Board Members

Our Board works to ensure that our organisation is well managed and focussed in its activities. It determines the Asthma Foundation's policies and assures its good financial management.

 

 

 

 

 

Professor Ian Town, President

Ian is a past Medical Director of the Asthma Foundation. He is currently Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canterbury. He has had a long involvement with the Asthma Foundation and has previously served as a committee member of the Canterbury Asthma Society.

Until 2002, he was Director of the Canterbury Respiratory Research Group and has published extensively on asthma, COPD, pneumonia and pulmonary embolism.

 

Dr Bob Hancox, Medical Director

Bob is a Research Associate Professor in the department of Preventive and Social Medicine at the University of Otago. He is also a respiratory physician at Waikato Hospital. His research includes work on the epidemiology of asthma, the assessment of airway inflamation and the treatment of asthma with beta-agonists and inhaled corticosteroids. If you are from the media and wish to contact Bob for comment on a respiratory issue, you can call him on cellphone 021 324 133 or (03) 479 8512.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ruth Gardener

Ruth is a Registered Nurse working at the Otago Corrections Facility and is also a lecturer at the Otago Polytechnic School of Nursing. Prior to this she worked as a Clinical Nurse Respiratory Educator at Dunedin Hospital and in a General Practice.

She is committed to advocating for people with respiratory conditions to try to ensure they have access to education and services to help them manage their disease. To assist this process, Ruth believes, primary, secondary and tertiary care providers need to work closely together to effectively use, strengthen and develop services for people with respiratory disease. She sees the Asthma Foundation as ideally placed to provide advocacy and leadership to everyone involved in respiratory health. Ruth is chairperson of the Otago Asthma Society and a member of the Respiratory Nurses' Section of the NZNO. In her spare time she enjoys life on a small holding.

                                               

Lou Jurlina

Lou Jurlina is a part time, self-employed professional Clinical Nurse Supervisor contracting to Coast to Coast Health Care in Wellsford. A Maori woman in her early 60s, Lou has well managed chronic asthma and lives in Whangarei.

She worked with Asthma Society Northland for many years including as president, secretary, staff liaison and executive committee member.

Lou has professional experience in pediatrics, Maori health, lecturing for BHSc Nursing programmes and mobile nursing for a Maori health provider. She is committed to ensuring best practice in the delivery of respiratory care from appropriate health care services. Partnership with the Maori Reference Group and the leadership role of the Asthma Foundation resonates with that.

Lou is married with two adult children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Knight

John has been involved with Asthma Hawkes Bay for over 20 years, with about 15 years as President. During this time Asthma Hawkes Bay has gone from being a small society to becoming a registered charitable trust employing three asthma educators and with DHB funding.  

John has had a long involvement in voluntary and community organisations.  He brings strong strategic and leadership skills to the table and a good understanding of local voluntary organisations.

Lois Meneer

Lois has a diverse range of hands-on work experience including public and private sector work at staff and management levels. She is an associate member of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand.

Ten years senior Human Resources experience has provided Lois with a sound understanding of organisational development, change management and performance.

Lois has been self employed as a farmer, marketer and consultant. She is also vice president of Asthma Waikato.

Bill Smith

Bill joined the Board after a long business career with Carter Holt Harvey and Fletcher Building, latterly as General Manager of Tasman Insulation, New Zealand. He is Chair of the Building Industry Federation, the Productivity Partnership and the Advisory Panel to the Chief Executive of the Department of Building and Housing. He is a Board member of Licenced Building Practitioners, member of the Building Research Advisory Council and Executive Director of Construction Strategy Group.

 

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Tuwhakairiora (Tu) Williams

Governance Groups
Chairman – Te Roopu Taumata - Maori Advisory Committee Public Health (Ministry of Health)
Board Member – Amnesty International Aotearoa NZ
Board Member – NZ Social & Civic Policy Institute
Independent Chair – Maori Advisory Group Monitoring Framework and Research Agenda “He Korowai Oranga” Maori Health (Ministry of Health)
Member of Not-For-Profit Sector Advisory Committee (Ministry of Social Development)
Board Member – Funding Information Service, Wellington
Chair – Te Putahi Paho, Maori Electoral College, Maori Television Service
Board Member – Electoral College Te Huarahi Tika Trust – 2G Spectrum
Secretary – Bay of Plenty Regional Fisheries Forum (Ministry of Fisheries and Hapu/Iwi of B.O.P Region)
Secretary – Interim Working Group, Whakatohea Raupatu Claim Negotiations
Member – The Institute of Directors

Background
I have a career background in the education sector, having taught in schools and education centres in New Zealand and New South Wales. In the last 12 years I have worked mainly in the Treaty of Waitangi and Maori issues sector in my role as the Chief Executive Officer of the Maori Congress, as a researcher and also as an external consultant to various government agencies including Statistics New Zealand, the Ministry of Health, Department of Corrections, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Fisheries, Education Review Office, Te Puni Kokiri, Office of the Community and Voluntary Sector, Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Economic Development.

I have had extensive involvement in tribal affairs including a role as a negotiator of Maori Broadcasting and the Maori Television Service, the Whakatohea Raupatu Claim, leadership in hapu, and service provider strategic planning, research and economic development, conducting wananga on Whakatohea and Mataatua moteatea, whakapapa and history. During my career I have been appointed to leadership roles and I’ve learned to refine my leadership skills to a high level of performance.