Rachel Harvey

General Manager

Rachel Harvey joins Creative Arts Napier as General Manager, bringing more than 15 years of experience leading teams across both corporate and small‑business environments.

For the past seven years, she has been a local business owner and operator, enjoying the connection to the community through customer‑focused, people‑centered work. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from Auckland University of Technology, although her most recent creative practice has been through the three‑dimensional medium of floristry.

She is excited to contribute her leadership, creativity, and community focus to the ongoing success of Creative Arts Napier. Rachel lives locally on the hill with her husband and four children.

Maree Goodchild

Bookings, Finance & Operations 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 financial, operational, and administrative support to CAN.  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

Dallas Wilcox

Bookings, Social Media, & Graphic Design

A colourful and quirky artist who moved to Napier to study Art and Design at EIT, graduating with a Bachelor of Creative Practice in 2023. Dallas started off as a CAN volunteer in 2022 before becoming paid staff in 2024 and is now part of the CAN Bookings Team and runs the CAN Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Dallas is a wonderful addition to the team with skills in administration and graphic design – and is also the tutor of CAN’s After School Art Club. Renamed ‘Miss Rainbow’ by past students due to ever-changing hair colours, Dallas loves helping young creatives of all backgrounds and skill levels learn new techniques and explore their creativity in a safe and fun environment.

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 CAN as a valued Weekend Coordinator since 2016, hangs our exhibitions as the Gallery Technician, and tutors CAN Sewing Classes.

Ella Mandac

Casual Front of House

Ella started volunteering at Creative Arts Napier in 2016, while she was pursuing her Art and Design degree at EIT. Her long-term invaluable volunteer role has evolved into a paid role as a casual Weekend Coordinator.

“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.”

Cindy Dixon

Board Chair

Cindy brings a unique blend of organizational leadership and creative practice to the Hawke’s Bay arts community. Her career spans decades of governance, stakeholder engagement, systems development, and operational leadership across the primary industries. These experiences strengthened her passion for strategic thinking, collaboration skills, and commitment to community wellbeing. Her volunteer work, particularly mentoring youth, further reflects her belief in building strong, connected communities.

As a practicing artist, Cindy understands the role creativity plays in expression, resilience, and community identity. Having previously served on the Board from 2002 to 2006, she values CAN as an inclusive space where people of all backgrounds can engage with the arts. Her interest in rejoining the Board comes from a genuine desire to support CAN’s next chapter and help it remain a vibrant, sustainable, and welcoming hub for Napier’s creative life.

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.

Raewyn Tauria Paterson

Board Member

Raewyn has always been an artist and designer, but after moving to the Hawkes Bay 20 years ago, she embraced an opportunity to pursue her passion formally, and began her journey in 2006 when she enrolled in the Certificate of Visual Arts and Design at the Eastern Institute of Technology in Taradale. Completing her Degree in 2010 she was awarded Top Overall Visual Arts and Design Graduate.

Now employed full time at EIT, she has also completed her Masters in Professional Creative Practice, exploring notions of identity, memory and space through the development and application of Maori patterns for the everyday on various surfaces including clothing and wallpapers

Chris Peterson

Deputy Chair

Chris joined the board in March 2024, bringing a strong background in Marketing and Communications. Chris recently returned home to Hawkes Bay after 18 years away, working for a number of large global packaged goods companies. With a passion for the arts, especially painting, Chris is excited to be a part of the Napier Creative community and hopes to bring some of his experience to help build Creative Arts Napier’s presence and on-going success.

Ben Newport

Board Member

Ben Newport is a Hawke’s Bay business leader with experience in governance, sales management, business development, and organisational leadership. Drawing on senior roles across multiple industries and previous governance experience with Napier Central School, he brings strong commercial, strategic, and community-focused perspectives to the Creative Arts Napier Board.

Alison Murray

Secretary

Alison has spent over 30 years exhibiting, volunteering, and working in community galleries and art spaces across Aotearoa, including the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts and numerous regional galleries. A printmaker specialising in monotype and collagraph, she is an active member of Hawke’s Bay Inkers and Keirunga Printmakers, and co‑organiser of the Print Council of Aotearoa New Zealand’s touring Small Print Exhibition. With a background in journalism and arts administration, Alison brings deep experience and commitment to supporting vibrant arts communities.

Alison has a Diploma in Craft Design from Whitireia Polytechnic, Porirua, and a Bachelor of Arts in Arts History from the Victoria University of Wellington.

Victor Saywell

Treasurer

Victor has enjoyed serving on a number of Boards, including City Medical Ltd (Napier Urgent Care) and Weave Hawke’s Bay Inc (social services), where he is currently chair of the finance and risk committees of both.  He has previously served on community groups supporting brain injury rehabilitation and a primary school board of trustees.

Victor is a qualified accountant, but his roles have broadened over the years into leadership, strategy and change management, based on collaboration.  This has been across a range industries and types of entities, managing a variety of support services, improving performance and supporting Boards.  He was Executive Director, Corporate Services at Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) for twelve years until 2020, but is back at EIT again as Executive Director, Finance, helping EIT during its rebuild of the Hawke’s Bay campus after Cyclone Gabrielle and to prepare for and successfully standup again from 1 January 2026 as a regionally governed and managed Polytechnic.

Board Member

Board Member