Our people

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We employ a passionate & dedicated team across Aotearoa.

Meet the Board

Frian Wadia

National President

Frian Wadia

National President

Frian and her husband are parents to three young boys in their late teens, each with unique strengths, abilities, disabilities, and learning needs.

Through her experiences within the education and health systems over the years, Frian has become a passionate advocate for creating systemic change to ensure inclusion and a meaningful, dignified life for all individuals with disabilities. She is particularly interested in developing a genuinely inclusive education system where every student is valued and supported, has a strong sense of belonging, and can learn and thrive.

Frain has been a pivotal figure at Parent to Parent for over a decade, first as a Support Parent, then as a Board Member, Vice President, then President in 2024. Since 2022, she has been a leading National Enabling Good Lives Leadership Group member, championing the EGL approach and empowering families to be staunch advocates for their disabled children’s rights. In 2023, Frian founded the Neuroscience And Trauma Informed Network Aotearoa Trust (NATINA), demonstrating her passion for creating trauma-informed schools and communities and preventing educational trauma.

From 2019 to date, Frian has been on the Lotteries Individuals with Disabilities distribution committee and the Teaching Council governance board from 2019 to 2022. In her professional capacity, Frian is an Early Intervention Specialist and loves supporting Autistic tamariki, their families and ECE teachers using family-centred and strengths-based approaches.

Over the past few years, he has also been involved in various grassroots community groups, committees, school/education/community governance boards, and advisory groups in the education and disability sectors. Frian is currently on the leadership team of admins for VIPS Equity in Education, a grassroots online advocacy and support group for families.

Frian’s unwavering dedication is aimed at empowering families and disabled people, improving systems, policies, and legislation to ensure disabled children’s rights are upheld, and equity for all children—irrespective of their abilities, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity, or any other challenges.

Find me on LinkedIn

Andrea Lee

Board Member

Andrea Lee

Board Member

Originally from the Waikato, Andrea, her husband and two children settled in Nelson in 2004 after living and working abroad for many years.

With a BA in Sociology, Andrea has over 30 years’ experience in the not-for-profit sector including both the Youth, Education and Disability sectors in paid, voluntary and governance roles both in NZ and internationally. Before having children, she worked in Bosnia after the Bosnian war as a teacher educator and was the Director of Studies at an international school in the UK.

Parent to Parent became part of Andrea’s life in 2007 when her son was diagnosed with the rare genetic condition. She has attended and presented at numerous disability sector conferences both internationally and in New Zealand. Andrea is a current Parent to Parent Support Parent.

Andrea works as the Executive Director for Fragile X New Zealand.

Julie-Ann Johnson

Board Member

Julie-Ann Johnson

Board Member

Julie-Ann lives with her family on the rural Canterbury Plains. After gaining her Bachelor of Commerce and Management in 1991, she was an accountant for several Christchurch companies including Tegel Foods, Tait Electronics and Kiwi Packaging. Once their three children had started school, she became a self-employed contractor providing accounting, review, project management and administrative services.

The arrival of Patrick, their second child, marked the beginning of a challenging yet deeply rewarding journey for the Johnson family. Parenting an intellectually disabled child was initially daunting, but Julie-Ann sought support from Parent to Parent and, in turn, became a fierce and resilient advocate for Patrick and other families.

Her journey led her to become an active Parent to Parent member, Committee Chairperson of Greater Canterbury, a Support Parent from 2010, and a Board member from 2018. Volunteering as a Support Parent has been the source of particular personal growth and reward for her.

Patrick attended mainstream primary school. Over the six years, Julie-Ann watched the teachers learn about Patrick and saw their excitement when he surprised them with his learning and abilities. Patrick and his fellow ORS friends also taught the neurotypical pupils that disabled kids do have a great sense of humour, are not incapable, and can be included in workplaces and the community once they leave education.

Julie-Ann has been serving as the treasurer for the Selwyn Launch Group since 2016. The group's goal is to promote the inclusion of young adults with disabilities through work experience, employment, and social activities. In addition, she has governance experience as a trustee on a primary school board.

Rebekah Corlett

Board Member

Rebekah Corlett

Board Member

Rebekah is māmā to Sophia, who was diagnosed as Autistic at two-and-a-half years old and is fifteen now. Sophia is non-speaking and uses Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to communicate.

Rebekah lives on the Kāpiti Coast with her husband, Jason, Sophia and their son, Ryan, who is twelve. Sophia is ORS-funded, and in the last couple of years, she has moved from a specialist primary school to a mainstream high school, which has been a significant undertaking.

Rebekah writes a substack blog, Reasonable Accommodations with Rebekah, which discusses her experiences and thoughts on education, health and life as a parent in general, and gives a voice to whānau who feel excluded from mainstream services and experiences in Aotearoa. Rebekah is also an Administrator of the Facebook group VIPs - Equity in Education NZ.

Meet the Team

Karen Miles

Chief Executive

Karen Miles

Chief Executive

With a degree in psychology, family counselling expertise, and experience across family-led services and corporate change management, Karen is well-used to supporting people through challenges.

A people person with family experience of disability and depth of professional knowledge, Karen is equally comfortable in advocating at the highest levels of governance as delivering services on the ground.

From Canada to New Zealand, Australia and Micronesia, Karen has set up services where there were previously none and led the drive to create family-centred models of disability support.

Emily Acraman

National Services Manager

Emily Acraman

National Services Manager

Emily has worked for Parent to Parent for five years, initially joining us as a researcher, and currently in our National Services Manager role.

Emily has a postgraduate diploma in applied psychology and leads our team of experienced researchers and information officers. Emily has a psychology background and has worked in numerous roles both within the health and disability sector, and in local government.

Emily lives in Kirikiriroa with her two young boys, one of whom has a disability. Emily is personally familiar with the needs and challenges facing disabled children and young people, and is a strong advocate for her own children, and others facing similar challenges.

Helen Smith

Training Lead

Helen Smith

Training Lead

Based in the Waikato with her husband and three sons, Helen’s involvement with Parent began as a Support Parent in 2016. She undertook this trained volunteer role for eight years, alongside her work in a specialist school for high-needs, primary-aged children and a mainstream primary school to support children with high needs.

Helen became Parent to Parent’s Regional Coordinator for the Waikato region in 2018 before moving into the role of Training Lead for Parent to Parent’s workshop and training programme.

As a Bachelor of Communication Studies (double major in media and marketing) with hands-on experience in the disability sector, her skillset ensures the continual, community-led improvement of our programme’s content, reach and impact.

Alicia King

Funding Lead

Alicia King

Funding Lead

Alicia holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in Education and has worked for Parent to Parent for five years. She began as an Information Officer and currently works as our Funding Lead. Before that, she worked as a Lending Consultant in the banking industry and as an early childhood educator/reliever. Alicia has a young son with Down Syndrome and an older son with ADHD.

Roni Jacobs

Financial Administrator

Roni Jacobs

Financial Administrator

Roni has worked for Parent to Parent since 2007, starting out as an Administration Assistant and becoming a Financial Administrator after showing her aptitude in financial systems and management. She previously worked at Hamilton District Community Law Centre for twelve years as an Office Manager.

Roni and her family moved to Hamilton from West Auckland in 1990 and settled in Hillcrest then Matangi. She is a matriarch both at work and in her family life, with over 17 years served at Parent to Parent, and four children and nine grandchildren at home!

Izel Becker

Office Manager

Christina Slade

Administration Assistant

Angela Ramos

Regional Coordinator - Auckland North

Angela Ramos

Regional Coordinator - Auckland North

Angela has been with Parent to Parent since 2019, starting as Regional Coordinator for Auckland North and also supporting East and South Auckland families. She later on took the additional role of Support Parent Coordinator for the National Office.

Her personal experience as a mum to a medically fragile boy for 5 beautiful years continues to inspire her to not just simply connect parents, but more importantly, to further understand the challenges and joys of caring for children with disabilities. It is her hope that through her work at Parent to Parent, she can also give back the same kind of support that her family so generously received in the past.

Angela has formed several Parent Support Groups across Auckland, including the growing Filipino Parent Support Group.

Jane Ford

Regional Coordinator - Coastal Bay of Plenty (and covering for Central Lakes)

Jane Ford

Regional Coordinator - Coastal Bay of Plenty (and covering for Central Lakes)

Jane joined Parent to Parent as a Regional Coordinator in 2018.

Having run her own swim school in Papamoa for eight years, then worked for the Red Cross as Community Programmes Coordinator (teaching First Aid to under twelves and delivering a youth drug and alcohol programme—which took her into schools, youth correction facilities, probation centres and the like), Jane is familiar with leading life-saving initiatives both in the water and out.

When Jane started her swim school at her family’s house in 2008, Papamoa was a small community which grew quickly around them. The school became quite a hub for new families and the single-class setup suited children with disabilities, so this fast became her passion. Jane believes her community involvement (including being a teacher aide for five years) and volunteering stemmed from there and from the examples her son and sister gave her.

Jane’s son recovered from a severe brain injury and she is also a sibling to a sister with disabilities.

Don Martin

Regional Coordinator - Northland

Don Martin

Regional Coordinator - Northland

Don joined Parent to Parent as Regional Coordinator for Northland in 2017, after his family moved up north from Nelson to restore a school building.

Don has a postgraduate diploma in social work and a level 4 qualification in Te Reo Māori. He has worked in a range of fields, including trades, quality assurance, inclusive sport development, strategic planning, and disability equipment repair and modification.

Always an active member of his community, Don coached football, softball, athletics and basketball with the Inclusive Sports Trust when he lived in Nelson. He has also held governance roles in various organisations including Chair of Nelson Kindergarten Association and inaugural Chair of the Inclusive Sport Trust. He is currently the secretary at Bay of Islands Yacht Club.

A sportsman who I grew up playing football and softball, Don now enjoys sailing to secluded Northland bays with his wife.

MaryAnn Hughes

Regional Coordinator - Southland (and covering for Otago)

MaryAnn Hughes

Regional Coordinator - Southland (and covering for Otago)

MaryAnn has been a Regional Coordinator for Parent to Parent since 2011. Based in Southland, she covers both Southland and Otago. A born and bred Southlander, MaryAnn has lived in Invercargill all her life—except when she lived in Swansea with her Welsh husband Peter (Wales is her second home).

MaryAnn is a mum to three daughters: Holly, Annah and Bethany. Bethany was diagnosed with Aspergers at age five and is now 22 and studying at the Southern Institute of Technology. MaryAnn’s hobbies are walking her three dogs, travel and cooking.

A stalwart at Parent to Parent and much-loved by the communities she serves, MaryAnn’s passion for helping and supporting people on their health and disability journeys shines through everything she does.

Ramona Dillon

Regional Coordinator - Auckland South & East

Ramona Dillon

Regional Coordinator - Auckland South & East

Ramona holds a bachelor’s degree in Comprehensive Nursing and a postgraduate diploma in Child and Family Nursing.

She has been the Regional Coordinator Auckland South and East region for five years. Before this, she spent her nursing career in public health as a Community Child and Family Nurse, holding field, clinical leadership and clinical advisory positions. She has a strong sense of social justice, particularly with regard to children, and advocates for family wellbeing.

Brendon Smith

Regional Coordinator - Auckland West and Central

Brendon Smith

Regional Coordinator - Auckland West and Central

Brendon has been the at-home Dad for children since his children were young; he is very familiar with Starship and has worked in Dad support through Father and Child Trust, PADA and GreatFathers. He now enjoys supporting the deserving parents in Auckland’s Central and Western regions.

Yuanyuan Tong

Regional Coordinator - Waikato

Yuanyuan Tong

Regional Coordinator - Waikato

Yuanyuan holds a degree in Early Childhood Education and worked in the early childhood sector for almost 10 years. Her Autistic family members inspired her to join Parent to Parent in 2021 to connect, inform and support families with similar lived experiences.

To be confirmed

Regional Coordinator - Central Lakes

Jill Fallowfield

Regional Coordinator - Hawkes Bay

Jill Fallowfield

Regional Coordinator - Hawkes Bay

Jill has been Parent to Parent’s Regional Coordinator for Hawke’s Bay since 2023. Until the birth of her second child, Jill worked as an architect and she has been a member of Parent to Parent Support Groups for over 25 years through her first child.

Jill has three children with varying diagnoses. Her 15-year-old daughter has had more than 100 hospital admissions due to complex medical needs, making Jill well-known to Hawke’s Bay hospital staff who send families her way for Parent to Parent support.

Jack Baigent

Regional Coordinator - Wellington

Jack Baigent

Regional Coordinator - Wellington

Jack is based in Wellington and graduated from AUT with a Bachelor’s in Communications in 2011. Jack has diverse expertise in event coordination, media production, and entrepreneurship, having worked as an event coordinator, radio producer, teacher aide, and business owner.

Jack's personal journey drives his commitment to supporting families at Parent to Parent; he was born missing his left arm and is a proud father of two, one of whom is non-verbal autistic. Outside work and family, he enjoys supporting Liverpool FC, the Wellington Phoenix RC, and the Wahs.

Meredith Dyer

Regional Coordinator - Wellington

Meredith Dyer

Regional Coordinator - Wellington

Meredith has a diverse background having worked in the UK and NZ in recruitment, finance, account management, customer service and as a freelance photographer. Originally from Christchurch, Meredith and her family moved to Wellington in 2016. She has two boys with autism, one who also has an intellectual disability and epilepsy. Her lived experience of disability led her to this meaningful role with Parent to Parent in April 2024 and she is excited about supporting whānau in the Wellington Region.

Sarah McLarin

Regional Coordinator - Nelson

Sarah McLarin

Regional Coordinator - Nelson

Sarah grew up in Hamilton but left to go to university in Wellington where she studied Geology and graduated with a Bachelor of Science. Sarah moved to Nelson in 2002 where she still lives with her husband and two teenage daughters.

Sarah has worked in research and data management, but more recently, she's been raising her daughters and running a small charity providing information and support to families who have a child with Prader-Willi Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder her youngest was born with in 2011. Sarah's first contact with Parent to Parent was when she requested an information pack about her daughter's condition when she was three weeks old, and she's remained involved on and off over the years as her daughter was later also diagnosed with autism and Chron’s disease. Sarah is passionate about supporting others in her community on a similar journey as she knows what a difference the right information and connecting with others who ‘get it' can make.

Sophie Carter

Regional Coordinator - Greater Canterbury

Sophie Carter

Regional Coordinator - Greater Canterbury

Sophie is a born and bred Cantabrian who now lives in south Christchurch with her partner and 16-year-old son, who is autistic and non-verbal.

Her passion for disability work began in high school when she volunteered at a local specialist education school. She went on to work there for over ten years as support staff and in a whānau support role. Alongside parenting and working in education, she also provides private respite care, a job she loves! Being committed to advocating for Aotearoa Tamariki, she also completed a diploma in Child Protection in 2019.

Having lived experience as a parent to her young man and 12+ years of professional experience, she has built up a knowledge bank of disability supports. Sophie is passionate that whānau learn about and utilise these supports early on, and she’s excited to share her knowledge in her role at Parent to Parent.

Rebecca Honeybone

Regional Coordinator - Greater Canterbury

Rebecca Honeybone

Regional Coordinator - Greater Canterbury

Rebecca has lived in South Canterbury for ten years but is originally from the Bay of Plenty. Her Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Canterbury (Marketing and Management) led her to initially work in marketing, advertising, event management and health and safety.

When her family first moved to Timaru, Rebecca was inspired by her son's teacher aides to train to become a teacher aide herself. She has since worked in primary and secondary schools and run playgroups funded by the Ministry of Education.

Rebecca’s lived experience of disability comes from her son, Dylan, who was born very premature with a birth weight of 506 grams. He also has 16p13.11 Microdeletion Syndrome (a genetic condition) and a range of other needs.

Her passion for community work has inspired her to volunteer for various groups and organisations, including Parent to Parent, leading her to the Regional Coordinator role in 2024.

To be confirmed

Regional Coordinator - Otago

Chrissy Frost

Project Lead

Chrissy Frost

Project Lead

PGDipPsych(Com), BA. Mother to two children, Chrissy has worked in mental health, housing and has lived experience in the disability sector. She has a Postgraduate Diploma with distinction in Community Psychology.

Lisa Pirihi

Project Coordinator

Lisa Pirihi

Project Coordinator

Although Lisa started her career as a Chartered Accountant, after taking a break to have her four children, a career change brought her to Parent to Parent in 2014—and she has never left!

She has worked in several roles here and is currently a Project Coordinator in the Support and Information team, with a strong focus on research, writing and providing information to families.

Lisa has lived experience of disability and neurodivergence, both in her immediate and wider family and brings this experience and knowledge to her work. She has enormous empathy for other families as they navigate what can often be a confusing and complex disability system in New Zealand.

Sara Meyer

Researcher

Sara Meyer

Researcher

MA Educational Psychology. Sara gained her Master’s degree in Psychology in 2013, after completing a double Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and History in 2011.

Sara worked with Autistic children for several years as part of the Ministry of Education Learning Support team in the South Auckland area, supporting children in school and early learning settings. She was diagnosed with autism as an adult and she is a mother of two young children, one of whom is also Autistic. Sara joined Parent to Parent as a researcher in 2024.

Christina Forrest

Researcher

Christina Forrest

Researcher

Ko Manunui ā rangi te waka.
Ko Paeroa me kakaramea nga Maunga.
Ko Waikato te awa.
Ko Ngati Tahu Ngati Whaoa te iwi.
Ko Ohaaki te Marae.
Ko Christina Forrest toku ingoa.

Christina graduated from the University of Waikato in 2013 with a Master’s in Psychology and has since supported various communities in need, including children and adolescents in the mental health and disability fields and women and whānau during times of crisis.

Christina joined the Parent to Parent team as a researcher in 2022. She is mum to two young children and an active and supportive member of her small community in the Bay of Plenty.

Cassandra Lewis

Information Officer

Caleb Osborne

Information Officer

Ashe Yee

Researcher

Kirsty Kirkpatrick

Information Officer

Fiona Ritson

Content Writer & Producer

Leila Malthus

Visual Content Creator

Ian Ramos

Technical Coordinator

Kathleen Sanft

Community Liaison

Summer Findlay

SibLeader Coordinator

Parent to Parent is delighted to have Rob Hamill as our patron

Rob is an outstanding role model for all New Zealanders as someone who has pushed boundaries to the limit and succeeded in overcoming challenges along the way. He has experienced adversity in many forms and triumphed nonetheless.

Rob Hamill

Parent to Parent Patron

Rob won a World Rowing Championship silver medal, a Commonwealth, and set a world record on the indoor rowing machine. While competing at the Atlanta Olympics Rob heard about in the inaugural Atlantic Rowing Race to take place the following year which he and Phil Stubbs went on to win after spending 41 days, 2 hours, 55 minutes traversing 4,000 km of the Atlantic Ocean from Tenerife to Barbados in a 7m row boat. Rob is a motivational speaker and the author of The Naked Rower.

Rob is married to Rachel, who has been a Parent to Parent support parent for a number of years. They have three active young boys, one of whom has a rare eye condition.

Rob gives of his time voluntarily to Parent to Parent on many occasions to help raise awareness of the organisation. He is a keen advocate of the organisation and actively promotes the services it provides to families who are raising children with disabilities.

Parent to Parent is privileged to have a patron who is well-regarded both nationally and internationally, and who also has a personal awareness of parenting a child with a disability or health impairment.