Board 2026

I joined the board in 2024 to help build community and support for young people working in or interested in the sector. I coordinate preventative health and climate change programmes in Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, Timor-Leste, and Kiribati. I am passionate about community-led development and volunteered in Samoa for 10 months in 2023 with Volunteer Service Abroad.

I got involved in advocacy during high school, when I co-founded an Amnesty International Club to campaign to double the refugee quota in Aotearoa. Volunteering in disaster response for four months in Fiji and Nepal in 2016 cemented my desire to work in the development sector. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies, and a First Class Honours degree in Development Studies. 

When studying at university, I knew I wanted to build a career in a sector that reflected my passion for international development and global relations. 

With the looming threat of accelerated climate change (literally) on our doorstep, my main interest in development is the Indo-Pacific and how indigenous voices and practices can create climate resilient solutions, as well as inform education and putting policy into practice. 

Since joining the sector, I’ve been inspired by the incredible work happening across it and the passionate people driving it forward. I want others, especially those with similar values and interests, to discover this space too. 

My first experience with international development was in high school where I participated in a missions trip in Vanuatu, where we worked with a village called Ohlen Mataso to build a community hall, assist with cleaning up litter, and educating on both environmental literacy and anti-intimate partner violence.  This spurred in me a passion for international development, particularly having regard to the lack of resourcing, facilities, education, and health knowledge of the group we worked with.

 Having studied law, psychology and politics, I have a range of knowledge and skills that lends itself to understanding international relations, treaties and policies.  

In my current role as a Programme Coordinator at Auckland Council, I design and deliver initiatives for underserved communities in the city centre. My work focuses on uplifting and amplifying the voices of groups such as housing-deprived communities and migrant and refugee women.

I applied for the board to stay connected to the wider development sector. While my academic background centred on global issues at a macro level, my professional work has shifted to the micro level. I’m keen to continue engaging in these macro-level conversations with others in this space, and to help grow that community. 

I have worked as a Child Sponsorship Experience Co-ordinator through church partnerships across New Zealand, and as a Feasibility Assessment Project Manager for the establishment of a Child Sponsorship project in Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. I now work as the Strategy Analyst for World Vision International, providing support to the South Asia and Pacific region.

I have since started my Masters in Humanitarianism and Development Studies at Deakin University in Australia, and will be completing my thesis in 2026 while continuing to work in strategy development and research. 

I have a background in Adolescent Well-being and am interested in programs that focus on quality education, social development and community well-being. I am passionate about working on the social determinants of health to improve the quality of people’s lives.

I applied to be on the board of IDYP to meet people working in the international development sector and gain hands-on experience in shaping initiatives that drive impact. I am inspired by the Te Ao Māori values like Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga, and Kotahitanga, which can guide us in solving some of the significant challenges that lie ahead. 

Kam na bane ni mauri arau bon nei Jess ao ngai kain Kiribati mai rouin tinau. Mauri my name is Jess and my family from my Mum’s side comes from Kiribati in the Pacific, and this connection has foundationally shaped my journey and engagement with advocacy around climate justice in the Pacific. 

Understanding how international development agencies can better collaborate with and empower local communities to grow and thrive through their own self-directed initiatives is an area that I believe should be top of mind for all actors in the region. This was a key reason in which I applied to join the International Development Young Professionals Board. 

I work as an Operational Intern at ReliefAid, studying towards a Bachelor of Global Studies (specialising in Human Rights, Justice & Peace / Ethical Leadership & Intercultural Communication). 

I joined the board to continue my strong interest in international development, particularly relating to human rights and gender equality, as well as poverty and hunger reduction. I also want to create a community in this space! 

Professional engineer with over 20 years' engineering experience, currently engaged with central government as a subject matter expert & engineering safety advocate.

My experience in the environmental, health, and safety arena has deepened my interest in how these issues intersect with international development.