Chair

Paul offers 27 years of experience working in the Community and Recreation sector in local Government. Prior to this he worked with people with disabilities developing an interest in the sport of Boccia, he is now an international referee travelling to tournaments around the world and attending 4 Paralympics. Paul has a qualification in Social Work moving to Dunedin to work for Department of Social Work in the 1980’s he studied as a teacher in the 1990’s but did not teach.

He has a lifelong love of the outdoors, tramping extensively in the lower South Island of New Zealand. He was an early adopter of mountain biking, riding most of the back country mountains in Otago on bikes with no suspension(!), he still cycle tours today. Facilitating a small walking group, that meets after work during daylight saving, he enjoys the challenge of ensuring a range of local tracks and aims to venture on a new track each week.

Now, (semi) retired, Paul continues to support a number of organisations in the community and recreation sectors and excited by the opportunity a tracks network affords Dunedin city and our residents.

Rhys is a committed environmental advocate who sees significant community benefit from integrating recreational access with Dunedin’s natural environment. Combining a strong desire to contribute to a more sustainable future, with a passion for working with people from all walks of life, he thrives on creating and delivering innovative projects that enhance the environment and community wellbeing.

The Managing Director of Ahika Consulting Ltd, a small Dunedin-based consulting business that specialises in sustainability, Rhys has been working in conservation, forest restoration, land use and environmental planning for over 20 years. He has well-developed skills in conservation management, project management, community stakeholder engagement, business engagement, and developing effective partnerships that have a collaborative impact.

As well as working with corporates and councils across New Zealand, Rhys is involved in the not-for-profit environmental sector, leading the initial development of the Halo Project and Predator Free Dunedin and continuing in management roles in both of these projects.

Rhys is also a keen tramper and loves getting into the wilderness with his family, as time permits. On a more regular basis, he can be seen enjoying the now-achievable commute into Dunedin from Pūrākaunui on his electric bike.

Craig brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Trust having been involved in the cycle industry for 25 years. Starting on the committee of Mountain Biking Otago 23 years ago he is now a life member. Seeing potential for a local event he founded the Naseby 12 Hour Challenge 16 years ago and maintains the roles of VP and Race Director to this day. This event typically attracts 700-800 riders annually.

Prior to becoming involved in the administrative side of things Craig was a multi-sport adventure racer, and mountain biked in the Coast to Coast and 24-hour mountain bike races.

During the day he can found managing PGG Wrightson Real Estate in Otago, successfully operating as a Real Estate for 28 years, following his time as a Livestock agent. Craig was born and raised in Dunedin and the wider Otago region and loves every corner of our outdoors.

Nigel is an outdoor enthusiast who is passionate about getting out and about exploring new terrain. He is qualified with a Bachelor of Physical Education and Bachelor of Commerce Degree majoring in Marketing and Management at the University of Otago.

For the last 20 plus years Nigel has been working in the hospitality industry for Lion NZ in various sales roles across the country. More recently he is the Regional Sales Manager for the Southern Region based out of the Speight's Brewery in Dunedin. His specialties include sales, marketing, sponsorship and leading and developing people and teams.

He is a classic weekend warrior who works hard, plays hard and loves to get outdoors with family and friends whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Kylie is a Principal Transport Planner at Stantec in Dunedin. She has worked in the transport industry for 20 years, including previous roles at Dunedin City Council, as well as for local authorities in Sydney and Melbourne.

Specialising in business case development, pedestrian and cycle network planning, parking management and the development of strategies and policies, Kylie offers a unique skill set to the Trust. She is passionate about improving transport options and providing communities with choice to enhance equity, liveability and reduce emissions - and she enjoys working with local communities and stakeholders to develop collaborative projects that often deliver broad environmental and social outcomes.

Outside of work, Kylie loves adventures and being outdoors. Most weekends she can be found out on her bike or tramping, and she also enjoys kayaking and packrafting. With a large vegetable garden and chickens, there are even aspirations of self-sufficiency.

Kylie’s skills and networks will be valuable in supporting the delivery of tracks and trails across Dunedin, particularly in relation to obtaining funding.

Having grown up in a forest, I am passionate about adventures in the outdoors and the enormous health and wellbeing benefits being active in nature can bring into our lives and communities.

I believe in acting on my words and have been involved in governance since my children were preschoolers, advocating for and facilitating 2 adventure playgrounds, the drainage of school fields, supporting better access and toilets for Signal Hill and increased funding for MTB Otago etc

As a city councillor I supported the playground upgrade work, the tracks plan and putting the case for the Tunnels Trail amidst many other initiatives.

I recognised that trusts, community groups and start-up’s can get amazing things done and have been a founder in OCHO, Kaffelogic, the South Dunedin Street Art Trail and the Dunedin Tracks Network Trust.

Skills – visionary, strategic thinker, facilitator, and networker.

Commitment, Vision, Action is my byline.

Sarah has been involved in community development since 2010 when she joined the Mosgiel Business Association not long after she and her father went into business together running a café in central Mosgiel. Enjoying the challenges of governance across a variety of groups, and the relationships developed across the community, she put her hat in the ring and was elected to the Mosgiel/Taieri Community Board in 2013, then chairing the Board for the 2016-2019 triennium.

With three children, Sarah is grateful to live in a close-knit community of Dunedin and is passionate about ensuring our city is awesome for future generations. She loves heading out for a run or an adventure with the kids, though she’d rather she didn’t have to put the bikes on a rack on the car to get to a trail that is family friendly.

Sarah graduated from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Physical Education and Bachelor of Commerce and is relishing this opportunity to combine her knowledge around the benefits of physical activity, her skills in communication, and her love of our city; working to support the development of a network of multi-use tracks across Dunedin.