to collect diverse experiences and perspectives. I am thrilled to be able to lift the voice of Lived Experience across the KPI Programme with real examples, feedback and advice, best positioning the Programme and its contributors to make changes in practice that improve the wellbeing of tāngata whai ora, whānau and communities. In particular, I am passionate about making sure all key performance indicators are appropriate and relevant to drive meaningful change for people who access mental health and addiction services.

When I’m not working, connecting with nature is what gives me energy. My favourite whakataukī is: “Kāore te kūmara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka. The kūmara doesn’t speak of its own sweetness.”

Director - Specialist Mental Health and Addiction - Hospital and Specialist Services, National, Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora

I work with other Programme Sponsors and the Programme team, providing leadership that ensures we continue to achieve the KPI Programme objectives and best respond to the needs of our sector.

I have been involved with the KPI Programme since its inception. First being introduced to the programme during my time working in a DHB then coming back into the Programme as a Sponsor representing NGOs. Now I am back in DHB leadership I will be a champion for the use of data and information.

I have always seen value in the Programme through its ability to bring the sector together to learn and facilitate continuous improvement in our services. It is my belief that benchmarking performance is one of the important ways we stay accountable to the people who use services and to the public.

System Design Manager - Infant, Child and Youth Mental Health - National Commissioning Mentally Well, Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora

My recent work history includes time as the acting chief clinical advisor at the Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora, prior to that I was the Child and Youth Director at Pathways and Real. I also led DHB services for young people and their whānau in the Wellington, Hutt Valley and Wairarapa communities for many years.

I believe that providing the best start in life is the best way to prevent distress, but when things go wrong it’s time to mobilise and make sure young people can get back on track quickly.

We need to create services that are easily accessible, responsive, attractive and effective. This goal inspired me to become involved in the KPI Programme as a Child and Youth Stream Lead and a Sponsor.

Using data that allows us to compare performance and improvement, learn from others and take collective action is one of the most powerful ways we can contribute to improving the wellbeing of our tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau. Measuring progress and creating knowledge is essential for success.

National Manager - Data, Information and Research - Te Pou

I firmly believe it is vital for all services to use data and became evidenced informed to support tāngata whai ora achieve the best health outcomes possible. It is this innate enthusiasm for data, combined with my interest in social justice and social determinates of health and their impacts on people using addiction and mental health services that led me to take up a Sponsor role with the KPI Programme.

A qualified social worker with experience working in various mental health settings in New Zealand and overseas, I have always sought to put people first and understand their experiences supported by evidence to find better ways forward.

As a member of the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL), I have been fortunate to represent New Zealand at international benchmarking and data metrics meetings. I feel a great pride in working alongside our mental health and addiction sector to realise the full utility of benchmarking to tackle our complex system challenges head on.

CEO - Equip

I have worked in the mental health and addiction NGO sector for 30 years and am currently the CEO of Equip, a medium sized mental health NGO providing community based services across Tāmaki Makaurau.

I bring the non-government organisation (NGO) perspective to the KPI Programme Sponsor Group. I sit on the Atamira Platform Board and the Atamira Platform Regional Navigate Executive group. Both roles allow me to connect with other NGO providers across Aotearoa and keep me in touch with the challenges and innovations happening in NGOs working in the mental health and addiction sector.

My aspiration for the KPI Programme is that it will influence and guide ongoing innovation and service improvement. Encouraging services involved in the mental health and addiction sector to benchmark and learn from each other, then take action to improve service experience for tāngata whai ora, whānau and their communities.

Out of work I love cycling and swimming and I am part of a large leisure cycling group.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou

Principal Advisor - Lived Experience Oranga Hinengaro - Hauora Māori Directorate, Te Whatu Ora

I’m originally from Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Whanganui but live and work in Te Tai Tokerau.

My role in the KPI Programme is as a sponsor with lived experience and data enthusiast, with a special interest in Māori data sovereignty.

I bring years of experience working in the digital and data space and almost twenty years of mental health sector knowledge.

I enjoy challenging and shaping discussion into actions that will impact and improve lives. The information provided by the KPI Programme to our workforce needs to be accurate, meaningful, and a means for improving the lives of our people.

Operations Director - Mental Health and Addiction Services - Waikato, Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora

I have been involved with the KPI Programme since it began, often attending benchmarking meetings in various management roles I have held across Waikato service’s.  I was also a lead in the adult stream before moving into the KPI Programme Sponsor group.

Sponsors provide strategic leadership to ensure the Programme meets the needs of the mental health and addiction sector. We are also here to ensure the wider mental health and addiction workforce has access to meaningful data and information to inform better service quality improvement to better meet the needs of tāngata whai ora, whānau and our communities.

I have seen the KPI Programme grow overtime to engage people in the importance of collective learning and the ability to demonstrate the effectiveness of the work we do in mental health and addiction services. Bringing together both a quality improvement lense with benchmarking to promote transparency, accountability and excellence is what makes this programme unique.  My vision is that, over time, the ethos of the programme becomes embedded as business as usual across all services creating a wider culture of excellence and continuous improvement.

I have the privilege of leading a service of compassionate and committed people who make a difference for someone everyday.  This alongside being a grandmother, such a joyful role, gives me a profound sense of purpose and fulfilment.

Associate Director of Nursing Mental Health / Director of Area Mental Health Services, Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora Waitemata

I’m from Auckland’s North Shore and have lived there for 21 years. I am previously from the northwest of England, where I completed my nurse training. My current role is associate director of nursing mental health and director of area mental health services (DAHMS) at Te Whatu Ora Waitemata. I’m also a member of the KPI Programme sponsors group. In this role, I provide a clinical and Te Whatu Ora hospital and specialist services perspective.  

I am the representative for the National Directors of Mental Health Nursing group and ensure that I filter through any information within that group and wider Te Whatu Ora Mental Health connections, promoting the KPI Programme. 

My aspirations for the KPI Programme are that every mental health service is aware of and engaging with the KPI Programme, and that we are all implementing a data-driven approach – using data to improve performance and measure success and, most importantly, using it to improve outcomes for tāngata whai ora. 

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family. I am an active relaxer and like to be busy and have a lot of hobbies. I enjoy reading books, going to the cinema, walking and hiking, crafts, and making almost all of my own clothes.  I don’t have a favourite quote, but I do love this one: “I declare, after all, there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything other than of a book”.