Our governance

Julie has vast knowledge and experience in the areas of governance, infrastructure services, leading complex services and development of community-based solutions.

Julie is a strong advocate for quality housing and effective wrap-around support services for our most vulnerable people. She is proud of the pioneering role she has played in bringing Housing First to New Zealand.

As co-founder and previous joint chief executive of the Wise Group, Julie now holds various governance roles throughout the group.

Previously CEO of the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Cancer Society, Shelley has held roles as chief executive at Sir Peter Blake Trust and Waikato Primary Health.

Shelley’s extensive background in the health sector saw her become a member of the New Zealand Health and Disability System Review Panel 2019-2020. She oversaw the Better Sooner More Convenient health business cases for the Minister of Health’s reforms in Auckland.

Shelley is the co-chair of the Cancer Agency (Te Aho o Te Kahu) and chaired the Minister’s National Bowel Cancer Screening Taskforce. A member of the New Zealand Order of Merit – health and disability, she is also an Honorary Captain of the Royal New Zealand Navy. In 2007 Shelley was awarded a Sir Peter Blake emerging leader award.

A strong advocate for reducing health inequities, Shelley believes the most effective health systems are those that invest in and develop community and primary health care services and supports.

Kerry has been a key part of TPP since it started, first working as case manager. A decade on, she is proud to lead a dedicated team who aim to end homelessness one person at a time. Kerry began her career as a Psychiatric Nurse and has worked in mental health in New Zealand and overseas. She has been part of the Wise Group since 1992 and was previously regional manager for Pathways Waikato/Hauraki services.

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The Mental Health and Addictions Service is committed to supporting people to work towards their own recovery. We know that people who are experiencing homelessness often have multiple needs, particularly mental health and addictions issues that require a wrap-around response. Pathways out of homelessness require a 'one plan' approach: housing first with support and access to mental health and addictions care and treatment. We are committed to working together to end homelessness. This means working with other agencies to address the interrelationship of needs rather than working in isolation.

Paula Southgate is the current Mayor of Hamilton in New Zealand, who was reelected for a second term in October 2022. Under her leadership, Hamilton has a strong, functional Council that has made positive progress for Hamilton city. Mayor Paula’s priorities include supporting communities by enabling more affordable homes, ensuring a favourable business environment by revitalising the central city and building sustainable infrastructure for a strong future.

Hamilton Central Business Association represents around 1200 business and property owners located in the heart of the city. Our purpose is:

• to develop projects and services to benefit the trading environment in Hamilton Central
• to manage issues and challenges within the Business Improvement District (BID)
• business creation, attraction and development including an increase in employment and local business investment
• promotion of the Hamilton Central offering.

I lead the operational delivery and management of health, programs and psychology services to ensure equitable access to these services as well as equitable outcomes for the people in our management across both community and custodial environments. I have worked within the health sector in both mental & physical health services, with the last 15 at Ara Poutama leading the regions health services

Waikato-Tainui is a leading tribal organisation responsible for developing and implementing initiatives which improve iwi outcomes in the areas of education and training, employment, tribal preservation, marae development, health and well-being, and environmental and resource management.

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Polly is a Public Health Physician within Child and Youth Health at Waikato District Health Board, Associate Professor of Population Health at the National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis (NIDEA) at the University of Waikato, and National Director of Training for the New Zealand College of Public Health Medicine.

Polly’s career to date focuses on the broader determinants of population health and equity, particularly for tamariki and rangatahi/mapū. Access to appropriate, secure, sustainable, stable and quality housing is one of these critical wellbeing influences.

Within her governance, academic and clinical roles, Polly supports strategic opportunities to achieve, measure and monitor health equity. She manages a number of research and practice leadership roles in the health and housing sectors, as well as research partnerships with other government sectors, non-government agencies, community and whānau.

Polly is passionate about developing robust evidence to support population health and policy translation, and is committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, equity, social justice and community empowerment.

City Safe is a collective of many of the public facing regulatory responses of Council and is most noticeable through our highly visible Safety Officer patrollers. Our team is totally committed to enhancing the safety and wellbeing of all Hamiltonians and works collaboratively with staff from The People's Project.

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Tauranga City Council supports The People’s Project as part of our Community Wellbeing Strategy. In particular this addresses our Social Equity objective (ensuring Tauranga is a fair and just society where everyone has access to enough resources, including housing, to participate in their community) and our Safe and Resilient Communities objective (people are safe and feel safe in their homes, neighbourhoods and public places).

The first thing you notice about the Wise Group is that we’re a little bit different! We chase one thing relentlessly - our dream to create fresh possibilities and services for the wellbeing of people, organisations and communities. We’re a family of charitable organisations and our work includes health and wellbeing services, housing support, employment and navigation services, education and training, workforce development and research, software development, and finally business support services.

Our Business Priorities “Ta Tatou Umanga” have the mission to be the safest country, the purpose to be safe, feel safe and the vision to have the trust and confidence of all. It is integral to WBOP Police that all members of our community have the right to be safe and feel safe. We will work collaboratively with our partners and our communities to ensure these rights are achieved.

Te Puni Kōkiri, the Ministry for Māori Development, leads Māori public policy and strives to support Māori to enjoy a better quality of life and achieve a sustainable level of success as individuals at home and globally. One of the focus areas of the Ministry is to work collectively, He Toa Takitini, across the state sector, with Iwi and communities to improve outcomes for Māori. Te Puni Kōkiri supports The People's Project and recognises that housing solutions and wellbeing can be achieved if we all work together to implement a Whānau centred approach.

The Department of Corrections' priority is to make New Zealand a safer place by protecting communities from those who can cause harm, and working with offenders and prisoners to reduce re-offending. We understand offenders who transition through our services often have complex needs and it is through the delivery of a range of programmes either in Custody or in the Community we are able to support and assist individuals to be the best they can be.

We know many of those we work with continue to face real social challenges finding stable housing, employment and access to affordable health services, and it is through partnering with key government and non-government agencies that our rehabilitation and reintegration goals will be realised.

Tauranga City Council's strategic focus is supporting community wellbeing in order to provide a higher standard of living for all.

The current housing situation in Tauranga has led to an unprecedented and growing number of homeless people in our city. Since 2015 Council has played a lead role in driving a collaborative, multiagency, community-led response to homelessness (“Our Community Project”). It has been great to see the project progress to become a sustainable, proven initiative in the form of a Housing First programme led by The People's Project.

We are working with Tauranga City Council to appoint a representative to the Governance Group. 

Accessible Properties is a charity with a long history in providing community housing throughout New Zealand. We currently provide around 2,500 homes (in 89 towns and cities) for people with intellectual disability and people with other housing needs that are not being meet by the market. We are committed to providing homes that enable our tenants' to belong and thrive. Partnering with like-mined organisations such as The People's Project is critical to achieving this aspiration.

People, planning and delivering progress are at the heart of Western Bay of Plenty District Council&'s operational mission. The work we do in the community development area brings these threads together to improve the well-being of residents across the district. We look forward to building on this work through collaborating with The People's Project.

Robust wraparound support services are critical to providing pragmatic, compassionate and effective support to our homeless. The People's Project is a proven model that we demonstratively support at DowntownTauranga in a number of ways as this initiative works with our business members, stakeholders and the public to provide long-term, sustaining and effective outcomes for our homeless.  Having board representation on The People’s Project Governance Group allows us to substantially contribute to the leadership, strategic input and consultation that is required to facilitate these effective outcomes.