Māhinarangi Henry-Campbell

Conference Committee Chair

Māhinarangi Henry-Campbell (Ngāi Tahu) is an Operations Leader at Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub for Christchurch City Council. With experience across regional sports trusts, community sport, and local government, Māhina has a strong understanding of the complex fibres connecting the recreation and sport sector.

She is passionate about working in kaupapa Māori spaces, grounding her practice in Māori values and placing strong importance on building genuine relationships within the communities she serves.

Events are a key area of expertise, with experience delivering everything from grassroots community activations to corporate fundraising evenings. Māhina thrives on bringing a vision to life and creating meaningful connections along the way.

Outside of mahi, she is a passionate netball coach, supporting senior students and representative players to develop into well-rounded athletes.

Rob Gulley

Co–Chair of Generate Network NZ

Rob’s lifelong passion for sport and recreation led him to study a Bachelor of Sport Development at Massey University. He’s worked in many roles across the sector and now a Parks and Recreation Advisor at Kāpiti Coast District Council. He’s also part of the New Zealand Army Reserves.

Rob’s all about building community and enjoying play—whether it’s official events or just spontaneous games. When he’s not working, you’ll probably find him playing golf or tennis or organising something fun at his local club.

Jasmin Carr

Co-Chair of Generate Network NZ

Jasmin grew up in Taranaki surrounded by sport, play, and recreation. These experiences fuelled her love of movement and its role in wellbeing.

After studying a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise, majoring in Sport Development at Massey University, Jasmin became Active Recreation Advisor at Sport Taranaki. She works to improve physical activity opportunities for rangatahi in the region. Outside work, Jasmin loves spending time with friends and whānau, staying active, and embracing new challenges.

Maria Burnett

Former Co-Chair of Generate Network NZ

Recreation has shaped Maria’s life from the beginning. It was natural to pair her planning skills with her love of the outdoors. As an Open Spaces Planner at Central Otago District Council, Maria leads projects shaping parks, open space, and trails. She prepares strategies, policies, and management plans and advises elected members on future plans.

Maria brings a fresh perspective to creating better recreation outcomes in New Zealand. Outside work, she loves the outdoors — happiest up a mountain, mid-hike, or racing downhill on skis, a board, or her bike.

Logan Philp

Conference Committee Member

Kia ora, my name is Logan. I grew up in Wellington before moving south to study at the University of Canterbury, where I completed a Bachelor of Sport Coaching, majoring in Sport Management and Leadership. This time helped shape my interest in community sport and developing opportunities that make a real difference for people.

At the beginning of last year, I relocated to Blenheim to take on the role of Marlborough Community Outcomes Advisor, where I have enjoyed working closely with local schools and community groups. I am now stepping into the Sport Capability Lead role at Sport Tasman, where I’m looking forward to continuing to support and grow sport across the region.

Outside of work, I play rugby for Central Rugby Club and enjoy making the most of Marlborough’s great weather by getting out on the golf course whenever I can.

Samantha Strong

Conference Committee Member

Samantha Strong is a Recreation and Open Spaces Planner at Thrive Spaces and Places. Originally from Canada, she now calls Lake Hāwea home.

With experience across Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Sam’s worked in public and non-profit sectors, specialising in youth recreation, sport and community initiatives.

Since moving to Aotearoa in 2018, she’s combined her love for the outdoors with parks planning and community development. Sam holds a Sport and Recreation Management degree and is completing a Master’s in Parks Management.

An active sector leader, Sam coordinates events for Generate and the Parks Leaders Forum, and serves on Recreation Aotearoa’s Southern Committee.

Off the clock, she’s chasing mountains, surf and adventure, with Douglas, her Bernese Mountain Dog, never far behind.

Tom O’Neill

Conference Committee Member

Parks and recreation shape how Tom lives every day. As a Parks and Recreation Consultant at Xyst, you’ll find Tom working on projects that improve community access to quality recreation.

In Queenstown, you’ll spot him on the hockey turf, on the slopes, or exploring the backcountry. Tom also supports the Southern Lakes Branch of the NZ Deerstalkers Association, advocating for public access and caring for hut networks.

Tracey Prince-Puketapu

Conference Committee and Sub-Committee Member

Tracey has been with Recreation Aotearoa for over 13 years. She spent many of those years as Aquatics Programme Manager – Team Leader.

Tracey is the Kaiwhakahaere Mahi | General Manager Operations for Recreation Aotearoa. She oversees the Programme Manager team and looks after staff safety and wellness. Tracey’s committed to continuous improvement, ensuring we gather insights to guide the mahi we do.

In her spare time, Tracey loves spending time in the ngahere and the moana, and gardening in sunny Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

Kieran Smith

Conference Committee and Sub-Committee Member

Kieran Smith is passionate about creating opportunities for recreation professionals to connect, learn, and grow.

As Recreation Aotearoa’s Parks, Play and Open Spaces Programme Manager, he works closely with local government, sector partners, and practitioners to advance the recreation profession across Aotearoa.

With over a decade of sector experience and responsibility for leading major conference programmes such as Green Pavlova and the Cemeteries & Crematoria Conference, Kieran brings a strong understanding of professional development and industry engagement. Through his involvement with Generate, he enjoys helping young professionals build connections, confidence, and career pathways in recreation.

Ella Creagh

Programme Sub-Committee Chair

Kia ora! I am an Active Recreation consultant at Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa. My mahi involves working alongside Sport New Zealand partners and leading various projects to better understand and support quality active recreation for rangatahi. I advocate to the sector for diverse and youth-led opportunities and believe that physical activity has the power to give our young people so much more than movement. I’m thrilled to help host you in one of my favourite places – Te Whanganui-a-Tara – and look forward to giving back to the Generate Network through this role.

Cat Wylde

Conference Sub-Committee Member

For the last two years I’ve worked as Advisor, Tracks and Trails at Kāpiti Coast District Council, helping people connect with spaces in ways that make sense to them.  My background stretches across sport, recreation, play and event management, all grounded in community outcomes. In my spare time, I chair the Kāpiti Women’s Triathlon, one of the oldest triathlons in Aotearoa where I’m proud to support and celebrate women and girls who start the cross line.  

Wendy Russell

Conference Sub-Committee Member

Kia ora, I’m the Membership and Administration Coordinator at Recreation Aotearoa. My mahi has been embedded in improving the membership experience for our current members whilst trying to attract new members to help grow the Recreation Aotearoa whānau. I enjoy making personal connections wherever I can so joining the Generate conference committee was a no brainer for me. I’m excited to get stuck in helping organise one of the best Generate conferences yet! I can’t wait to see you all there.