Board and Staff

Di Paton

Di Paton is known for her entrepreneurial spirit and for her passion for assisting women to make positive and lasting differences in their lives. In this regard, she was Executive Director of the YWCA of Auckland for five years during a period of hostel expansion and programme development.Di has a background in corporate marketing and management but, in recent years, has worked for a number of non-profit organisations in New Zealand in senior roles.

Last year Di returned to the corporate world working on Environmental Communication for Air New Zealand. She has three grown children and four grandchildren who live in Australia and New Zealand. Di lives in Auckland with her husband, David Webber.

Janelle Nee

Janelle Nee, 25, is member of the YWCA of Auckland Board, Young Women’s Collective member and Future Leaders mentor. Janelle is studying at AUT for a Bachelor of Sport and Recreation majoring in Coaching. She has also completed a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts in Management and History.Janelle works at Auckland Girls’ Grammar as Netball Coordinator and Premier Coach and recently took up a new position with Netball Auckland Waitakere as its CoachForce Coordinator.

Janelle’s interests include Netball, Softball and mentoring young women to help develop their potential.

Susan Hitchiner

Susan Hitchiner has held senior positions for over 20 years, reporting directly to the chief executive, in three public sector organisations and has worked as an independent consultant in the public management area for nearly eight years.Susan’s work as a consultant is divided between considering issues at an organisational and whole of government level. Her work focuses on strengthening organisational performance by developing more effective governance structures and arrangements, accountability arrangements, regulatory frameworks, performance specification and measurement, organisational performance management. Susan has worked across a range of sectors and technical areas.

Susan is also an experienced general manager, with particular strengths in successfully developing and implementing clear strategies for improved organisational performance, and in developing motivated, self-sustaining and high-performing teams.

Susan has been the Treasurer and Vice-President for the YWCA of Aotearoa New Zealand since early 2007 and is committed to the YWCA’s aim of empowering women, especially young women. Through her membership of the Board, Susan is focused on strengthening the organisation at a national level so that it provides a sound base and strong support for the delivery of programmes for women and girls within our communities and across the country.

Board Members

Vanisa Dhiru, a New Zealand born Indian, Vanisa works as a social marketing/communications contractor in Wellington. Outside of work, she focuses on women’s development in the non-profit sector, and promotes and practices young women’s leadership. In 2007/08, she led the creation of YWCA Discover programme in Wellington for Year 11/12 females to learn and practice the essence of leadership – like she did through her own training on the NZ Leadership Institute’s Future Leaders Programme in 2005/06. Vanisa was a finalist for NZ Volunteer of the Year 2010, recognised for her extensive community work with the YWCA. She also serves on the board of Wellington Trade Aid and has been a board member of Dress for Success Wellington. She has worked with women in slums and with orphans in Chennai and Bangalore, India; and is a Justice of the Peace. Vanisa has been a finalist 2010 Young New Zealander of the Year award; 2010 Volunteer of the Year award; 2010 HerBusiness Wellington Outstanding Business Citizenship award; 2005 NZIM Young Executive of the Year.

In 2009, Vanisa represented Aotearoa at the World YWCA Regional Training Institute in Bali and the Breakthrough Conference in Australia. She assists in leading the Young Womens Collective, a group of women 30 years and under within the YWCA Aotearoa movement. She is the current President of YWCA of Greater Wellington and has been involved with the YWCA movement for six years.

Shannon Kelly, a young woman, hails from Ngati Haua, Ngati Koroki, Ngati Raukawa, Whakatohea, and Pakeha descent. She is from the vibrant Hamilton city, and has an impressive history with the YWCA of A/NZ including being selected for the 2005 YWCA Young Women’s Scholarship and local Hamilton YWCA board in 2006. Shannon was nominated to the YWCA of A/NZ Board in 2010 and selected as a delegate for World YWCA Council in Zurich 2011.Shannon started her career in Kohanga Reo, after that she moved overseas to work with disadvantaged young women in the US, and then moved home to work in Kaupapa Maori Youth Social services in Hamilton. She is currently working as the Advocacy Coordinator at the Waikato Student’s Union as well as empowering woman as Co-President for Hamilton.

Shannon holds a Bachelor of Communication Studies, majoring in Public Relations and Management Communications. Her hobbies are making noise, public speaking, netball and touch, not for profit sector and she enjoys being with family and with people.

Carol Scholes has been involved in the YWCA movement since 2001 when she went to work at the YWCA of Australia. Carol worked with YWCA Australia for four years in which time she was involved locally, nationally and internationally with activities of the YWCA. SheI was heavily involved in the organisation of the World Council in 2003 held in Brisbane and also worked with YWCAs in PNG, Fiji, and Solomon Islands on a project to build knowledge and resources in computing. Carol has been a board member of the YWCA of Auckland since 2006 and President since 2008.In her day job, Carol is the owner and Director of Threshold Management and Coaching, a consultancy specialising in working with community benefit organisations in capacity building, planning and board and CEO coaching. She is also a business coach and a qualified mediator as well as a lecturer with Unitec in the Graduate Diploma of not-for-profit management, her specialties are governance, financial management and conflict management.

Carol has over 25 years of management experience working in commercial and not-for-profit organisations both in New Zealand and Australia. She has a Bachelor of Business in Human Resource Management, a Graduate Diploma in Dispute Resolution (Mediation), Certificate in Executive Coaching and is a qualified trainer using accelerated learning techniques as well as an Associate Member of the Arbitrators and Mediator’s Institute of New Zealand and an accredited life coach with the International Coach Federation. Carol is also a volunteer Business Mentor for Business Mentors New Zealand.

Tania Thomas hails from the Far North and is of Ngati Kahu descent. She is married with three adult daughters and two grandchildren. Tania is currently the Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner – Disability, based in Auckland. She manages the Education and Corporate Support functions of the Commissioner’s office, and has delegated responsibility for investigations involving disability services.

Tania has a background both as a rehabilitation worker and as a general manager in large social services organisations. Tania has a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Auckland, and serves on several Iwi and social service organisation boards.

Sarah Davies

Sarah oversees the development and delivery of a new advocacy programme for the YWCA of Aotearoa New Zealand, and supports all YWCA Member Associations to continue to implement existing programmes that benefit women in Aotearoa New Zealand, especially young women.

Steph Fink

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