Our people
Our Board, team and advisory members bring together leadership, expertise and sector knowledge to help shape better cardiac and respiratory health outcomes across Aotearoa.
Board Members
The Cardiac and Respiratory Foundation NZ is governed by a Board which works to ensure that the organisation is well-managed and focussed in its activities. The Board determines the Foundation’s policies and assures its good financial management.
The Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, GNZM, QSO
Patron
Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Kahu
Dame Cindy Kiro is the Governor-General of New Zealand and Patron of the Cardiac and Respiratory Foundation NZ. She has held senior leadership roles across education, health and the public sector, and was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2021 for services to child wellbeing and education.
Sir John Clarke, KNZM, CNZM
Chief Cultural Advisor – Māori
Ngāti Porou descent, with whakapapa connections to Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahungunu
Sir John has advised Ministers on Treaty settlements for more than 25 years and played a significant role in Māori-Crown relations. He has held senior public sector leadership roles and provides guidance on tikanga Māori, protocols and engagement with Māori communities. He was appointed KNZM in 2018 for services to Māori and New Zealand.
John Knight
Chair
John has been involved with the Foundation for 15 years, including around eight as Chair. Based in Hawke’s Bay, he has helped grow his local asthma organisation from a small society into a registered charitable trust. John works in the real estate industry, is a Business Mentor, and chairs an early childhood education trust operating nationwide.
Janice Kuka
Co-Chair
Ngāti Ranginui/Ngāi Te Rangi
Janice is from Tauranga Moana and is Managing Director of Nga Mataapuna Oranga (Māori PHO). With a background in healthcare, she has experience across hospital and community settings and serves on several health sector boards. In 2026, Janice was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori health.
Cheryl Davies
Ngāti Raukawa/Ngāti Wehiwehi
Cheryl has managed Tu Kotahi Māori Asthma Trust for more than 30 years. She has presented at national and international conferences on Māori respiratory health and healthy housing, and has a strong interest in Māori health research. Over the past 25 years, she has contributed to a number of significant research projects aimed at improving outcomes for Māori communities.
Ruth Gardener
Ruth is a retired Registered Nurse with a strong interest in respiratory health and education. She lectured at Otago Polytechnic’s School of Nursing and worked as a respiratory nurse educator in both hospital and primary care settings. Ruth is committed to improving outcomes for people with respiratory conditions through education, advocacy and better-connected healthcare services.
Jeannine Stairmand
Ngāti Porou/Tauiwi
Jeannine Stairmand is a senior lecturer at the University of Otago Wellington and a member of the C3-Cancer and Chronic Conditions Research Group. A nurse with a Master of Public Health, she has more than 20 years’ experience across Māori health, primary care, public health and policy. Her research interests include health inequities, Hauora Māori, cancer screening and service delivery.
Taumata O Te Ra Lowe
Ngāti Manomano/Ngāti Raukawa/Ngāpuhi/Ngāi Tūhoe
Taumata has lived with asthma since experiencing a severe asthma attack at age eight. His personal experience has shaped a strong commitment to health and wellbeing, and he has supported the Foundation through fundraising initiatives, including running events. Taumata is passionate about showing that people with asthma can lead healthy, active and fulfilling lives while managing their condition.
Our team
Chloe Bradwell
General Manager & Head of Communications
Senior Leadership Team
Sharon Pihema
Community Education Manager
Senior Leadership Team
Joanna Turner
Head of Education and Development
Senior Leadership Team
Hannah Aslett
Grants and Fundraising Executive
Michaela Tahere
Individual Giving Fundraising Executive
Pene Joyce
Community Educator
Paul Aschenberger
Corporate Sponsorship and Engagement Advisor
Sam Treseder
Digital Marketing Specialist
Jared McOnie
Digital Content and Marketing Advisor
Katie O'Connor
Digital Content Coordinator
Lola Sachkova
Office Administrator and EA to Chief Executive
Advisory Boards
The Foundation's Advisory Boards comprise New Zealand's leading experts in cardiac and respiratory health service delivery and research. The groups bring quality assurance and strong credibility to the Foundation's work by approving all major projects and publications, including position statements on health issues and research proposals.
Respiratory Advisory Board
Professor Bob Hancox
Respiratory Medical Director and Chairman
Consultant Respiratory Physician
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora - Waikato, University of Otago
Dr Stuart Jones
Consultant Respiratory/Sleep Physician
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Counties Manukau
Dr David McNamara
Respiratory Paediatrician
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Te Toka Tumai Auckland, University of Auckland
Professor Richard Beasley
Consultant Respiratory Physician
Medical Research Institute of NZ
Professor Lutz Beckert
Consultant Respiratory Physician
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Waitaha Canterbury, University of Otago Christchurch
Associate Professor James Fingleton
Clinical Leader – Respiratory Physician
Medical Research Institute of NZ
Ms Betty Poot
Respiratory Nurse Practitioner
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley
Dr Lucy Telfar Barnard
Senior Research Fellow, Department of Public Health
University of Otago, Wellington
Nicola Corna
Respiratory Nurse Practitioner
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Counties Manukau
Zoë Manderson
Respiratory Physiotherapist
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Taranaki
Laura Rensford
Advanced Clinician, Paediatric Physiotherapist
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Counties Manukau
Kathy Rose
Nurse Specialist Respiratory Services (Bronchiectasis)
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Te Toka Tumai Auckland
Professor Cass Byrnes
Professor Paediatric Population Health, Department of Paediatrics, University of Auckland
Paediatric Respiratory Specialist, Starship Children’s Health, Te Toka Tumai, Auckland & Kidz First Hospital
Dr Abbey Wrigley
Medical Oncologist
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Te Toka Tumai Auckland, University of Auckland
Dr Laird Cameron
Medical Oncologist
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Te Toka Tumai Auckland
Dr Rajiv Kumar
Medical Oncologist
University of Otago, Dunedin
Cardiac Advisory Board
Dr Andrew Chatfield
Cardiac Medical Director and Chairman
Consultant Structural and Interventional Cardiologist
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley
Dr Sarah Fairley
Consultant Interventional and Obstetric Cardiologist, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley
Chair, Cardiovascular Intervention Group, NZ Division of Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand
Professor Martin Stiles
Consultant Cardiologist and Director of Electrophysiology, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora - Waikato
Chair, NZ Division of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand
Dr Adele Pope
Consultant Cardiologist, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Te Matau a Māui Hawke's Bay
Dr Jennifer Roberts
Clinical Nurse Manager in Cardiology, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley
Adjunct Teaching Fellow, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Jithendra Somaratne
Interventional Cardiologist, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Te Toka Tumai Auckland
Dr Marcus Lee
Consultant Interventional Cardiologist and Clinical Lead for Cardiology, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Te Tai Tokerau (Northland)
Johanna Lim
Clinical Cardiology Pharmacist and Pharmacist Prescriber, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Te Matau a Māui Hawke's Bay
Dai Te Wiata
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Heart Failure, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora - Waikato
Samantha Cashell
Section Head Cardiac Physiologist (Cath Lab and Non-Invasive), Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley
Ashleigh Hawley
Cardiac Sonographer & Cardiac Physiologist, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley
Jane Hannah
Nurse Practitioner, Adult Congenital Heart Disease, Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Service, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Te Toka Tumai Auckland
Dr Seif El-Jack
General and Interventional Cardiologist, Lead Interventional Cardiologist, Cardiovascular Unit, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Waitematā
Dr Kerryanne Johnson
Multi-modality Imaging Cardiologist and Imaging Working Group Chair, NZ Division, CSANZ
Cardiologist, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora - Waikato