National Board

Coastguard New Zealand Board

The Coastguard New Zealand Board governs the strategic direction of our national office.

The composition of the Coastguard New Zealand Board is:

Led by a President who is nominated and elected by units
4 Elected Members who are also nominated and elected by units
4 Appointed Members who are appointed by the Board Appointments Panel

President

Bennett Medary

Bennett has been volunteering for Coastguard Auckland for seven years and has held a range of different operational and governance positions at a unit, regional and national level. A current CNZ board member since 2020, Bennett was also a Coastguard Northern Region Board Member & Chair of the Governance Committee between 2016 and 2019. An active volunteer, Bennett has acted as a Lead Radio Operator, is a Master of Lion Foundation Rescue & Trillian Trust Rescue, and is also a Coastguard Instructor and Regional Instructor/Assessor.

Bennett is a professional director and advisor specialising in governance, strategy, transformation / innovation and executive mentoring. Over a thirty-year career he has worked with many organisations in the public, private, charitable and volunteer sectors. As CNZ President, Bennett is passionate about continuing to build strong relationships throughout the organisation and sectors of society, understanding that units reflect local operating conditions and their volunteers mirror the people in their local community.

Elected Board Members

Carolyn Tapley

Carolyn has been a volunteer with Coastguard Canterbury since 2013 and during her time, she has held various positions at a Unit, regional, and national level. With a background in Finance and Government, she brings great leadership and fundraising capabilities to her work. After the Christchurch earthquakes, she successfully sourced $2.5 million to replace the damaged Coastguard Canterbury building.

As a member of Coastguard's Māori and Pacific Advisory ropū, Te Pūhara Mana Iwi, Carolyn is committed to embracing and promoting cultural diversity and equity within the organisation. She works alongside board members, staff, and volunteers to incorporate cultural elements into both behaviours and the Coastguard brand. She is passionate about our Coastguard volunteers and staff and acknowledges that each Coastguard Unit is unique, reflecting the contrast in their geographics and the communities they serve. For the past 30 years, she has worked in the volunteer and charitable sectors both nationally and internationally.

Jerry Bardon

Jerry has been a volunteer with Coastguard Kapiti Coast for the past seven years, serving across numerous roles including President for three years, acting Treasurer and Unit Safety Officer. He is currently working towards his Coastguard Instructor and Master qualifications. Across large organisations in both the UK and New Zealand, Jerry has strong demonstrated experience in IT, organisational design and organisational resilience.

Jacqui Paterson, Coastguard Waihi Beach

Image + Bio TBC

Appointed Board Members

Liz Urquhart

Liz is currently GM of a portfolio of growth products at Spark, having spent two prior years as the organisation’s GM Group Strategy. Liz has experience in a wide variety of organisations from new start-ups (Liz was the founder and owner of a premium honey business) through to leading strategy and significant transformational change in large organisations. Liz brings extensive experience in collaborating with Boards and other key stakeholders – particularly in relation to the development and implementation of strategic plans. Liz has a deep understanding of complex stakeholder relations having worked as an economic advisor and consultant to governments and other parties in New Zealand and internationally. Liz is mum to Conor (8) and lives in Auckland.

Susan Doughty

Susan is a seasoned director, executive, entrepreneur, and consultant with over 30 years of experience solving commercial business issues and managing people challenges in complex environments. Susan is a former Partner at EY, Director of Talent & Engagement at Fonterra, and most recently Head of Reward & Insights for Zespri. Susan is deeply committed to improving outcomes for women and communities and has used her influence and skills to raise awareness of pay equity and diversity issues promoting positive change within Aotearoa, New Zealand. Susan’s governance portfolio includes Chair - Diversity Works New Zealand, Trustee - Coastguard New Zealand, Director - Caloda Ltd, and Trustee - Agri-Women’s Development Trust.

Roberto Brady

Image + Bio TBC

Pengbo Jiang

Image + Bio TBC