Life Changing Experiences for young people with Disabilities.
Since 2002 Recreate NZ has been providing outstanding social and recreational services to the disability community of Auckland. Now also serving Christchurch, Waikato & Bay of Plenty,
we have grown from humble beginnings into a provider of over 400 programmes each year.
With four exciting programme streams consisting of ten different programme types ranging from ½ day to 6 days in length, we have plenty of opportunities for you to enjoy.
OUR STAFF
Recreate is run by a team of dedicated staff who all bring different skills, interests and personalities to the table.
AUCKLAND
BAY OF PLENTY
WAIKATO
WELLINGTON
Sophie McLaughlan
Lead Programme Coordinator
BAY OF PLENTY
Sophie has been with Recreate for 3 years and she has seen incredible growth in the Bay of Plenty. Sophie brings experience, professionalism and thoughfulness to her role and she has seen so many meaningful moments happen on Recreate.
Emma Dalton
Programme Coordinator
BAY OF PLENTY
Emma has joined Recreate from being an amazing volunteer with the right stuff! Emma is studying Sociology and she is looking forward to getting out and about in the beautiful Bay of Plenty, and to doing it with some amazing people!
Nicola Keyworth
Funding Officer
BAY OF PLENTY
Before parenting her lovely two kids, Nicola was the National Programmes Coordinator for many years. Now living in Tauranga, Nicola works alongside Sarah on funding.
Holly Stokes
Programme Coordinator
WAIKATO
Hamilton-based Holly is excited to be the Programme Coordinator and Facilitator for the Waikato region. She is passionate about youth, hamilton and seeing people make meaningful connections.
Holly Graves
Programme Coordinator
WELLINGTON
Holly has returned to Recreate after being a volunteer a few years ago. Holly is currently studying Health Science and is super excited to be jumping on board in Wellington and working in the industry she is passionate about!
CHRISTCHURCH
Josephine Siggaard
Programme Coordinator
Josephine is responsible for a range of Short Breaks and Junior programmes. She brings a vibrant and positive attitude to the team.
Grace Cussell
ADSA Programme Coordinator
Grace coordinates our Auckland Down Syndrome Association (ADSA) Social Club, where they meet up monthly for social gatherings.
Casey Roux
Programme Coordinator
Casey has recently joined our team as a registered occupational therapist. She oversees Life Skills, Getaways and some Adventure programmes.
Georgia Mae Moloney
Programme Coordinator
George has recently made the move up from Christchurch to live in Auckland. She oversees Adventure programmes and Getaways.
Jesse Petersen
Our Harvest Product Coordinator
jesse@recreate.org.nz
Jesse has a bachelor of Human Services with a major in disability studies and is excited to join the team as the Our Harvest Product Coordinator.
Danielle Moore
Onboarding Coordinator
Dani has progressed from Programme Coordinator to Onboarding Coordinator. She oversees Auckland volunteering and new participant’s onboarding.
Sarah Ferens
Moxie Employer Liason
Funding Manager
Sarah seeks funding for our programmes. She is also part of our Moxie team, growing our network of employers who can work with Moxie participants.
Sarah Mauer
Programme Coordinator
Sarah has been part of our community as a volunteer and now Programme Coordinator. She oversees our bookings as well as Holiday Programmes, Urbans and Mothers Retreats.
Damien Ducloux
Programme Coordinator
After graduating in Bachelor of Arts at AUT which included an internship with us, Damien is part of the Holiday Programme and Urban team alongside Sarah and Jasmine.
Jasmine Davey
Programme Coordinator
Jasmine completed her internship with us through AUT, and now she oversees Holiday Programmes, Urbans and Short Breaks.
Brent Jenkin
General Manager
An enthusiastic outdoorsman on the track and the seas. Brent has just celebrated 11 incredible years as the General Manager of Recreate NZ.
Sandra Dang
Lead Accounts Officer
Sandra finished a New Zealand Diploma in Business – Accounting in 2021 and joins Recreate to oversee the accounts in Auckland.
Lisa Wenzel
Regional Accounts Officer
Lisa comes from Germany via Australia with a passion and drive for the families we work with in her role as regional accounts officer.
Matt Alpe
National Programmes Coordinator
Matt has over 10 years of experience with Recreate from volunteer, facilitator and now National Programmes Coordinator overseeing all programmes.
Sheridan Jackson
Head of Moxie and Lead Programme Coordinator
Sheridan is part of our senior leadership team, and she also leads Moxie work experience and employment opportunities and the Recreate Youth Board.
Sally is from the States and she has recently completed her studies in Sociology and Spanish. She is very excited to be working in a field she is passionate about!
Rosie Jerard
Programme Coordinator
CHRISTCHURCH
Rosie comes with a Bachelor of Sustainability and Outdoor Education. She is passionate about our youth and looks forward to growing Recreate in Christchurch.
Martina Post
Programme Coordinator
CHRISTCHURCH
After three years in our Auckland office, Martina has now made the move south to Christchurch. She brings so much experience and joy to the role in Christchurch.
"Just came back from the Mother’s Retreat’ weekend and had to write to you to thank you sooooo much. Can’t rate the weekend enough! It was wonderful! Everything about it was fabulous. Thoroughly enjoyed all the sessions, the relaxation, the sharing with other mother’s, the food and venue – fantastic! Can’t WAIT for the next one!" - Linda
Governance
Recreate NZ is a registered charity - CC41375. We are a youth based organisation who believe in young people supporting young people. We do this by enlisting an amazing team of age appropriate staff and volunteers to manage all of our programmes. Recreate NZ is overseen by the following board of trustees, who provide support to the wonderful staff.
Craig Wheatley
Chair
Craig is proud to be part of Recreate and is committed to using his private sector experience to make a difference to the inspirational youth that we represent.
Ezekiel Robson
Deputy Chair
Ezekiel looks forward to contributing his disability sector strategic advocacy experience, to help youth with disabilities to further achieve their dreams.
Sue Small
Treasurer
Sue is passionate about supporting the extraordinary work of Recreate staff in positively changing the lives of our young people.
Carol Chouhfeh
Trustee
Carol was Recreates founding Chairperson and is now enjoying the journey as a regular Trustee.
Heather Alford
Trustee
Queens Service Medal recipient after many years in the disability sector, Heather is still as passionate about Recreate as ever.
Holly Sutich
Trustee
Holly is immensely proud to be a part of Recreate and the amazing work that makes a difference in the lives of youth. She has communications, events and marketing experience.
Helen Cussell
Treasurer
Committed to seeing the disability sector maximise all of the financial opportunities available, Chartered Accountant Helen has recently joined Recreate as treasurer.
Trevor Lowe
Trustee
Trevor has worked in a variety of public and private sectors as a Chartered Accountant, as well as in the Health and Disability sector.
Rob Byrne
Trustee
Former operations staff member Rob has extremely valuable experience within many facets of Recreate over the years.
Our Locations
There's hardly a part of beautiful Aotearoa that we haven't explored with participants! Recreate NZ operates out of three locations, and runs programmes for clients in the Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty & Canterbury regions. We hope to expand further in the near future, so if you live outside of these areas but would love to see Recreate come to your region, drop us line.
To register for our services or to get in touch with our Auckland, Christchurch or Bay of Plenty/Waikato offices - See below.