Our people
Our head office in Wellington is supplemented by a smaller office in Auckland. Made up of 19 core staff, the Asia New Zealand Foundation is governed by a chairman and board of trustees. We also have a network of honorary advisers, who are prominent public figures based throughout Asia.
Wellington Office
Dr Richard Grant, Executive Director
Richard joined the Foundation as Executive Director in January 2008. Before taking up his current position he had postings as New Zealand Ambassador to Germany, High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador to France, and High Commissioner to Singapore. He has a doctorate from the University of Clermont-Ferrand in France. In 1999 he was a Visiting Scholar at the John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and in 2004 a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University.
Adele Mason, Deputy Executive Director
Adele joined Asia:NZ in a management role and later became Deputy Executive Director. Previously, she worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, taking up diplomatic postings in Moscow, Brussels, New York and Singapore (with accreditation responsibilities to Sri Lanka and the Maldives). Adele has also lived and worked in Hong Kong. At Asia:NZ she manages the corporate and governance responsibilities, and takes a coordinating role across programmes.
Jennifer King MNZM, Director Culture
Jennifer oversees Asia:NZ’s culture programme, including the Chinese Lantern Festival in Auckland and Christchurch, and the Diwali Festival of Lights in Auckland and Wellington. Prior to joining Asia:NZ, Jennifer worked as a journalist in Hong Kong, China and Australia. She has an M.A. (Hons) from the University of Canterbury. In June 2011, Jennifer was awarded Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the Asian community.
John Saunders, Director Communications
John oversees Asia:NZ's digital and traditional marketing communications responsibilities. Prior to taking up the position at Asia:NZ, John has worked in radio, television and marketing communications management roles in both private and public sectors in England and New Zealand.
Vanessa Lee, Director Education
Vanessa joined Asia:NZ in April 2008 as Director Education, responsible for the Young Leaders Network and the Education portfolio. Vanessa has a B.A. (Hons) in Education, an M.A. in Education and a Diploma in TEFL. She has taught in primary, secondary and tertiary institutes in Britain, Bhutan, Brunei and Singapore. Vanessa’s previous post was Deputy Director of English Language Services for the British Council in Singapore.
Dr Andrew Butcher, Director Policy and Research
Andrew joined Asia:NZ in December 2006, and manages the research and Track II programmes. He has a PhD in Sociology from Massey University, and degrees in history and criminology from Victoria University of Wellington. He is the author of over 40 reports, articles and book chapters. Andrew is a member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies and a Professional Member of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Previously, Andrew held research roles at Inland Revenue and Massey University.
Rebecca Palmer, Media Adviser
Prior to joining Asia:NZ Rebecca worked at The Dominion Post where she was a feature writer and a reporter. While at Fairfax, Rebecca undertook work placements at the Asahi Shimbun in Tokyo and the Shanghai Daily in China both supported by Asia:NZ. Before taking up journalism, Rebecca was a teaching fellow in Chinese at the University of Otago.
Paula Travaglia, Website Content Manager
Paula joined Asia:NZ in August 2011 and oversees Asia:NZ’s digital marketing communications responsibilities. She has worked as a website editor in the public sector, and previously worked as a sub-editor at The Dominion Post.
Melanie Crawford, Young Leaders Network Coordinator
Melanie’s interest in Asia was established after several years working and travelling around the region. She joined Asia:NZ in 2005 as a project coordinator, working on a variety of projects and events. In October 2007, she took on the role of Young Leaders Network Coordinator. She has a B.A. in politics, theatre and film from Victoria University of Wellington.
Fiona Haiko, Business Education Partnership Coordinator
Fiona joined Asia:NZ after returning to New Zealand from Japan where she worked and studied for over seven years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese and a Master of Arts in International Relations. Previously, Fiona worked as Executive Assistant to the CEO of a branch of Ernst & Young in Tokyo, and more recently as a Research/Consular Officer at the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo. Since April 2011, Fiona has been based in our Wellington office, working on the Business Education Partnership initiative.
Monica Turner, Project Officer Culture
Monica’s interest in Asia was established after travelling to India in 2002. Since then she has spent several years living and travelling in Asia. Her professional background is in event management and she holds a B.A. from Victoria University of Wellington. Monica joined Asia:NZ in 2007 in her current role, in which she has enjoyed working on a wide variety of projects and events. Monica is currently on parental leave.
Brittany Chellew, Project Officer Research
Brittany provides support towards the running of our research and Track II programmes. She has a MA (Distinction) in European Studies and a BA (Hons) in History from the University of Canterbury. She has previously worked in the local government sector in the UK and completed internships within the diplomatic sector in New Zealand and Australia.
Paula McLaughlin, Executive Assistant
Paula provides assistance to the Executive Director and the Chairman. She has been with Asia:NZ since 2003. She was appointed Chair of the Professional Assistants to Chief Executive organisation in September 2009. As an AFS exchange student, Paula spent a year living in Malaysia – an experience that made a significant impact on her life.
Deborah Dredge, Administration Assistant
Deborah joined Asia:NZ in 2003 as receptionist/accounts administrator after previously working as practice manager for a medical centre. Deborah is responsible for our accounts payable and receivable, and the day-to-day running of the Wellington office. She enjoys assisting our overseas performers during festival times and meeting the diverse range of visitors that we host.
Charmaine Meyers, Accountant
Charmaine joined Asia:NZ in April 2011 to provide cover during Sunita Soma's parental leave. Charmaine has a BBS from Massey University. She brings experience of working in the public sector, for chartered accounting firms and in volunteer roles within community gardening groups.
Sunita Soma, Accountant - on parental leave
Sunita joined Asia:NZ in 2007 in the role of part-time accountant. Sunita has a B.A. in Commerce from Victoria University, and has previously worked in Australia and England across both the private and public sectors. Sunita is currently on parental leave.
Auckland Office
James Penn, Director Business
James joined Asia:NZ in 2008 as Director Business in Auckland. He has a BA in Political Studies from the University of Otago and MMgt in International Business from Massey University. He has worked in Auckland for the Japan External Trade Organisation as trade and investment promotion manager, and at the Consulate-General of Japan as public relations officer.
Liyang Ma, Auckland Office Manager
Liyang arrived in New Zealand in 2003 from Urumqi, Xinjiang, a city in northwest China. She holds a B.A. in Communications Studies from Auckland University of Technology. Before joining Asia:NZ, she worked as advertising sales co-ordinator at ACP Media in Auckland. After a year in our Wellington Office working in the culture programme, Liyang is now back in Auckland as our Auckland Office Manager.
Adam McConnochie, Project Manager, ASEAN Young Business Leaders’ Initiative
Adam has a MA in history from Victoria University, where he specialised in Indian politics, and a BA (Hons) from the University of Canterbury. Before joining Asia:NZ Adam worked in the public service in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
