Meet your zone representatives

Biography to come

Gina Waibl has a Civil Engineering degree and 13 years as a Risk Analyst and Road Safety Engineer.

She has her own consultancy and is an appointed independent professional advisor to the NZTA.

Previous roles include Risk Analyst for MWH New Zealand Ltd, and Transportation Engineer for MWH New Zealand Ltd.

Volunteer roles include the Predator Free Port Hills Steering Groups, the Summit Road Society - Omahu Bush, and various DOC volunteer experiences including a six-month stint on Raoul Island.

Paula Smith has been on the zone committee since 2014. She has a degree in Botany and worked as landscape architect in various locations throughout New Zealand.

Paula is also a trained resource management decision-maker and has been a member of a hearings panel for resource consent applications in Christchurch City.

Paula has a keen interest in working with her local communities and has been chairperson of the Lyttelton/Mt Herbert Community Board since 2007.

Ben Manson farms his own property in Little River and farms in partnership on 2 other properties (Ōnuku and Ōnuku Heights).

He has lived in the area for the past 35 years and his parents and grandparents for most of their lives.

Ben has been involved in the local community with the activities of the Little River School and Co-Chair of the Little River Flood Working Group..

Garrick Thorn teaches Chemical Engineering at the University of Canterbury. In previous roles he was an Environmental Engineer at a Crown Research Institute working on industrial wastewater treatment, researching nutrient requirements of biological treatment systems.

He has also worked in Applied Research (Engineering) in the United Kingdom, and as an Environmental Engineer for Scion in Rotorua NZ.

Elizabeth Macpherson lives in Lyttelton and is a natural resources lawyer and lectures at the School of Law, University of Canterbury.

She worked at the University of Melbourne for approximately 5 years as a research fellow working on the Australian Research Council Discovery Project – forest carbon sequestration and indigenuous and local community rights.

Elizabeth also carried out research at the University of Melbourne on indigenous land and resource rights and water law matters.

Rima Herber has a Bachelor of Science in Plant and Microbial sciences and currently is involved on restoration work on ‘Oashore’.

She was the secretary of the Travis Wetland Trust for 2 years and involved in a working group to maintain access for across Birdlings Flat beach.

Rima is committed to improving the natural area around the area in Te Roto o Wairewa where she lives.

Dr Benita Wakefield is of Ngati Ira Kehu Hapu and Ngai Tahu Iwi representing Wairewa Runanga. She has been working for many years in community, whanau, hapu/ iwi development. Healing and restoring the wellbeing of whanau is integral to protecting and caring for our environment, waterways and to improving the Mauri, life force capacity of all living treasures. Manaaki whenua, Manaaki tangata, haere whakamua! - care for the land, care for the people, go forward!

June has lived at Rapaki, under the shadow of Te Poho o Tamatea, for most of her life. For the last decade her work has focussed on health and she is currently working for Nga Maata Waka to deliver a support service for mothers and children in conjunction with the CDHB. June is interested in health, education, the welfare of Maori, and environmental issues. She belongs to many community organisations relating to these interests.

My name is Manaia Cunningham and I am very fortunate to be from Tūtehuarewa Marae in Koukourarata Port Levy.

It is a privilege to be a member of the Banks Peninsula Water Zone Committee and I am very proud of the committee.  The quality and quantity of fresh water on the Peninsula will be safe for future generations if we all work together now.

Pere was born and bred in Akaroa where he spent many years fishing and eeling. He is a Ōnuku Marae board member and has worked as a mental health support worker for the last six years. Pere has been involved with sport in Banks Peninsula and has an interest in the environment, especially preserving native bush.

Andrew is the Christchurch City councillor for the Banks Peninsula ward. He is a director of the Canterbury Development Corporation and the deputy chair of the council's finance committee. Andrew is also very involved in the community. He is a trustee of the Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre Trust and the Lyttelton Returned Services Association Trust, as well as past chair and board member of the Lyttelton Harbour Business Association.