Not-For-Profit Governance Leader : Chartered Governance Institute New Zealand

This award is presented to a woman who has made a remarkable contribution to championing gender diversity and/or gender equity in the not-for-profit, sport or charity sectors at a regional and/or a national level.

This contribution will have supported the governance careers of both current and future women working in paid or unpaid roles.

Nominees will provide examples of their work and initiatives.

This award is sponsored by Ministry for Women.

Meet the finalists

Kylie Hawker-Green

As a champion for diversity and inclusion in business, leadership and sport, Kylie is proud to have been the Chair of Northern Districts Cricket Association since 2021, having been a board member since 2016. She is the only female chair of any cricket masters association in New Zealand.

Kylie has held other governance roles with Bay Venues Ltd, Bay Trust and One Taupo Trust.

Kylie feels privileged to give back to a sport she loves, both directly by leading a dynamic and professional team at Northern Districts, and through various wider workstreams she’s participated in including the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup and the New Zealand Cricket 'Women in Governance' programme. Over her six-years with Northern Districts Cricket Association, she has led the organisation through a focussed and deeply intentional equity and diversity journey, transitioning from just one female director (out of 8) to 50% gender diversity . This has been achieved by adjusting appointment processes and positioning the organisation as a place where women are valued, heard, and respected.

Lyn McMorran

Lyn has worked in not-for-profit governance for over 20 years. Her current role is Executive Director of the Financial Services Federation, a role she has held for 20 years. Her other governance roles include Director/President of the Australasian Society of Association Executives and Commission Member of the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme.

Lyn believes there is still some way to go in having women adequately represented on boards but hopes she can continue to have a role in helping to address this imbalance, by encouraging younger women to put themselves forward for roles and by mentoring them once they get there.

Mele Wendt

Mele (Samoan, Palagi) is a respected leader in the education and not-for-profit sectors with a governance career spanning 25 years across 20 different entities.

Mele is Chair of Wellington Community Trust and serves on the boards of Tawhiri (Aotearoa NZ International Festival of the Arts, Lexus Song Quest and Wellington Jazz Festival), Te Aho o Te Kura (The Correspondence School) and Toi Mai Workforce Development Council and the Real Estate Authority.

Mele is Chair of Community Governance NZ and the steering group implementing the National Action Plan for Community Governance.

Throughout Mele's governance career, she has championed gender diversity and equity in the not-for-profit sector at both regional and national level.

In January 2019, Mele was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to governance, the Pacific community and women.

Sally Morrison

Sally has been a champion of grass roots community sports, manaakitanga and whanaungatanga her entire adult life.

In 2009, she became the first woman elected to the Cricket Wellington Board, and in 2016 became the first woman to Chair any regional or national cricket board in New Zealand, retiring from that role in 2019. Sally was Chair of Wellington Hockey Association until 2021 and is now Chair of Wellington Rugby League Zone, a role she sought, wanting to make a positive difference for Pacific and Māori communities, in particular wāhine and kōtiro.

Sally was a finalist in the NZ Women of Influence Awards in 2022, is a Kiwibank Local Hero Award winner and a finalist in the NEXT Women on the Year in 2019. She was awarded the Wellington Sport Leadership Award in 2019 for services to sports governance. In 2021, she was a finalist in the Not-For-Profit Governance award.

“I believe we all have a responsibility to uphold and uplift the mana of others - this is about embracing diversity and celebrating each other. Those of us who have the privilege to lead should do so authentically, responsibly and with empathy.”

Susan Doughty

Susan has volunteered her time in not-for-profit governance for over a decade and is Chair of Diversity Works New Zealand, a board member of Coastguard NZ, director of Caloda Ltd and past President of YWCA Aotearoa and Auckland YWCA.

Throughout Susan’s governance career, she has worked to ensure each board she is part of is gender balanced. The Diversity Works board has a strong mix of diversity including seven of the nine trustees being women. During Susan’s leadership at YWCA, it successfully delivered an internship programme to support young women into governance and Susan led the design and launch of the YWCA’s Equal Pay Awards programme in 2013. Susan has developed gender-targeted programmes for mentoring and coaching women to create the opportunity for women to progress into leadership roles.

Susan is recognised in New Zealand and internationally as a leader in gender pay equity and uses her influence and expertise to raise awareness of equity issues and in promoting positive change for women within Aotearoa New Zealand.