Tania Wright

Manager

Tania has been involved with this organisation since its founding as Creative Napier.  Firstly as a volunteer and then as the first paid coordinator in our first home in Hastings Street.  Since then she has remained involved volunteering on the Board and holding various roles including Chairman.

“As a city councillor for 18 years I continually advocated for the arts and in my last two terms held the arts and culture portfolio. My main achievement as a councillor was convincing the council to dedicate our current building to the community arts.  I have now come full circle back home to my first love – Creative Arts Napier and I am excited about working to make this the best community arts centre in NZ.”

Michelle Ibbotson

Booking Manager

Michelle arrived at CAN following a career in the Forest Industry, transferring her PR and administration skills from expeditions to exhibitions. Her admiration for the Arts began at a young age while she grew up watching her Dad draw whenever he had the opportunity, preferring to sketch a scene over taking a photograph. Having always been passionate about this region and our community, she loves to help facilitate opportunities for local artists and art lovers throughout Napier and beyond.

“The level and abundance of artistic talent right here in Hawkes Bay is extraordinary.  I consider it a privilege to be a part of a charity organisation that provides all artists the opportunity to celebrate, collaborate, develop and showcase their work in a professional gallery setting” 

Maree Goodchild

Financial Administrator

Maree Goodchild has been with CAN since 2016 and has previous work experience in local small businesses, accounting firms, charities, and 2 years working in the United Kingdom. Having been called the “Money Maiden” and the “Finance Fairy”, Maree continues to provide part time administrative support to CAN in all things financial.  Maree has a NZ Business Diploma in small business management and human resources, and completed her Bachelor of Business Accounting in 2021. With a strong belief in lifelong learning, and continuous improvement, her career goals are to add-value to the ongoing success of businesses she works with by analysing what is done well and streamlining systems to enable ongoing improvements. She is excited to still be involved with CAN after all these years.  Maree was born in Hawke’s Bay and is a mother to two adult children.
BBus(Acc), NZDipBus

Carol Goodier

Gallery Technician & Sewing Tutor

Carol can’t remember a time when she hasn’t sewed. In the early years Carol’s Mum was a source of great inspiration. Carol used to sit on her lap and ‘help’ her sew her outfits. Carol attended New Zealand College of Fashion Design in Auckland, and learnt the intricate skill of dress making, tailoring and pattern drafting. After several years of working in the textile industry, travelling the world and returning with a Canadian husband, Carol made Napier her home and brought up her family here. Carol’s next achievement was a Bachelor of Visual Art and Design, completed in 2014 at EIT. She has worked at Creative Arts Napier as a valued Weekend Coordinator since 2016, hangs our exhibitions as the Gallery Technician and tutors our sewing classes.

Bob Stansbury

Casual Front of House

Bob has been working at CAN as a volunteer and staff member since it opened in December 2014. He says he is not particularly creative, so tells visitors he is the “Philistine in Residence”. Bob spent 20 years running a YHA backpacker hostel where he got hooked on “shooting the breeze” and having a laugh with people from all over the world. He says the CAN is a great location to continue this pastime. Bob also volunteers at Peoples Advocacy Society and Citizens Advice Bureau which keeps him anything but retired. Meet Bob when you visit at weekends or during his regular Monday volunteer slot.

Ella Mandac

Casual Front of House

Ella has been a volunteer at Creative Arts Napier since 2016, and at the same time decided to pursue her Art and Design degree at EIT.   Her long term invaluable volunteer role has evolved into a paid role at CAN now.

“Art has always been one of my interests that I pursued just as a hobby that eventually turned into a passion and a commitment. I am happy to be a part of this team that can potentially provide a lot of opportunities for our local art community.”

Susan Jacobs, PhD, MNZM

Board Chair

Susan has had the privilege of serving on boards of several charitable trusts involving community services, including brain injury rehabilitation; health, wellbeing and sport; and citizen advice. She says she is honoured to be the Chair of the CAN Board.

Susan’s career began in nursing practice, and then nursing education.

Prior to her retirement, Susan had been an Executive Dean at the Eastern Institute of Technology where she worked for thirty years. She is proud to have led the collaborative development of EIT’s Master of Creative Practice/Te Hono ki Toi, a programme offered through IDEAschool on the Hawke’s Bay Campus, and through Toihoukura at the Te Tairāwhiti campus.

As an Executive Dean she had oversight for six EIT Schools across two campuses. Her responsibilities included strategic planning; budgeting and financial management; staffing and personnel; programme development; and marketing – skills which she anticipates will be useful to the Board.

Dr Adrian Ormsby

Board Member

Dr Adrian Ormsby comes to the CAN Board with formal post graduate qualifications in Modern Art History from the University of Michigan, completing his graduate thesis on the Graphic works of French fine artist Francoise Gilot. He recently curated an exhibition of Gilot’s lithography at the CAN in 2022. Dr Ormsby’s interest and expertise in Modern Art dovetails the ongoing fine art exhibitions and workshops at the CAN, including the creation and exhibition of graphic works in cooperation with the Print Council of Aotearoa/New Zealand.  He firmly believes that a critical understanding of fine art in the modern and contemporary context is not only essential to the ongoing aesthetic development of practicing artists but also to the viewing public and their visual and now digital worldview.

Dr Ormsby is of Ngati Maniopoto and Ngati Porou descent and sees extraordinary parallels between his ancestral heritage, the history of modern art and contemporary artistic expression in New Zealand. With much to be learned about contemporary art via the lens of indigenous Maori and Pasifika cultural artistic practice.

Ronda Chrystal

Board Member

Ronda is a 2nd term Napier City Councillor and holds the Arts, Culture and Heritage Portfolio.
She has had a diverse career, working as a Microbiologist, Food Safety Consultant, and in Food Marketing. Currently she owns a Napier tourism business, providing Art Deco and wine tours in the Hawke’s Bay region.

“I am a proud 5th generation Napierite whose Grandfather Ron Spriggs was Mayor of Napier in the 1950’s, he gave me my passion for serving Napier, protecting its Arts and Heritage and making it an even better city for future generations.”

Ros Stewart

Board Member

Ros is a passionate champion of the HB art sector and has led local and regional Arts Councils, and Festivals, whilst also developing her own visual art practice. She Chaired Creative Napier (now Creative Arts Napier) from 1996 to 2004, Napier’s Millennium Celebrations from 1998 to 2002 and Creative Hawkes Bay (now Nga Toi Hawke’s Bay) from 2000 to 2012.

Ros continues creating and selling her art full time, mostly from her Napier studio as a multimedia painter and sculptor. She has been in the HB Art Guide and Trail since 2019.

Julienne Dickey

Board Secretary

After graduating from Auckland University and teaching in Blenheim, Julienne spent the next 39 years in the UK in a variety of jobs, including 14 years as the head of a London LGB mental health and HIV organisation (no TQI+ in those days), 8 years as head of a Scottish advocacy organisation, and 8 years as a management consultant with Investors in People Scotland, with statutory, not-for-profit and private sector clients. Julienne also served on a number of boards, including her local arts centre in Scotland, was involved in various feminist campaigns, and took up painting.
Since returning to NZ in 2014 she has completed a Masters in Creative Practice at EIT, specializing in ceramics as well as managing the Napier SPCA op shop for 3 years.

Mark Davey

Treasurer

I have only been in the Bay for 5 years, and during that time have been involved with various groups, including the Hawkes Bay Photographic Society, and Ulysses Motorcycle Club of which I am Treasurer of both.
Prior to retirement I owned an automotive repair business for some 16 years, until retiring to the Hawkes Bay, where I have been able to continue my passion for photography and video.

Photography has been with me since I was introduced to it at college in 1967, then worked as a photographer for Christopher Bede for some years. I have seen the move from film and the darkroom, to a digital format and computer editing software.

Hawke’s Bay is fortunate to have a vibrant arts centre in the form of Creative Arts Napier, and I see my involvement as a way of supporting the staff and members who make it a success.