Our board

Herman Visagie (Co-Chair)

Herman is proud to be a “bi-cultural kiwi” – born in South Africa to Afrikaans parents, he arrived in New Zealand when he was nine years old and spent his formative years in rural South Otago. He is passionate about empowering communities and ensuring a better future for our future generations. Herman lives in Wellington where he works as Chief Executive Officer of Telecommunications Dispute Resolution Limited, the consumer dispute resolution body for the telecommunications sector in New Zealand.

Herman brings a strong governance experience, both serving on various not-for-profit Boards and provides governance advisory services in the areas of effective board engagement, strategy, and risk management. Recent advisory work has included engagements with the Asia-Pacific Refugee Rights Network, Quayside Holdings Limited, and the New Zealand Law Society, He is a member of the Wellington Council for the IoD and has presented a number of educational sessions for the IoD in this capacity.

Ta’ase Vaoga

Ta’ase (Ngāpuhi, Te Ātihaunui-a-Papārangi and Hāmoa) is passionate about effecting positive and lasting change in our communities as evidenced by her work commitment to the social purpose sector. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from being involved in a number of projects and fundraising for organisations like Wellington Rape Crisis, JustSpeak, ActionStation, WWF New Zealand, NZ Book Council, NZ Centre for Gifted Education, Partners Porirua and others in both a voluntary and paid capacity. She now works as a Project Manager at CORE Education.

Wendy Reid

Wendy has extensive governance experience in a range of social justice and environmental organisations at national and international levels. She is passionate about science and ethics-based sustainable development and direct democracy. Wendy has been a supporter of ActionStation since our inception. She brings years of practical experience from her work in the community-based not for profit sector and the public sectors of Housing, Health and Welfare in New Zealand.

Garth Nowland-Foreman

Garth has extensive nonprofit governance experience. For six years he was national director of a major advocacy group for low-income and disadvantaged people in Australia. He has taught for 18 years in a graduate programme on not for profit leadership, has a keen interest in research-you-can-use, and is widely published on government/nonprofit relations. Garth also brings strong political analysis. As well as leading a national advocacy nonprofit in Australia, he has operated in Cabinet minister's office, serviced a Parliamentary inquiry, participated in numerous government advisory bodies, taught a course on influencing public policy to NGO leaders, and managed a government policy unit.

Daniel Haines

Daniel Haines (Te Rarawa) lives in Tāmaki Makaurau but his bones are in the Hokianga. For work, Daniel supports the Auckland Council's urban regeneration agency to engage with mana whenua. He has joined ActionStation to assist people to unlock their power. Daniel has previous experience in students' and workers' unions.

Sara Fraser

Kia Ora, Sara is pleased to be a board member for Action Station. She has 10+ years volunteering in the Wellington queer community, with registered charities working with queer youth, and has experience as a chairperson, secretary, and fundraiser. She volunteered for the AS board because she is a firm believer that the ways to change the current capitalist, racist systems must be driven by grass roots, community action. Her interests are in queer action, trans rights, housing for all and equity for marginalised voices. As a cis white woman, I strongly believe it is time for white people to sit down, shut up and listen

Mark Baker-Jones

Mark (Ngāpuhi, Ngāruahine) brings a strong background in climate law, governance, and systems reform to his role on the ActionStation Board. He is a founder and co-director of Te Whakahaere Āhuarangi Ltd, a Māori-owned climate strategy firm that supports public and private sector leaders to navigate climate risk, regulatory change, and just transition.

Mark previously worked as a lawyer and advisor in both government and private practice in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, specialising in climate-related financial disclosures, risk regulation, and institutional accountability. He led seminal policy and legal work on climate risk in both jurisdictions.

Now focused on strategic advisory work, Mark believes that effective policy action often depends on structural change grounded in equity, te Tiriti o Waitangi, and community-led decision-making.

Sarah Morris

Sarah is a leader, writer and weaver of people and projects and is currently the Tangata Tiriti Co-Chair of Hui E! Community Aotearoa. Sarah works as a policy consultant and as an independent social change consultant serving clients in the tangata whenua, community and voluntary sector.

Sarah is values driven, and brings intellect and integrity to work that contributes to rights-based, equitable and sustainable social, environmental and systems change. Sarah has a special interest in allyship and how non-Indigenous people can take anti-racist actions and affirm and resource tino rangatiratanga Māori. Sarah has managed teams and programmes in roles across government, the community sector and in leading international development agencies. She is an Atlantic Fellow and has a Masters in Indigenous-led Social Change Leadership from the University of Melbourne.

Mandy Smith

Mandy (Samoan, Scottish, Irish) lives in Murihiku, Southland and is a passionate advocate for community driven change. In her role as a Community Catalyst with Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation, she drives systems change by centering lived experience and collaboration. Mandy brings a breadth of experience across governance, philanthropy, youth development, and operations in the not-for-profit and corporate sectors.

Dr Ganesh Rajaram Ahirao

Ganesh is a first-generation New Zealander of Indian ethnicity, raised in Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta and now lives with his partner in Pōneke. Ganesh acknowledges Māori as Tangata Whenua of Aotearoa.

An economist by trade, Ganesh has accumulated more than 40 years of experience and knowledge during a professional career that has ranged from academia, to consulting, to public service. His most recent position was as Chair of the Productivity Commission Te Kōmihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa. Before the Commission, Ganesh was Chief Economist and Research Director at private sector consultancy Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL).

Since the disestablishment of the Productivity Commission in early-2024, Ganesh continues to monitor the economic situation publishing comment and articles on his Substack site. Ganesh regularly volunteers for shifts at the Wellington City Mission's Whakamaru Social Supermarket and serves in voluntary positions on several Boards.

Ganesh believes economics is distinct from money and finance. He prefers an economics framing around nurturing, protecting, maintaining, and improving individual and collective taonga and resources to ensure a fit-for-purpose legacy is passed to future generations.

Sharn Cassady

Ngāpuhi, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui

Sharn is the Chairperson of a national charity tackling period poverty in Aotearoa. An experienced leader in large-scale programme management, she brings strategic insight and a strong commitment to social justice.

Sharn has worked across government and NGO sectors in youth, education, justice, mental health, culture and heritage. She is a passionate advocate for equity and systemic change.