GWNZ Leaders
GWNZ National Executive and Council
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE
President Sally Dunbar
Immediate Past President Dr Jo Innes
Vice President Lorelle George
Secretary Vanessa Ward
Treasurer Prof Rachel Baskerville
International Lead Dr Shirley Gillett
Advocacy Lead Briar Wyatt
Trust Secretary Dr Sally Hasell
Trust Treasurer Dr Carolyn Wirth
BRANCH PRESIDENTS
Independent Members Network (IMN) Dr Kwong Nui Sim
Graduate Women North Shore (GWNS) Christine Ball
Graduate Women Manawatu (GWM) Dr Jo Innes
Graduate Women Wellington (GWW) Janet Stribling
Graduate Women Otago (GWO) Barbara Benson
Sally Dunbar
Background: Governance, leadership, business acumen. Worked with some of New Zealands’ largest finance, utility organisations and membership bodies.
Passion for working and supporting all women who have the courage and drive to invest in themselves through education
Contact president@gwnz.org.nz
Rachel Baskerville
Rachel Baskerville retired very recently from Victoria University of Wellington after thirty years of teaching accounting, but her association with Graduate Women goes further back to the 1970s when her mother, Shirley Rowe, was President of Wellington Branch. She has a passion for all things musical from pre-school to opera, and researching oral and family histories.
Contact treasurer@gwnz.org.nz
Carolyn Wirth
Carolyn is recently retired from her role as Senior Lecturer in Finance at Massey University, teaching managerial finance. Carolyn is a co-author of the New Zealand textbook Fundamentals of Finance, and researches the capital market impacts of corporate disclosure.
Contact trusttreasurer@gwnz.org.nz
Lorelle George
Lorelle became a member of Graduate Women North Shore in 2005, following completion of a BA Social Science; joined the Committee in 2017, and became Branch President in 2019. In the twelve years prior to retiring in 2016, Lorelle worked in health promotion and community engagement roles on Auckland’s North Shore, initially for a small community organisation and latterly with a PHO. Currently she continues her linkage with health through consumer representative roles with Waitemata District Health Board on their Consumer Council and an infrastructure project, and with Harbour Hospice.
Contact northshore@gwnz.org.nz
Shirley Gillett
I have been involved with Graduate Women(Otago) as President and CIR, and discovered through attending conferences a passion for International connections and projects.
I am a primary trained teacher and academic for many years at the University of Otago.
I have represented New Zealand in hockey, and coached females for many years. Currently I am a Board member of the Otago Hockey Board.
Social justice issues and education are driving forces in my life and providing girls and women with opportunities for further learning and research is what I believe will advance women and to which I would hope to contribute.
Contact international@gwnz.org.nz
Vanessa Ward
Vanessa Ward returned to Wellington after ten years of teaching East Asian (mainly Japanese) history at the University of Otago in 2017. Since then, she completed a Graduate Diploma in Publishing (Applied); spent one year as a visiting scholar at Kobe College in Nishinomiya, Japan; produced a first draft of a biography of a Japanese woman intellectual, Cho Takeda Kiyoko (1917-2018); translated her memoirs; and applied, unsuccessfully, for positions in the public service and education administration She is passionate about language usage and social justice, and is currently enjoying being a member of a Wellington choir, and finding some types of ballroom dancing challenge her aging neural pathways. Her immediate family is in Australia. She’s hanging out to the next game of scrabble with her mother and older sister. Playing alone doesn’t quite cut it!
Contact secretary@gwnz.org.nz
Kwong Nui Sim
Embedded in my academic development career, I have been responsible for leading the change of teaching and learning practices at higher education institutions. As a teacher, I believe education is the key to a successful, fulfilled life. I am used to motivating students as well as peers in order to ascertain their inner strengths and abilities for them to discover what truly inspires them. I am a dynamic, resourceful teaching professional with a genuine interest in social growth. Currently, I work as a senior lecturer at Auckland University of Technology.
Contact
Sally Hasell
Sally is a retired scientist. Her main focus in recent years has been in the area of food safety and food regulations. She has received a number of awards during her time working for both regulators and the food industry, in particular the dairy industry. She has been a councillor for the Royal Society of New Zealand and president of the NZ Institute of Food Science and Technology. She has always enjoyed promoting science through tutoring, science fairs and sponsoring awards. Sally joined Graduate Women in 1982, initially in Christchurch and now Wellington. She has held various committee roles in both branches, including president of Wellington Branch.
Contact trustsecretary@gwnz.org.nz
Briar Wyatt
Briar is a proud daughter of Manurewa, and a Graduate Women Independent Member. Her academic background is in feminist urban geography and film studies. By day, Briar is an environmental policy specialist and has worked in the public sector for close to a decade. She also sits on the Government Women’s Network steering committee, and has been active in climate justice and feminist voluntary kaupapa since early in her uni days.
Contact: advocacy@gwnz.org.nz
Janet Stribling
Background: I have governance experience in both sporting and education fields. I am a teacher at Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu/the Correspondence School. I am passionate about women and girls achieving in a society that is equal for all.
President of Graduate Women Wellington. Member of GWW Charitable Trust & Director of Academic Dress Hire Ltd.
Contact wellington@gwnz.org.nz