Yellow Brick Road Board

Nga puhi, Te Kapotai

Rachel Stephenson joined the Board in March 2024 and took up the role of independent Chair. Yellow Brick Road warmly welcomed Rachel, who brings significant experience in governance. She is a highly experienced chair and director and a member of The Institute of Directors.

Rachel is also currently Chair of Kirikiriroa Family Services Trust, Treasurer of Harlequins Rugby Club, Trustee for Community Living Trust and a director of Community Living Limited. She’s previously held governance roles across a large number of NGO and charities.

A registered comprehensive nurse with over 30 years’ experience in the mental health, addictions and disability sectors, with a post grad certificate in management, 15 years’ experience managing and leading health, safety and wellbeing, risk and quality management systems, Rachel’s skills are second to none for Yellow Brick Road. Not to mention her experience in facilitation, training and education.

Rachel holds a deep belief that families need to be supported and resourced to support their loved ones when they experience a mental health or addiction challenge and like so many, she has personal experience of this in her own family, giving insights of the challenges they face.

With her knowledge of Yellow Brick Road (and Schizophrenia Fellowship as it was) she was excited to take up the opportunity to contribute. Her view is that people are born into families nd live in their whānau and communities of choice. As such, we have a duty to resource whānau and communities to promote and achieve total wellbeing for indiviuduals, whānau and communities.

Gary has been involved with Yellow Brick Road since 2014 and has over 40 years’ experience as an organisational ambassador. He’s an experienced leader and held chief executive roles for commercial businesses, local government, not for profit organisations and the public sector.
Now retired, his last position was as chief executive of Totara Hospice, which provides end of life care within the south Auckland community. As a director of Lifeline New Zealand, Gary led the integration of New Zealand’s regional Lifeline centres. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace for New Zealand in 1989 and is a Life Fellow of Institute of Management NZ. He too loves the outdoors, camper-vanning and spending time with family.

Ko Hikurangi te maunga
Ko Hikurangi te maunga

Ko Waiapu  te awa
Ko Horouta te waka
Ko Uepohatu te hapu
Hei uri ahau no Ngāti Porou

Denyse Wilcox joined us from beautiful Otaki Beach between Wellington and Palmerston North. She comes to us with extensive management experience in health and disability support services and has held a range of general management roles. Great passions in her work have included working with families/whānau and children and young people in the foster care system, developing strategies as part of a wider group for Māori with an intellectual disability and building capacity and capability of the individuals and teams she’s worked alongside. Choosing to step away from full time employment in 2019, Denyse is currently self-employed in the health and disability sector and is also a registered and practicing celebrant. Her interest in Te Wahāpuahoaho comes from the focus on families and the mission and values of the organisation

Mike Hines hails from Christchurch but now lives in Upper Hutt with his wife and young daughter.

Mike brings wide experience and qualifications to Yellow Brick Road that are invaluable, particularly for keeping a business check on the operation. He has a commerce degree from the University of Canterbury and completed an MBA from Massey University and is a member of the Institute of Directors. He has wide business experience spanning more than 20 years, through his own businesses of varying sizes and in different industries.

He currently runs an IT firm with offices in both Wairarapa and Wellington, which is how he came to be in contact with Yellow Brick Road.

Mike loves the mahi of Yellow Brick Road and is excited about sustainably building the network of support through whānau and community. His passion is people and he sees this opportunity as a way to contribute to a growing organisation with purpose and aspiration.

Me mahi tahi tatou
Mo te orange o te katoa
We should work together for the wellbeing of everyone
Sharleen Stirling is a stalwart of her community in the South Island; a wide community with diverse populations and a myriad of needs.

With over 20 years’ experience in the social service sector across the South Island, Sharleen has worked in both the private and NGO or public sector, forming invaluable perspectives of the mental health service, its delivery and the need.

Sharleen currently runs a private practice counselling and coaching. As well, she is manager for a social services agency in Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes. She is deeply committed to ensuring the communities’ voices are heard and that rural communities in her area have support that is reliable and relevant to their needs.

Not content with her work in the mental health sector, Sharleen currently sits on a number of local boards and committees from the Arts Council to the Alexandra Blossom Festival, to sports groups and local government. Her governance and work experience is highly valued by Yellow Brick Road.