Speakers

MTA is delighted to have secured international speaker Amanda Gore.

More than 20 years ago, Amanda launched her speaking career by talking about connections that count, leading with the heart, motivating with laughter, and bringing out the best in people. With today's mergers and cross-cultural workplaces, Amanda stresses the importance of creating joyful corporate communities that bring people together productively and profitably.

Her thoughtful and intelligent assessment of what it takes to lead, coach, and inspire corporate teams to outstanding results in a range of businesses from healthcare to technology, finance to real estate, energy to hospitality, and insurance to retail has distinguished her as one of the world's most sought-after experts in her field.

Author of four books and numerous videos, Amanda has a degree in Physical Therapy, a major in Psychology, and expertise in physical therapy, group dynamics, neurolinguistics, and occupational health. She has worked in corporations, colleges, hospitals, and private practice and has often been interviewed on radio and TV on her areas of expertise.

Amanda blends these areas of expertise to connect body, mind and spirit to show people how to become more effective professionally and personally and to rediscover joy at work and in life.

"Audiences who heard Amanda more than two years ago…still talk about her and use principles from her presentation." 20 Year Independent Meeting Planner and Corporate Consultant to Sonic Corporation.

See Amanda on YouTube

Jack Yan founded Jack Yan & Associates (JY&A) in 1987, one of the world’s earliest virtual firms. He began his career in calligraphy and graphic design and was the first digital typeface designer in New Zealand.

Yan has spent much of his career in digital media, founding the online fashion title Lucire in 1997, and taking it into print editions worldwide in the mid-2000s. At the same time, JY&A grew into brand consulting, an area in which Yan has a master’s degree from Victoria University of Wellington, bringing him to the attention of the Medinge Group think-tank in 2002. He later became a director of the Group.

With his colleagues at Medinge, he was an author on Beyond Branding: How the New Values of Transparency and Integrity are Changing the World of Brands. He authored Typography and Branding in 2004, and was a contributor to Nishit Kumar and Anil Varma’s Nation Branding: Concepts and Country Perspectives in 2009.

Yan has been a pioneer in digital media for most of his working life, blogging from 2003, joining LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter in 2003, 2006 and 2007 respectively, and finding ways for organizations to capitalize on them.

He is currently on the Board of Advisers of Nimcom, a new college in communications in Pune, India, and has lectured and spoken in the United States, Sweden, France, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Photo courtesty Douglas Rimington

Colin James is a New Zealand political journalist with more than 35 years experience who writes weekly columns in the Dominion Post, Press and Otago Daily Times and a monthly column in Management magazine. He is the New Zealand correspondent of Oxford Analytica. He is managing director of the Hugo Group, which has more than 100 medium and large corporate members at CEO level. He makes presentations on the strategic environment to companies, industry associations, government departments and other groups.

He is a senior associate of the Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, where he runs roundtables. He is a fellow of the Institute of Public Administration. He has given many papers at conferences, seminars and symposiums in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. He has an honorary doctorate of literature from Victoria University of Wellington. He has held several university fellowships, including inaugural New Zealand Fellow at the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies at Melbourne University in 1993.

He chairs the board of Motu Economic and Public Policy Research, an independent economic research group. He has written six books and written many chapters in books. Most of his recent writing and speeches can be found on his website.

CEO, New Zealand Retailers Association Incorporated.

John is currently the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Retailers Association; a position he has held for the past 14 years. The New Zealand Retailers Association is the major association for the retail sector with many thousands of members ranging from the national chains to many owner-operator stores. 

Prior to joining the association John held the role of Marketing Director with R Hannah and Co. and before this he held a number of marketing and market research roles including Chief Executive of MRL Research.

John holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) from Otago Universtiy.

He is married with a grown up family and 6 grandchildren.

Gareth Hughes is Parliament’s second youngest MP. While completing a degree in Religious Studies, History and Politics at Victoria University, Gareth developed a passion for environmental campaigning.

Gareth brings with him the experience of being a crew member of the Rainbow Warrior, working on a successful campaign to eliminate McDonald's use of GE chicken feed, and protesting in Tiananmen Square to hi-light New Zealand coal exports to China.

Making the smooth transition from political activism to Green MP, Gareth has led many of the Green Party campaigns since entering Parliament early last year, including the Auckland CBD rail loop and Warm Healthy Rentals campaigns. He is the Green Party spokesperson on Transport, Housing, IT, Youth, Tertiary Education, Oceans, Libraries & Archives, Food and GE.

Gareth is married to Meghan and they have two children, Zoe and Arlo.

Ken Shirley became the Road Transport Forum Chief Executive Officer in July 2010.

A soil and water conservation scientist, he entered Parliament as the Labour MP for Tasman in 1984. He served as the Minister of Fisheries, Associate Minister of Agriculture, Associate Minister of Forestry and Associate Minister of Health before the Labour Government lost power in 1990.

A foundation member of the ACT Party and Deputy Leader/Whip from 1996-2005.

Ken was Executive Director of the New Zealand Forest Owners Association between 1990 and 1996. In May 2006 he became the first Chief Executive Officer of Organics Aotearoa NZ which aims at making organics a $1 billion industry by 2013, before moving on to head the Researched Medicines Industry Association in 2007.

Ken is a member of the Human Rights Review Tribunal and a Director of GNS Science.

Raewyn is the Chief Executive Officer of the Bus and Coach Association. She was appointed to this position in 2008 coming from a background in advocacy in the hospitality sector.

The Bus and Coach Association represents the majority of bus and coach operators throughout New Zealand who collectively own a fleet of over 6000 vehicles. Members operate public transport, school transport, tourism, inter-city and charter services.

Raewyn studied and lectured in human nutrition at Otago University where she also developed a passion for rugby watching Otago play at Carisbrook.

Philip Chapman is a Men’s Health Promoter employed by the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board and Director of The Male Room, an agency specifically targeting men and boys in crisis.

As well, Philip is a researcher and consultant advisor to individuals, government and nongovernmental organization, advisor to the National Cancer Society, and commissioned by the Families Commission and the Ministry of Health to research and advise service providers to be more effective in assisting male consumers of their services.

A lively, slightly unpredictable and thought provoking speaker, Philip is married to Gloria Lines, an interior designer, and will therefore happily discuss the importance of texture in the living room if preferred.

Of Te Arawa, Ngati Tuwharetoa, Tuhourangi, and Ngati Wahiao heritage, June is from a family of artists and entertainers.

One of her biggest thanks, and her reason for engaging with the health sector, is her own survival from breast cancer, which was and still is an everyday process.
 
“I am alive and well today, thankful for a new lease on life and especially grateful to amazing doctors, surgeons, radiologists and nurses, and particularly modern technology that allow us to live longer.”

Recently made Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to Maori and Maori art, and also for her work with breast screening awareness both locally and nationally .

June finds that talking with patients, telling them stories, often leads to a deeper understanding and often a lighter take on the potential seriousness of health care procedures.

“My own ancestral links are full of strong women,” she says, “Culturally  competent people who left pathways to follow, who left their footprints upon the earth.”

In her current role with Rotorua Area Primary Health Services, June looks to target high-needs groups in the community, such as young women who may not know they have a positive control over their destiny, in relation to cervical screening awareness, and to work with the practices to identify and support women to take advantage of both breast and cervical screening opportunities.

June’s internationally displayed artwork depicts themes which include strength, mortality, discovery and spirituality.

Jess brings a wealth of Human Resources experience to the wider MTA membership through a successful career within a global hotel chain and currently as the Human Resources Advisor at MTA.

Jess is strongly results focused and has a lead responsibility in interacting with the senior leadership team on a regular basis around issues of culture and capability.

She possesses relationship management skills that create value in a challenging and changing environment, a passion for excellence and has experience moving between the strategic and operational facets of HR.

Jess is currently completing a Bachelor of Business Studies majoring in Human Resource Management, extramurally, through Massey University.