Maria Burnett – Steering Committee Member

Recreation has played an important role in Maria’s life from day dot. It was only fitting that her career as a Planner was adjusted to suit when she joined Central Otago District Council as a Parks & Recreation Planner.

Day-to-day work for Maria involves all sorts of projects related to parks, open spaces and trails. She is responsible for the preparation of Policies, Reserve Management Plans and strategic documents. As a part of her role, Maria provides elected members of Council and Community Boards with recommendations about the future of the district’s open spaces. Through this work, Maria provides an insight into how we can create better recreation outcomes in Aotearoa by looking at parks and open space provision at a local government level.

Maria decompresses from a day in the office by exploring the great outdoors. She’s happiest when she’s at the very top of a mountain and a little bit out of breath from an uphill grind on foot or a speedy downhill session on skis, board or bike. 

Cassie Horton - Steering Committee Member

Cassie is a Parks and Recreation Planner with the Invercargill City Council which involves variety and involvement with many interesting projects based around Parks, Cemeteries and Open Spaces.

Cassie is keen to develop further in the organisation and is always willing to learn and experience something new which keeps her passion in the industry. She is relied upon within the team for her knowledge on the Reserves Act, Management Plans and in developing and implementing strategic documentation and projects.

As a professional in the recreation industry, Cassie is deeply committed to supporting emergent leaders, and is an active member of the Steering Group of Generate NZ. Projects she has been involved in to help up & coming professionals develop their careers further include scholarships with Xyst and Generate NZ and with Recreation Aotearoa to develop mentoring resources (Tuakana-Teina) for Generate NZ and Recreation Aotearoa members.

Cassie's hobbies include trail running, mountain biking and spending time with her family.

Rebecca Stokes - Steering Committee Member

Many family holidays and outdoor trips early on in life sparked Rebecca’s love for the outdoors with water-based activities taking top spot.

After many positive experiences, Rebecca continued with this love and completed a Bachelor of Sport and Recreation at AUT while finding a passion for teaching. Hoping to match the love for recreation and the outdoors with teaching – this led Rebecca to work at a summer camp in Massachusetts leading fishing, canoeing and paddleboarding. Then returning to New Zealand to complete a Graduate Diploma in Secondary teaching.

The wonderful world of teaching has taken Rebecca to Wellington as a PE, Health, and Outdoor Ed teacher and now to Christchurch where she works with Sport Canterbury to contribute to the Healthy Active Learning Kaupapa.

The Sport and Recreation sectors have played large roles in Rebecca’s life and she is very excited to be part of Generate NZ and give back to the sectors that have given her so many amazing opportunities.

Brittany White - Co-Chair

From an early age, Brittany recognised the role that physical activity and the environment play in enhancing wellbeing and quality of life - this is a significant driver for her. Brittany is currently working at Sport Northland as Sector Strategy and Community Funding Lead. In this role she leads a small team working with external stakeholders on the implementation of Northland’s regional strategy for play, active recreation and sport: Kōkiri ai te Waka Hourua. Her team also manages Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa and Break-Away, two funds that help activate and grow participation across Northland. This role allows Brittany to work at a strategic level, whilst still being connected to what’s happening on the ground. Since joining the Generate NZ Steering Committee at the end of 2020, Brittany has enjoyed the connections she has gained from being part of the network, and the opportunity to further develop her governance skills.

Outside of work, Brittany spends time keeping active, checking out the beautiful beaches of Tai Tokerau, and socialising with friends.

Jason Husband - Co-Chair

Starting life as a PE teacher, Jason became involved in the Generate kaupapa in 2020 shortly after moving into a role with a Regional Sports Trust. “Transitioning into an industry I didn’t know a lot about - Joining Generate NZ has broadened my understanding of the sector, opened up new opportunities to aspire to, and connected me with others doing awesome things in the recreation space".  

Jason is fuelled by the role recreation can play in holistic wellbeing and is currently part CLM team working out of Massey Park Pools in Papakura.

Yvaan Hapuku-Lambert - Steering Committee Member

Hailing from Hastings, Hawkes Bay, Yvaan has always been drawn to sport and recreation from a very young age. As he got older, he began to enjoy giving back to his community through coaching his former intermediate and primary school sport teams, supporting the next generation of tamariki and rangatahi.

He is passionate about creating meaningful and quality experiences for all tamariki and rangatahi through play, active recreation and sport. Yvaan’s experiences growing up led to him completing a Bachelor of Sport and Recreation with a Double Major in Health and Physical Education and Coaching at Auckland University of Technology (AUT).

Yvaan spent his first two years in the sector on the Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa Graduate Programme. This allowed him to build connections, develop new skills and gain a greater understanding of the play, active recreation and sport sector from community through to central government. Yvaan is currently working as a Sport and Recreation Lead at Auckland Council. Yvaan is excited about being a part of the Generate NZ Steering Committee and looks forward to continually building his connections with the Generate whānau and the sector.

Tina Weston - Steering Committee Member

Tina has studied for a Bachelor of Environment Policy and Planning at Lincoln University. Whilst studying she found her passion for Parks and Outdoor Recreation which she then majored in. This passion has led her to work at Thrive Spaces and Places as their Open Spaces Planner based in Christchurch.

Tina is excited to be on the steering committee to help foster relationships, grow opportunities and gain more experience across the Parks and Recreation sector.

Outside of work hours, Tina is an avid walker and a novice gardener, an area where there is a lot of growth potential.

Rob Gulley - Steering Committee Member

Kāpiti Coast, New Zealand

Rob grew up surrounded by sports and the outdoors. He lived at an outdoor pursuit centre when he was young, developing a love for the outdoors and recreation. His love for the outdoors and for sports pushed him to pursue a Bachelor’s in Sports Development at Massey University. During his final year, he interned at Tennis Central, helping organise numerous events such as the Wellington Open.

Rob is currently the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Advisor at Kāpiti Coast District Council. He is also serving in the New Zealand Army Reserves.

Rob is excited to be a part of the Generate NZ Steering Committee and looks forward to helping out young professionals in the sport and recreation industry.