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 and Wellington,
we have grown from humble beginnings into a provider of over 500 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
Josephine Siggaard
Moxie Employer Liaison and Regional Accounts Manager
josephine@recreate.org.nz
moxie@recreate.org.nz
Josephine is part of the Moxie team, responsible for partnering with employers with our work placements. Josephine also oversees Regional Accounts alongside Sandra.
Lachie McNae
National Accounts Officer
accounts@recreate.org.nz
Lachie originally hails from Nelson, South Island, and has recently graduated from the University of Auckland. Lachie is our National Accounts officer, who will be working alongside Josephine.
Quynh Hoang
Programme Coordinator
quynh@recreate.org.nz
Quynh is from the UK and has recently joined Recreate. She comes with a Bachelor of Psychology and is excited to oversee Holiday Programmes, Urbans and Short Breaks
Jess Protheroe
Horticulture Programme Leader
Jess has been a long time Recreate participant, and has progressed through our Moxie programme to be the Horticulture Leader in Kumeu.
Mitchell Hartnett-Newlands
Vehicle Valet
Mitchell has attended Recreate programmes for over 10 years, and is very happy to be part of the operations team as Vehicle Valet.
Nicholas Leggat
Vehicle Valet
Nicholas Leggat has been a part of Moxie Orchard teams for a few years, and has progressed into employment with Recreate as Vehicle Valet.
Imogen Dobbs
Head Office Cleaner
Imogen loves Recreate, especially the Girls Club and other Urbans! Imogen brings fun, energy and positive vibes to the office.
William Eady
Head Office Cleaner
William has progressed from junior through to youth programmes, and loves everything Recreate related. William brings a diligence and attention to detail to his role in the head office as a cleaner.
Cayleigh Torkler
Programme Facilitator
Cayleigh has spent a great amount of days on our Moxie programmes as a safe a reliable volunteer, and we are thrilled to now see her in a facilitator role in Auckland.
Jess Drumm
Programme Facilitator
Jess is currently about halfway through her Bachelor of Social Work, and she facilitates a range of our programmes in Auckland. In her spare time, she loves being active by playing netball, socialising with her friends and spending time outdoors!
Kiralee Cooke
Programme Coordinator
kiralee@recreate.org.nz
Kiralee has recently arrived in Auckland from Wellington and is super excited to be part of the Programme Coordination team. Kiralee is very passionate about ballroom dancing, as well as leading young people, most recently as a tutor for Starjam.
Ella Speight
ADSA Programme Coordinator
adsa@recreate.org.nz
Ella has been a standout volunteer for Recreate in Auckland over the past two years while studying health science at University. She has recently joined our team of staff as Auckland Down Syndrome Association (ADSA) Social Club Coordinator.
BAY OF PLENTY
Sophie McLaughlan
National Programmes Coordinator
BAY OF PLENTY
sophie@recreate.org.nz
With Sheridan now on maternity leave, Sophie proudly gains the title of National Programmes Coordinator. based in the Bay of Plenty. Sophie brings a great amount of experience, insight and diligence to this role, and she loves to see Recreate grow and thrive.
Fleur Van Lieshout
Programme Coordinator
BAY OF PLENTY
fleur@recreate.org.nz
Originally from the Netherlands, Fleur is proud to call Aotearoa home for the last two years now. With a background in tourism, Fleur is very passionate about creating unforgettable experiences for young people.
Samantha MacGillivray
Programme Coordinator
BAY OF PLENTY
samantha@recreate.org.nz
Samantha is our latest Programme Coordinator for the Bay, and she brings a vibrancy and youthfulness to the team. Samantha can't wait to meet our community and to get stuck in on programmes.
Earl Fisher
Vehicle Valet
Earl has recently completed his Moxie work experience programme, and has subsequently successfully gained employment as Vehicle Valet in the Bay
Sally Davis
Lead Programme Coordinator
CHRISTCHURCH
sally@recreate.org.nz
Sally is from the States and she has recently completed her studies in Psychology and Spanish. She is very excited to be working in a field she is passionate about!
Rosie comes with a Bachelor of Sustainability and Outdoor Education. She is passionate about our youth and looks forward to growing Recreate in Christchurch.
WAIKATO
Ireland Grater
Programme Coordinator
CHRISTCHURCH
ireland@recreate.org.nz
Ireland is originally from Christchurch, and she has returned home after a few years in Auckland as Programme Coordinator.
Lily Wheeler
Programme Coordinator
Funding Officer
CHRISTCHURCH
lily@recreate.org.nz
Lily joined Recreate back in 2017 in the Waikato before moving to Christchurch to work in the nursing field. We are so thrilled that she has returned to a Programme Coordinator role and is fully involved with Recreate Christchurch.
Danielle Watson
Programme Coordinator
CHRISTCHURCH
daniellew@recreate.org.nz
Danielle has just finished her degree in psychology and creative writing this year and has also spent the last few years competing in sprint kayaking for New Zealand. Danielle is very excited to be part of Recreate in Christchurch!
WELLINGTON
CHRISTCHURCH
Sarah Stokes
Lead Programme Coordinator
WAIKATO
sarahs@recreate.org.nz
Sarah is studying at Waikato University, completing her Bachelors in Sport and Human Performance.. Sarah has been volunteering with Recreate for over 2 years and she is very excited to be more involved by taking on this role!
Abbey Robinson
Programme Coordinator
WAIKATO
abbey@recreate.org.nz
Abbey is in her last year of studying Primary School Education at the University of Waikato. Abbey loves keeping active and anything to do with the outdoors as well as spending my spare time with family and friends.
Matt Alpe
Lead Programme Coordinator
(Interim)
WELLINGTON
matt@recreate.org.nz
Matt will be overseeing the Wellington region in the interim while we search for the next Lead Programme Coordinator in the capital.
Emma Mudgway
Office Manager and Onboarding Coordinator
emmam@recreate.org.nz
volunteering@recreate.org.nz
Emma oversees the Head Office management, Auckland volunteers and new participant’s onboarding.
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Annabelle Webster
Lead Programme Coordinator
annabelle@recreate.org.nz
Annabelle has experienced it all at Recreate in Auckland, and is now the Lead for this region. Annabelle brings energy, inclusion and a real eagerness to get involved in everything Recreate!
Amal Adam
Programme Coordinator
amal@recreate.org.nz
Originally from Australia, Amal studied psychology in Melbourne. She started off as an intern at Recreate, then a volunteer and now is a Programme Coordinator!
An enthusiastic outdoorsman on the track and the seas. Brent has just celebrated 11 incredible years as the General Manager of Recreate NZ.
Sophie McLaughlan
National Programmes Coordinator
sophie@recreate.org.nz
With Sheridan now on maternity leave, Sophie proudly gains the title of National Programmes Coordinator. based in the Bay of Plenty. Sophie brings a great amount of experience, insight and diligence to this role, and she loves to see Recreate grow and thrive.
Matt Alpe
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
matt@recreate.org.nz
Matt has over 10 years of experience with Recreate from volunteer, facilitator, National Programmes Coordinator and now in the Marketing role and senior leadership.
Sarah Ferens
Head of Moxie
Funding Officer sarahf@recreate.org.nz
funding@recreate.org.nz
moxie@recreate.org.nz
Sarah heads up Moxie, and she also seeks funding for our programmes by creating meaningful relationships with our funders and within the disability community.
"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.
Rob Byrne
Chair
Former operations staff member Rob has extremely valuable experience within many facets of Recreate over the years.
Sue Small
Secretary
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.
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.
Dean Duckmanton
Trustee
A proud supporter of the disability sector, Dean hopes to add value to Recreate NZ with experiences in Government, Business & Construction wherever possible
Our Locations
There's hardly a part of beautiful Aotearoa that we haven't explored with participants! Recreate NZ operates out of five locations, and we run programmes for clients in the Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury and Wellington 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, Bay of Plenty, Waikato or Wellington offices - See below.
Complaints Policy
Recreate NZ offers a robust complaints procedure for participants and families.
If you would like to compliment our people or services, have any concerns, or if you believe that we’ve failed to deliver the quality programmes and/or care that we pride ourselves on, we want to know.
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Please contact us at info@recreate.org.nz