Board of Trustees
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Sarah Gibb
Chair
Sarah lives in Hamilton and has been a Trustee since August 2021. She works as a Community Advisor across the Waikato region and has much experience in the ‘for purpose’ sector, from both operational and governance perspectives. Sarah’s brother died of a brain tumour before Brain Tumour Support NZ was set up and recognises her family’s journey would have been different if there had been some advice on practical decisions and resources . Her aspiration for the Trust is that it becomes sustainable and is always accessible to anyone wanting support on their brain tumour journey. Sarah was the instigator of Brainy Beanies and so loves to see how this flagship initiative is developing.
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Chris Tse
Founding Trustee
Chris is a Founding Trustee of the charity, becoming Chair in 2021. He is a Senior Advisor to the International Brain Tumour Alliance (IBTA), a Patient Expert in CNS Tumours for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), a member of the Co-operative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology (COGNO, Australia), and a member of the executive committee of the NZ Aotearoa Neuro-Oncology Society (NANOS). Chris’s wife Lynda is a long term survivor of a glioblastoma. The couple live in Wellington.
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Moira Coatsworth
Trustee
Moira was a child and family psychologist for 35 years until 2019 when her daughter Kate was diagnosed with a brain tumour. As a mother, Moira has learned about the devastating impact of a brain tumour, the support needed, and the positive impact of Brain Tumour Support NZ. In early 2021 she became a Trustee. Moira brings a wide range of governance experience. She lives with her husband Ian and daughter Kate on the Coromandel Peninsula.
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Michelle Wood
Trustee
Michelle became connected with Brain Tumour Support NZ through an organisation that she and her family run called Frankie to the Rescue, which supports families with a child receiving palliative care. Michelle's son Frankie passed away in 2021 from brain cancer, aged 3. She is passionate about the work that Brain Tumour Support NZ do and jumped at the opportunity to be a Trustee. Michelle has worked in High Performance Sport for the past 15 years and lives in Christchurch with her husband Warrick and daughter Scarlett.
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Simon Webby
Trustee
Simon’s connection with Brain Tumour Support NZ began as a patient. The support he received from BTSNZ was vital for both him and his family. The care, encouragement, and people he met along the way inspired him to give back to the organisation. He is deeply grateful to now be part of the team as a Trustee.
Simon currently works as a National Business Development Manager for a Council Controlled Trading Organisation. He brings governance experience from both the education and commercial sectors. With a strong background in commercial management, including serving as a company director .He is committed to supporting BTSNZ’s long-term sustainability and helping to raise awareness of brain tumours as widely as possible.
Simon lives in Waikato with his wife, where they enjoy spending time with their horses and getting out on the tractor.
Operations team
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Sarah Verran
Chief Executive
Sarah is based in Cambridge and brings many years of experience in marketing and for-purpose governance. When Sarah's daughter Ruby, was diagnosed with a Craniopharyngioma tumour in 2015, she and her family's world changed forever and the devastating effects of this tumour have led Sarah to understand the needs of the people that BTSNZ supports and the positive impact our services deliver.
A strong advocate for communication, activation and belief, Sarah describes herself as a glass-half-full thinker who knows how to navigate a very complex health system and build strong relationships to achieve positive outcomes for whānau and communities
Sarah is committed to leading Brain Tumour Support NZ to a space where they are known about before, they are needed.
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Kim Bredenbeck
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Harriet Dixon
Administration Support
admin@braintumoursupport.org.nz
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Support Group Facilitators
Jill Powell
Tim and Sandra Parker
Past trustees
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Mandy Bathan
Founding Trustee
Mandy is a Founding Trustee and was the inaugural Chair of the charity from 2019 to 2021. She has been a midwife, a school counsellor and a primary school teacher. In 2017, Mandy was diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma brain tumour. Following a successful surgery and after many months of rest and recuperation, she was able to return to work. Her experience taught her that there is much that needs to be done to support patients living with a brain tumour. Mandy is determined that if you hear the words ‘you have a brain tumour’ that the Trust will be there to provide the support you need.
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Marie Waterhouse
Founding Trustee / Secretary (2019 - 2023)
Marie was a Founding Trustee and Secretary of our charity. As co-owner of Nelson design company HotHouse Creative, she was instrumental in the design of our website and printed materials. Marie's expertise in marketing and her passion for helping brain tumour patients helped shape our brand and culture. Although no longer a trustee, Marie continues to provide significant support to Brain Tumour Support NZ as a volunteer and adviser.
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Gavin Starling
Founding Trustee (2019 - 2023)
Gavin was one of the founding trustees of the charity. After losing his wife Natalie to a glioblastoma in 2018, he became an advocate for others living with a brain tumour, before connecting with Chris Tse and Mandy Bathan to become a founding trustee. He went on to make a significant contribution in many areas of the charity’s work in its formative stages. Gavin works as a sleep physiologist for Te Whatu Ora, Te Tai Tokerau, in Whangarei.
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John Brydon
Founding Trustee and Treasurer (2019-2024)
John was a Founding Trustee and is the owner of First Class Accounts New Zealand. He joined the Board to look after the Treasurer duties and the accounting responsibilities. John added a wealth of business knowledge to our team over his tenure. John lives in Nelson with his wife and two lovely daughters and is heavily involved in rugby and soccer.
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Tania Anstiss
Trustee (2023 to 2025)
Tania is based in Tamaki Makaurau and became involved with the Trust when her husband was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2020. The support Tania received as a carer and through the loss of Adrian inspired her to remain involved and support the mission of the Trust. Tania is a clinical psychologist and has enjoyed being involved with the development of the Support Friends programme and the new BTS Kidz website. At the time of retiring as a trustee, Tania was the President of the New Zealand Psychological Society. She has three grown up children and one granddaughter.
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Tim Franklin
Trustee (2021-2025)
Tim was a trustee of BTSNZ .Based in Coastal Manawatū with his three teenage sonsand working as an Area Sales Manager for a national electrical wholesale supplier, Tim bought strong operational, sales, and financial expertise to the Board. Following the loss of his wife, Wendy, to glioblastoma in 2020 after a nine-year battle, he was deeply motivated to help ensure that individuals and families facing brain tumours received meaningful support, practical information, and compassionate assistance.