Who we are
MAY LOW (Co Chair)
May Low has a passion for not for profits, especially those building stronger, more robust communities. May believes that sustainable, affordable housing is the cornerstone to ensuring our whole community can thrive.
May is the Chief Operating Officer at Kiwi Innovation Network and serves on several charity boards. May has degrees in Accounting, Commercial Law, Computational Logic and Mathematics and is a Chartered Accountant with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
THOMAS GIBBONS (Co Chair)
Thomas Gibbons is a specialist property and development lawyer. His work includes subdivision projects, expert opinions, body corporate issues, infrastructure, and local government law. Much of his work concerns the interface of property law, the RMA, and local government, with a particular interest in corporate body law.
Beyond his legal work, he has had extensive involvement in the property industry and in charities through governance roles with Property Council New Zealand, Survey & Spatial NZ, the Vibrant Hamilton Trust, Waikato Housing Initiative, and school boards of trustees.
FIONA MCNABB
Fiona has lived much of her life in small coastal communities and has witnessed the impact of rapidly rising house prices coupled with migration from urban settings to rural communities on housing affordability.
Fiona is passionate about supporting the work of agencies working to address the housing crisis, becoming involved as the Project Lead for the Whaingaroa Raglan Affordable Housing Project (WRAP) in 2017.
Fiona represents the small community voice on the Leadership Group for the Waikato Regional Housing Initiative and is a Xtreme Zero Waste Charitable Trust Board Member in Whaingaroa, Raglan. Additionally she is a Trustee Director for Community Energy Whaingaroa Board, a subsidiary company of the Xtreme Zero Waste Charitable Trust. She brings experience in board governance, project and teams management.
JENNY NAND
Access to adequate housing is a fundamental human right, and this principle drives Jenny’s dedication as a trustee of the Waikato Community Land Trust (WCLT). Recognising that access to affordable land is a major barrier to building affordable housing in the Waikato region, Jenny is committed to supporting the Trust’s focus on tackling this critical issue. She firmly believes that addressing the region’s housing challenges requires collaboration. Guided by this belief, Jenny works with the Trust and its strategic partners to develop equitable, intergenerational solutions that advance affordable housing for the community.
CLAUDIA RICHARDSON
Claudia is a dedicated member of the trust, bringing a background in environmental planning to its efforts in providing affordable housing in the Waikato. Claudia is also a member of the New Zealand Planning Institute and is a planning consultant at Place Group.
Recognising the significant housing shortfall in the Waikato and the critical need for affordable, quality homes, Claudia is dedicated to increasing access to housing that meets the needs of the community. She is passionate about supporting the trust in delivering practical and impactful solutions to address these challenges in the region.
GRAEME GEURTS
Graeme has spent the past 27 years in the financial services industry, the past 20 in business banking. His experience extends from agribusiness to commercial lending and leadership. At one point in his career he led the greater Waikato region across all sectors including retail banking. It’s through this experience that an interest in property and wider commercial investment has developed.
Outside of banking, Graeme is involved in a number of property based investments. Through the years Graeme has also realised the importance, and the influence, housing and leadership can have on communities. This has seen him serve on two charitable trusts: Waikato Community Lands Trust and the Community Leadership Foundation. Both Waikato based organisations focus on lifting the prosperity of the region.