Board and Life Members

Meet the 2022 - 2023 EONZ Board

Phil Washbourn - co-chair

Papanui High School

Phil is Assistant HOD HPE: Outdoor Education at Papanui High School in Christchurch and has been active within the Canterbury EONZ region since the early 2000s. He recently completed a Masters Thesis investigating Māori student perspectives in Outdoor Education and the implications for cultural responsive pedagogies in outdoor programmes. Phil has a passion for engaging students with Aotearoa New Zealand's unique outdoor environments, creating connections with the places they live in, and facilitating care and sound decision-making in our interactions with natural environments. Phil enjoys tramping, mountain biking, sea kayaking and tree planting in his spare time.

Email Phil

Celia Hogan - co-chair

Little Kiwis Nature Play

I originally studied Outdoor recreation and Adult Teaching at Aoraki Polytechnic. For the past 23 years I have worked in a variety of outdoor education organisations nationally and internationally. From instructing, running OE programmes in high schools, tutoring at Polytechnic level and running multi week wilderness expeditions, I gained experience setting up, developing and running outdoor programmes, leadership development programmes and establishing risk management and safety systems.

More recently I have redirected my skillset to help connect younger tamariki to the outdoors through nature play. I do this through providing professional development training to early children and primary teachers encouraging them to find outdoor learning opportunities using nature as the teacher. I also run a bush kindy playgroup and a one day bush school for primary aged tamariki.

 Email Celia

Fiona McDonald  - EONZ Chief Executive

Education Consultant 

Fiona is an Education Outside the Classroom consultant, project manager, and assessor. She works with a number of organisations. She a member of the Ministry of Education  Reference group that was involved in the development and ongoing review of the EOTC Guidelines.

Previously Fiona has worked as a teacher, Head of Faculty, Assistant and Deputy Principal at a high school level. She works with Skills Active supporting qualification development, moderation, and assessment. She is an auditor for Qualworx.
Fiona strongly believes in the value of quality integrated cross-curriculum EOTC for students.

Email Fiona

Libby Paterson 

Otago University, Teaching Fellow Victoria University of Wellington

Libby has a long career in education, starting in primary and secondary teaching before moving to the tertiary sector.   She spent sixteen years developing PLD experiences, and in-school one-on-one support, across the schooling sector, mainly involved in, but not limited to, the HPE learning space.

Libby has been both a facilitator and creator of PLD packages that are structured from an Inquiry perspective that are responsive to teachers’ needs and that of their akonga, based on evidence and research.

Email Libby

Dr Allen Hill 

Ara Institute of Canterbury

Dr Allen Hill is a Principal Lecturer in Sustainability and Outdoor Education at ARA Institute of Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand. Dr Hill joined the team at ARA in July 2016 from the University of Tasmania, Australia, where he was a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education since 2011.

Before his transition into tertiary education, Dr. Hill was a secondary school teacher in Aotearoa New Zealand for 11 years. During this time he held a number of leadership roles including Head of Health and Physical Education and Outdoor Education, and Head of Assessment in a large co-educational state secondary school.

Dr. Hill’s professional career can be characterized by an enduring commitment to the development of people through education coupled with a strong concern for issues of justice, equality, sustainability, transformation, and citizenship. How education can contribute to a more sustainable future through healthy people, healthy communities, and healthy environments is at the heart of his research and teaching interests.

Email Allen

Caroline Reddish 

Deputy Principal, Trident High School

Caroline has been working in the outdoors for the past 20 years, first as an outdoor instructor, then teaching Outdoor Education and PE at secondary level. As a leader she is focused on developing systems to support equitable access to EOTC for all. Caroline has a Masters in Educational Leadership and based this on coaching and mentoring and the use of Key Competencies to develop future-focused curriculum and reporting programmes.  Caroline is a member of the senior leadership team at Trident High School. 

Email Caroline

Dave Cassaidy

Mount Aspiring College

I have spent most of the last 3 decades working ion outdoor education and am keen to offer my experience to the EONZ executive. I have taught in a number of New Zealand secondary schools, and have also spent several years instructing at Outward Bound in New Zealand and Canada. I was the first EONZ kaiārahi, and have recently enjoyed collaborating with other EONZ members on the Skills Active led review of Unit Standards. I linve in Wānaka where I spend my free time kayaking and biking, and am halfway to being an empty nester. 

 Email Dave

Sharon White

Te Pā o Rākaihautū

Sharon currently works for the Ministry of Education as a Kaihautū Marautanga/Curriculum Lead in Ōtautahi.  She  comes from the Secondary sector where she was a teacher of Outdoor Education, Health, Physical Education and Te Reo Māori, and for the last seven years she was Kaihautū at Te Pā o Rākaihautū.  She is currently completing her Masters of Indigenous Studies and getting used to not being in the classroom.  Sharon is passionate about Māori educational success and the outdoors.  She believes the outdoors is a classroom for all, and that connecting to the outdoors enhances any and all experiences.

Email Sharon

Karen Singers

General Manager Perry Outdoor Education Trust (POET)

I am passionate about creating opportunities for tamariki and rangatahi to connect to our natural environment, so I am fortunate to have been involved with POET for a number of years, the last ten as POET General Manager. POET partners with schools to support teacher facilitated outdoor education programmes in low decile secondary schools. Much of my work involves managing a range of stakeholder relationships, which are crucial in meeting our strategic outcomes.

Prior to POET, I worked in a role responsible for the distribution of funding to non-profit organisations. I believe my experience from the perspective of both a funder and a recipient is an advantage, particularly as we navigate through the challenges in the sector today. 

I have wide-ranging governance experience and have just completed a three-year term on the National COGS committee. 

I believe a diverse range of educational and vocational backgrounds enriches the discussion of a board and enables better decisions be made.

Karen

 Jane Townsend

Deputy Principal Papamoa College

I am passionate about place and culturally responsive approaches, active learning strategies, and integrated curriculum. I am currently a Deputy Principal at Pāpāmoa College and prior to that I was Deputy Principal at Nayland College for five years. I have a background in outdoor education and enjoy providing opportunities for ākonga to learn through, and about their significant place/s. I incorporate a place-responsive approach for camps, leadership programmes, and in the design of junior modules. I have also worked with a team of staff to create a Hui Taurima learning festival providing opportunities such as Waka Ama and Wayfinding, Tāonga Puoro, Rongoā Māori, Kaitiakitanga, Harakeke Gathering and Weaving. 

In my spare time I paddle waka ama, ride my mountain bike, and walk and run while connecting with my favourite people and places in both the Bay of Plenty and Te Tau Ihu.

Join the Board

Life Members

The following EONZ members have made a significant and ongoing contribution to EONZ and Outdoor Education in New Zealand over an extended period:

Dave Irwin

Catherine Kappelle

Liz Penman

Hilary Chidlow

Bert McConnell

Wayne Putt

Gerald Rawson

Arthur Sutherland

Lynley Stewart

Gemma Periam

Mike Boyes

Liz Thevenard

Regional Life Members

EONZ members who have made a significant contribution in their respective regions:

John Charteris, EONZ Waikato
Margaret O'Connor (Deceased), EONZ Auckland
Jill Dalton, EONZ Auckland
Colin Bramfitt, EONZ Auckland