GOVERNANCE
Board of Trustees

GOVERNANCE

Sport Northland is governed by a Board of Trustees, led by Co-Chairs Libby Jones (Tangata Tiriti Chair) and Kath Wharton (Tangata Whenua Chair) and consisting of six other Trustees, including representatives of local government and Te Kahu o Taonui (Te Taitokerau Iwi Chairs Collective).  The Board currently also has two interns, in an effort to help improve sports governance across the regon.

We are a Tiriti-honouring board that defines, monitors and adjusts strategy through an equitable bi-cultural partnership.

The Board focuses purely on governance of the organisation, delegating management to the Chief Executive and Leadership Team.

KEY TASKS OF THE SPORT NORTHLAND BOARD:

  • Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and giving effect to it in the way they operate
  • Defining the organisation’s purpose, direction and priorities
  • Monitoring implementation progress towards this direction
  • Developing a governance policy ‘umbrella’
  • Specifying key outcomes and approving resources to achieve them
  • Approving, supporting, evaluating and rewarding the Chief Executive
  • Setting standards and evaluating the Board’s own performance
  • Ensuring there is appropriate succession planning

Libby Jones
Position: Elected Trustee (Tangata Tiriti Co-Chair)​​​​​​​
Portfolio: Audit, Finance and Risk Committee, CE Performance Review Committee, Te Kahui Hourua Roopu, Executive Committee, Board Appointments Panel and Health.
Length of Service: Trustee since 2016
Background: Libby has a strong commitment to health and wellbeing across all our Northland communities with a strong focus on equity and social justice. She lives on a farm near Paparoa and is very involved in her local community including promoting and supporting local active recreation and sporting activities for all ages. She enjoys walking, tramping and playing social badminton. Libby has had previous governance roles in not for profits and as a director at Northland District Health Board. She has a background in social work and is Manager of Jigsaw North Manaaki Whānau in Whangarei, supporting tamariki and whanau. She sees her role as an enabler to deliver the outcomes of whatever organisation she is involved in, and is passionately committed to co-leading the Tiriti o Waitangi honouring Sport Northland board. ​​​​​​​

Sharon Carroll
Position: Elected Trustee
​​​​​​​Length of Service: Sharon was previously a Sport Northland Board Intern and was elected as a Board Member in Novermber 2023
​​​​​​​Background: Sharon has been the Community Liaison Manager for Tlc4u2 for the last year and prior to that as Active Recreation and Community Sports Co-ordinator for Parafed Northland for 4 years, so Sharon brings with her a huge passion for ensuring there are as many accessible and inclusive opportunities within our community as possible.

Sharon’s extensive volunteering record includes working for organisations like Swimming Northland, Bream Bay Swim Club, Waipu Cycle and Walkway Trust, Waipu Primary School, Bream Bay College, Waipu Lions, and the Northland Sports Coalition. Sharon is also passionate about health, wellbeing and being active and wants to continue to challenge people’s mindsets around equitable and accessible access for all within our society.

April Rawiri
Position: Appointed Trustee
Portfolio: Te Kahui Hourua Roopu
Length of Service: Since January 2022
Background: April is a descendant of Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Whātua iwi and resides in Te Hiku. April has previously spent time in the sector as a kaimahi at Sport Northland (within He Oranga Poutama) and is passionate about ensuring opportunities for te iwi māori.

April is a māmā and owner/operator of a small whānau centred civil construction business with husband.

It is a privilege to be able to contribute to the wider Sport Northland kaupapa and develop further understanding in governance. 

Babe Kapa
Position: Appointed Trustee
Portfolio: Te Kahui Hourua Roopu ​​​​​​​
Length of Service: Trustee since 2023
Background:  Babe is a descendant of Ngati Whakaeke and Te Uri o Tai hapu; Ngapuhi, Te Aupouri, Te Rarawa, Ngati Kahu Iwi.

He has experienced a broad career from administration, senior management, teaching plus youth and senior coaching/management in rugby and waka ama at club and representative levels.

Being northland grown [Kaikohe] this role is a privilege to him to represent the four Local Councils.

Jeff Burson
Position: Elected Trustee
Portfolio: 
Length of Service: Trustee since 2025
Background: Coming Soon

Phoenix Ruka
Position: Appointed Trustee
Length of Service: Trustee since 2023
Background: Phoenix  is dedicated to advancing Māori equity in Aotearoa, focusing on the revival of our taonga, te reo, tikanga, and korero tuku iho. Working in the health and well-being sector, Phoenix ardently believes that Taiao should guide our efforts for the upliftment of our people. With a particular passion for empowering young minds, Phoenix strives to create a healthier and more equitable future for Māori youth through cultural resurgence and holistic well-being practices.

Lauren Chittock
Position: Board Intern
Background: Lauren Chittock is a business leader with expertise in strategic communications, business development, and commercial funding models for sport organisations. As Marketing Manager at Northland Rugby Union, she has led high-impact community initiatives, including the Kick Start the Kōrero mental health campaign and Grow the Game to increase rugby participation. Lauren excels in revenue growth, stakeholder engagement, and digital strategy, having driven campaigns that achieved the highest ticket sales in five years and established Northland Rugby Media to create new commercial opportunities. Passionate about sport’s role in community wellbeing, she has a long history of volunteering with grassroots sport clubs. As a Sport Northland board intern, she contributes governance insights while developing her expertise in strategic decision-making.

Rachel Prangi
Position: Board Intern
Background: Coming soon

Michael Tovine
Position: Board Intern
Background: Coming soon

Sport Northland is proud to have been awarded the Governance Mark for Sport and Recreation in New Zealand from crown agency Sport New Zealand.

The award was presented to Nigel Brereton, Chair of Sport Northland by Jason Shoebridge, Deputy Chair of Sport New Zealand at the 2018 Conbrio Northland Sports Awards.

To improve governance in the sport and recreation sector Sport New Zealand introduced the Governance Mark a number of years ago. Developed by the sector for the sector, the Governance Mark is a robust and independently verified process that assesses the standard of governance in an organisation.

The Mark indicates the organisation is clear about its purpose and the benefits it intends to deliver to its community. It indicates that it has good governance systems in place, understands its role as distinct from management and is correctly focussed on strategy and the future direction of the organisation.

To receive the acknowledgement, the Sport Northland board has demonstrated it has a considered process for development of strategy and an ongoing monitoring regime.

For the full media article on Sport Northland’s awarding of Governance Mark click here

In memory of Kath Wharton - 26.08.83 - 21.11.24
Position: Appointed Trustee (Tangata Whenua Co-Chair)
Length of Service: Since January 2022​​​​​​​