CO-CHAIRPERSON

Catherine has lived and breathed art for over 25 years. Working across public institutions, private galleries (including her own) and international art events she has held a variety of roles that champion contemporary artists and their practice. She is currently a consultant specialising in registration, collection management and writing.

CO-CHAIRPERSON

Lisa is the Regional Coordinator at Taranaki's Biodiversity Trust Wild for Taranaki for the Wai Connection – Tatai Ki Te Wai programme, working alongside conservation communities to strengthen connection, collaboration, and collective action.

With a Master of Arts in Cultural Studies and Communication & Media, Lisa brings more than 20 years of experience in project management and community engagement. Before joining Wild for Taranaki, she was the Public Engagement Coordinator at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/NPDC, and previously delivered a wide range of arts and cultural projects through the Goethe-Institut Wellington.

Her passion lies in empowering communities to work together toward meaningful social and environmental change. She believes deeply that creativity is a crucial force in any community — a catalyst for connection, innovation, and imagining better futures.

DEPUTY CHAIR

My main passion is music. I have played in various bands, currently with the OK Boomers, and have released several albums of my own songs. I write a regular humour column for Live magazine and host a weekly radio show on The Most FM.

TRUSTEE

Mikaela is an internationally acclaimed poet, fiction and non-fiction writer. Nominated for the prestigious Nordic Council Literary Prize 2020 for her first poetry collection in Swedish. Visiting Artist 2021 for Massey University, Palmerston North City and Square Edge Community Arts Centre. A keen collaborator, her PhD in creative writing and Pacific studies focused on the under-represented voices of women in Vanuatu and resulted in the novel Sado (2020), the ground-breaking Sista, Stanap Strong! A Vanuatu Women’s Anthology (2021), and multiple literary events. She is the NZ Society of Authors’ Taranaki representative and an accredited NZSA mentor and assessor. Her past experience includes being in charge of various overseas development and humanitarian aid portfolios for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, incl for education, tourism and the arts. New Zealand’s Development Counsellor in Vanuatu 2012-15.

TRUSTEE

I have worked for the Norwegian contemporary dance company Stellaris DansTeater since 2003, which has connected me to numerous roles in the arts industry.

As an dance artist I am curious about the connection between creative genres, as well as how movement and improvisation can enhance both process and performance.

My live works have often been site-specific, highlights being “Anew” (2014) and “Frolic” (2016), performed with Waikato Contemporary Dance Projects Trust at Hamilton Arts Festival. I have also collaborated on many short dance films, among them “Bird” (2018) and “Swans in Stone” (2020).

In New Plymouth I co-founded Moving Community (2019), Taranaki Contemporary Dance Collective (2020) and Taranaki Dance Trust (2021) - alongside Taranaki Youth Dance Company (2022). I am excited about how Creative Taranaki can facilitate the arts field both regionally and in a national perspective.

ARTS COORDINATOR

The arts have been a constant source of joy, stimulation and nourishment throughout my life. I studied Art History, completing my degree at Canterbury University, Christchurch.

For the past decade I have also been involved in the planning, organisation and staging of the Taranaki National Art Awards, held annually in Ōpunakē. and became chairperson of the committee four years ago.

I am enjoying being part of the awesome Creative Taranaki team! Continuing to create connections, build and maintain strong relationships and discovering the breadth and depth of our creative community network. Front of mind is the provision of opportunities for individuals and organisations to share their voice and vision around what is needed to grow capability, capacity and connectivity and provide support and resources to enable the creative economy to prosper and thrive.

*To find out more about our arts coordinators role, head over to our resources page.