Our Governance team
Alison Howard, Chair
The group I attended made such a big difference to me when I was on maternity leave with my first child - I want to make sure as many women who want to can have the same experience I did. I have a business and sustainability background, so I hope I bring skills that will ensure we can continue to bring groups to Wellington women far into the future.
I have two boys born April 2013 and October 2016. My husband is a stay at home dad for our family, which brings its own challenges but it pretty awesome most of the time! These are the sorts of things we talk about in our groups - how we navigate these choices (or lack of choices) and how that plays out in terms of how we feel about ourselves as people, as women and as mothers.
I was in a group in 2013 when I was on maternity leave. I knew I would struggle with being at home with a baby as I'm a strong extrovert - I need lots of adult company! I signed up for heaps of things, but it was the Mothers Network group where I found my people. It meant a lot to me to be able to talk about the loss of identity I felt in becoming a mother, and how amazing I found it that you could feel intense love and misery at the same time, or have no time but be utterly bored! I had to give my self permission to feel negative emotions and still believe in myself as a mother. The group and friends I made from that group really helped me with that.
I think we are all capable of strength when we need it, and I admire most the women who have faced challenges head on, and surprised themselves with what they're capable of. We are women hear us roar!
The group I attended made such a big difference to me when I was on maternity leave with my first child - I want to make sure as many women who want to can have the same experience I did. I have a business and sustainability background, so I hope I bring skills that will ensure we can continue to bring groups to Wellington women far into the future.
I have two boys born April 2013 and October 2016. My husband is a stay at home dad for our family, which brings its own challenges but it pretty awesome most of the time! These are the sorts of things we talk about in our groups - how we navigate these choices (or lack of choices) and how that plays out in terms of how we feel about ourselves as people, as women and as mothers.
I was in a group in 2013 when I was on maternity leave. I knew I would struggle with being at home with a baby as I'm a strong extrovert - I need lots of adult company! I signed up for heaps of things, but it was the Mothers Network group where I found my people. It meant a lot to me to be able to talk about the loss of identity I felt in becoming a mother, and how amazing I found it that you could feel intense love and misery at the same time, or have no time but be utterly bored! I had to give my self permission to feel negative emotions and still believe in myself as a mother. The group and friends I made from that group really helped me with that.
I think we are all capable of strength when we need it, and I admire most the women who have faced challenges head on, and surprised themselves with what they're capable of. We are women hear us roar!
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Aimee Banner, Finance Manager
Aimee is a Chartered Accountant with ten years accounting experience working with a diverse range of entities including those in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. After attending a Mother’s Network discussion group in August 2016, Aimee wanted to give back and a year later became the Finance Manager. She is responsible for Mothers’ Network’s full finance function which incorporates the very important management of grant funding. Aimee is born and bred in Wellington and has two children. She admires Princess Diana for being a devoted mother and a strong, independent and compassionate woman. |
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Melissa Wharakura, Groups Development and Support Manager
I am a qualified Social Worker with experience in working with a range of community groups in Wellington and in the U.K including the fields of adoption, tertiary students, disability, child protection and whānau support. One of my passions is supporting mums to be connected with their communities as I believe that this is key to the success of the whole whānau in many cases.
I attended a ‘Working Mums Group’ through Mothers Network and found this an incredibly powerful way to meet other mums who were striking the balance between home and work as well as being able to have the time and space to focus on ensuring that we are caring for ourselves (as well as caring for our children and wider whānau).
My role at Mothers Network is to be the first point of contact for mums who get in touch. I organise and market our discussion groups, recruit and support our facilitators and support the smooth running of the groups. I also work closely with community organisations to complement the work that they do for mums in the community and to raise awareness of the services that Mothers Network provides to Wellington mums. This is an extremely rewarding role and it offers me the chance to meet some amazing mums and community partners. I also facilitate for Mothers Network so I get to see first hand how effective our groups are for mums in that we provide the space for mums connect with other mums and to focus on themselves (which can be rare) in a non-judgemental and supportive environment.
I am the lucky mum of a gorgeous girl and boy who keep me on my toes at all times and fill my life with lots of laughs! I am grateful to my husband, kids and wider family who support me to strike a reasonably good balance in my life (most of the time) so I get to be involved in a great organisation while being on my busy parenting journey with 2 preschoolers.
I am a qualified Social Worker with experience in working with a range of community groups in Wellington and in the U.K including the fields of adoption, tertiary students, disability, child protection and whānau support. One of my passions is supporting mums to be connected with their communities as I believe that this is key to the success of the whole whānau in many cases.
I attended a ‘Working Mums Group’ through Mothers Network and found this an incredibly powerful way to meet other mums who were striking the balance between home and work as well as being able to have the time and space to focus on ensuring that we are caring for ourselves (as well as caring for our children and wider whānau).
My role at Mothers Network is to be the first point of contact for mums who get in touch. I organise and market our discussion groups, recruit and support our facilitators and support the smooth running of the groups. I also work closely with community organisations to complement the work that they do for mums in the community and to raise awareness of the services that Mothers Network provides to Wellington mums. This is an extremely rewarding role and it offers me the chance to meet some amazing mums and community partners. I also facilitate for Mothers Network so I get to see first hand how effective our groups are for mums in that we provide the space for mums connect with other mums and to focus on themselves (which can be rare) in a non-judgemental and supportive environment.
I am the lucky mum of a gorgeous girl and boy who keep me on my toes at all times and fill my life with lots of laughs! I am grateful to my husband, kids and wider family who support me to strike a reasonably good balance in my life (most of the time) so I get to be involved in a great organisation while being on my busy parenting journey with 2 preschoolers.
Emma Bramwell
I have a background in HR and research, and experience of working in both the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. In 2016 I moved back to New Zealand with my family from the U.K. to start my nursing studies. I have a particular passion for maternal mental and physical health and hope to pursue this on graduating.
Early in 2017 I attended a ‘Working Mums Group’ through Mothers Network and gained an enormous amount from being able to share joys and stresses with other mothers. I have since trained to be a Mothers Network facilitator, and especially enjoy the challenge of bringing a group together, initiating discussions, and watching friendships grow. I have now witnessed from both sides just what a difference an organisation like Mothers Network can make in the lives of women.
I have a wonderful and hilarious wee girl, who alongside my incredibly supportive husband, is very understanding of me parenting whilst studying and working. Something I certainly couldn’t do without their love and support.
I have a background in HR and research, and experience of working in both the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. In 2016 I moved back to New Zealand with my family from the U.K. to start my nursing studies. I have a particular passion for maternal mental and physical health and hope to pursue this on graduating.
Early in 2017 I attended a ‘Working Mums Group’ through Mothers Network and gained an enormous amount from being able to share joys and stresses with other mothers. I have since trained to be a Mothers Network facilitator, and especially enjoy the challenge of bringing a group together, initiating discussions, and watching friendships grow. I have now witnessed from both sides just what a difference an organisation like Mothers Network can make in the lives of women.
I have a wonderful and hilarious wee girl, who alongside my incredibly supportive husband, is very understanding of me parenting whilst studying and working. Something I certainly couldn’t do without their love and support.
Vicky Robson
Hello, I’m Vicky Robson. My background is in Human Resources. I’ve always enjoyed working with discussion groups, so as well as participating in the Mother’s Network board, I’m also a group Facilitator. I’m proud to support an organisation that supports mums, who have such a challenging, yet crucial role in our society.
I first joined a discussion group when my second child was only 11 weeks old. My two daughters are only 14 months apart in age, so I felt like I was in the middle of a whirlwind. Mother’s Network gave me a chance to reflect on the biggest change of my life, becoming a mother, and figure out how to accommodate all the different roles in my life, while not forgetting about me. My girls are now 2 ½ and 3 ½ and I still have to work hard to balance all the demands of my mumming life.
Since then, I’ve facilitated a number of groups. I really enjoy seeing the support grow between Mums through sharing their experiences, and the relief at just how much we all have in common! It’s a wonderful bonus when mums also form some lovely friendships.
A woman I admire is Princess Diana. Aside from the obvious glamour factor (!), I admired her warmth and her ability to relate to everyone in a genuine and special way. She also achieved a lot for causes which were not at all glamorous and that others would not touch. Most importantly, she loved her boys so so much and was never afraid to show it!
Hello, I’m Vicky Robson. My background is in Human Resources. I’ve always enjoyed working with discussion groups, so as well as participating in the Mother’s Network board, I’m also a group Facilitator. I’m proud to support an organisation that supports mums, who have such a challenging, yet crucial role in our society.
I first joined a discussion group when my second child was only 11 weeks old. My two daughters are only 14 months apart in age, so I felt like I was in the middle of a whirlwind. Mother’s Network gave me a chance to reflect on the biggest change of my life, becoming a mother, and figure out how to accommodate all the different roles in my life, while not forgetting about me. My girls are now 2 ½ and 3 ½ and I still have to work hard to balance all the demands of my mumming life.
Since then, I’ve facilitated a number of groups. I really enjoy seeing the support grow between Mums through sharing their experiences, and the relief at just how much we all have in common! It’s a wonderful bonus when mums also form some lovely friendships.
A woman I admire is Princess Diana. Aside from the obvious glamour factor (!), I admired her warmth and her ability to relate to everyone in a genuine and special way. She also achieved a lot for causes which were not at all glamorous and that others would not touch. Most importantly, she loved her boys so so much and was never afraid to show it!
Kirsty Robben, Treasurer
My background is in human resources, training and organisational development - in various government, tertiary and state-owned organisations. In my paid work my passion is for understanding others and seeing people develop and grow in their careers. For Mothers Network I have this same people interest but specifically for enabling women to understand and embrace their own strength as women and mothers. I also have a keen focus on making the most out of nothing (as evidenced by my op shopping addiction/talent...). Charitable organisations such as ours have a constant struggle to find funding and resourcing and to work within our means which can be frustrating but also a satisfying challenge.
I have two daughters born in August 2015 and December 2017 and I participated in a Mothers Network group in 2016 when I was on parental leave and my first daughter was about 8 months old. I felt the need to focus on myself as motherhood for me up until that point was a 100% focus on the baby, a balance which felt unnatural and unsustainable. I’ve never felt comfortable being defined solely as a mother or by the fact that I have children, and though ironically the organisation ‘Mothers Network’ does this by its title, it helped me to remember that we can define ourselves not by our relationships to others but in our own right as powerful individuals.
A strong woman I admire: I love the spoken word feminist poetry by Sarah Kay, particularly the poem ‘B’ which talks about bringing up strong daughters.
My background is in human resources, training and organisational development - in various government, tertiary and state-owned organisations. In my paid work my passion is for understanding others and seeing people develop and grow in their careers. For Mothers Network I have this same people interest but specifically for enabling women to understand and embrace their own strength as women and mothers. I also have a keen focus on making the most out of nothing (as evidenced by my op shopping addiction/talent...). Charitable organisations such as ours have a constant struggle to find funding and resourcing and to work within our means which can be frustrating but also a satisfying challenge.
I have two daughters born in August 2015 and December 2017 and I participated in a Mothers Network group in 2016 when I was on parental leave and my first daughter was about 8 months old. I felt the need to focus on myself as motherhood for me up until that point was a 100% focus on the baby, a balance which felt unnatural and unsustainable. I’ve never felt comfortable being defined solely as a mother or by the fact that I have children, and though ironically the organisation ‘Mothers Network’ does this by its title, it helped me to remember that we can define ourselves not by our relationships to others but in our own right as powerful individuals.
A strong woman I admire: I love the spoken word feminist poetry by Sarah Kay, particularly the poem ‘B’ which talks about bringing up strong daughters.