Climate Reference Group Rōpū Mātanga Āhuarangi

Dr. Leslie Van Gelder is an archaeologist, strategist, and Professor of Education at Walden University.

Chris has represented Aotearoa New Zealand at United Nations climate change negotiations and is recognised as a pioneer in climate adaptation.

Dr Lyn Carter is the Otago mana whenua representative on the Climate Reference Group and her whakapapa is to Kati Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki and Awarua Runaka.

Evelyn is the representative from Te Ao Mārama Inc which represents Kāi Tahu ki Murihiku for resource management and local government purposes.

Victoria has a diverse professional background, working across the housing, energy, social enterprise, and screen sectors for not-for-profits, large corporates and start-ups in communications, government relations, and executive leadership.

Tony has more than 35 years’ business experience and currently he is General Manager of Wastebusters based in Wanaka, where he manages a large team of over 60 full and part time staff working across the Wanaka and Alexandra Zero Waste education and resource recovery sites.

Amanda Robinson is a community leader in Queenstown and co-founder and Chair of the Lightfoot Initiative, a charitable trust focused on promoting active travel.

Dr Jim Salinger is a climate scientist of international repute, the first to uncover climate warming in New Zealand region in the 1970s.

Alec is a Chartered Environmentalist and Fellow of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment, who has focused his career on addressing the breadth of sustainability challenges and opportunities that are increasingly shaping our communities, society and economy.

Sydney is an evolving expert in climate risk management. She is proficient in developing and working with stakeholders to analyse climate-related scenarios to understand the risks and opportunities climate change presents.

As a carbon management enthusiast, Eleanor helps empower clients to measure, manage and reduce carbon, and most importantly, understand carbon.

Dr Barrie Wills's experience includes 45 years as a research scientist (botany, ecology, soils, microbiology), and subsequently with pastoral revegetation and erosion control in high country environments under the Crown Research Institutes Landcare Research and latterly AgResearch.