Ross Davis
Director of Youth and Community Projects
Director of Youth and Community Projects
Ross grew up with his parents, Francis Davis and Fay Paterson, and sisters Helen, Jane and Mary in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), te whenua o Ngāti Whatua (local iwi). His connection with Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) goes way back, however – his father's great grandparents arrived here from Ireland in 1845.
Ross has been living in this city and directing BGI for about 20 years now. He and his wife, Anna, have brought up their three tamariki Andrew, Eve and Claire here.
At BGI, Ross' role is Director of Youth and Community Projects. This has required understanding the ins and outs of BGI's history to develop projects which both further the vision of our founders and honour Te Tiriti.
Ross is not new to working with rangatahi (young people) – he was running youth groups through his church when he was just 20 years old! He's always loved learning from young people. Between then and now, he's been a qualified accountant and business co-owner, doing lots of sailing, sports and te ao Māori study on the side.
Given the chance to support his younger self, Ross says, "I'd reassure him that God really does love him – and that a life driven by giving to his community will energise him and spark joy. I’d encourage him to stay excited about the love of God, don’t go to church too much, learn Te Reo, art, and the guitar and keep practising your whole life."
Taine Halbert
Youth Work Team Lead & Tūhono Mentoring co-ordinator
taine@bgi.org.nz
Youth Work Team Lead & Tūhono Mentoring co-ordinator
Taine grew up on the sunny Kāpiti Coast with a strong whānau around him. Taine attended Kāpiti College in his early days and is now pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington majoring in Education with a minor in Management.
Taine has experience in running youth development and mentoring programmes, driven by a passion for helping young people to be the best version of themselves.
In his spare time, Taine loves to spend time with his siblings and extended whānau. He also loves hitting the greens on the golf course and playing cricket for his local club in Kāpiti. Currently, Taine supports our programmes at BGI as Youth Work Team Lead and Tūhono Mentoring co-ordinator.
Toni Taylor
Community Hub Team Lead
Community Hub Team Lead
Ko Ngāti Maniapoto ko Ngāti Tūwharetoa ko Ngāti Raukawa ngā Iwi.
Born and bred in Whanganui-a-Tara, Toni has seen many changes in the growth and diversity of our city and surrounding suburbs. Watching her own young adult rangatahi growing up here with their friends, sees the importance of supporting the new growing generation and what their impact will bring. So, joining the BGI team has been an especially exciting move.
Connecting with Parents, caregivers, mentors, and mentees of the Challenge for Change programme has been a special highlight. A community bonding together providing connection and support for one another is always a bonus.
Currently as a student at Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Toni has found that connecting back into Te Ao Māori perspectives in her Kaitiakitanga Pūtaiao studies, gives a stronger grounding in her approach in manaakitanga for the team and whānau she works with, a crucial backbone in going forward in our ever-changing world.
To my younger self - Reach out to people you respect for guidance. The right person will eventually guide you. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or ask questions no matter how silly you think they may be. Find your passion and follow your dream!
Toni is also the administrator for the Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi courses we host.
Mary Major
Funding Coordinator
Funding Coordinator
Mary recognises the privilege of having grown up with a large, close and loving family in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland). These days she lives in the Wairarapa with husband, Geoff, a handful of sheep & chickens, and a kitten called Tui.
Mary’s background is in teaching English – she’s currently writing a novel – and she came to BGI to work on ideas for funding future projects. Mary has worn many hats at BGI, and is now focusing on Funding .
She says her greatest achievement is being a mother to her three grown-up children. And when asked how she'd support her younger self, Mary says she’d tell her to "follow your passions and don’t be afraid of failure – be afraid not to try."
Carey Young
Outreach Team Lead
Outreach Team Lead
Carey comes from a background in the arts, running dealer galleries and fostering opportunities for artists young and old to experiment, take risks and create.
She spent her childhood in Te Matau-a-Māui and moved to Australia with her whānau in her early teens. A unfettered urge to return to her homeland landed her in a turreted villa with an eclectic mix of musicians, artists and actors when she was 17 years old. The energy and opportunities this city offers has bought Carey back to Pōneke time and time again, it feels like home.
Carey takes on the role of Outreach Team Lead at BGI, where she passionately champions the importance of meaningful connections and actively works towards establishing BGI as a strong Te Tiriti partner. In her position, Carey assumes responsibility for various areas including funding, communications, marketing, and overall outreach efforts with an overarching mission to stand with young people to create great communities.
Georgia Bardsley
Operations Team Lead | EA to at the Director & Comms Assistant
Operations Team Lead & Comms Assistant | EA to the Director
Georgia grew up in Te Awakiarangi Lower Hutt, and now calls Wellington City home.
Georgia studied Health Promotion and Gender Studies at University, and is passionate about equitable policies that encourage people to live meaningful lives.
In her position at BGI, Georgia does a lot of the ‘behind the scenes’ mahi. She works closely with Ross to make sure things are running smoothly at BGI. She loves seeing the impact that BGI has on young peoples lives.
Georgia loves New Zealand summers that are full of camping, tramping and any opportunity to take her van on a weekend getaway.
Joey Cassar
Education Pathways Lead
joey@bgi.org.nz
Education Pathways Educator
Joey Cassar is the newest addition to the BGI whanau and joins Te Whare Taiohi/BGI Pathways as our lead educator. Originally from Yorkshire, UK, Joey has called Te Whanganui a Tara home for the past 5 years and can be usually found swimming and splashing on the south coast through the summer months.
A qualified teacher and events producer by trade, Joey brings with him a diverse work experience from a number of international roles, including a 4 year stint in Sichuan, China. He is a life-long learner who loves to experience new things and understand different perspectives and cultures.
He is passionate about education and youth development, focusing on inquiry-based pedagogies and student-led learning.
Michael Person
Team Lead Education Pathways, Garden and Volunteer Coordinator
Team Lead Education Pathways, Garden and Volunteer Coordinator
Michael was born in the USA in Spokane, Washington. At 13, he moved to the UK to live with his mother, and in 2014 he came to Aotearoa.
Before taking on the role of Head Chef with us, Michael had worked as a restaurant chef for over ten years. At BGI, he’s dedicated to waste prevention and sustainable consumption practices, running creative Cooking on a Budget classes in the Community Kitchen and developing BGI's community garden spaces.
Michael loves ocean swimming, capoeira, dance, music (drumming), video games and comic books. He’s been a youth sports coach and capoeira teacher, which laid the foundations for his work at BGI.
Michael would have encouraged his younger self to begin dance earlier – he believes artistic self-expression is key to building confidence in young people.
Helen Craig
Paper Bag Lunch Coordinator
Paper Bag Lunch Coordinator
Helen grew up in Ōtepoti/Dunedin and now lives with her whānau in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. From a young age, she’s loved kai (food). She fondly remembers cooking interesting dishes with her dad and baking with her grandmother as a child.
It's no surprise, then, that Helen's the Community Kitchen coordinator! And alongside this role, she runs our Paper Bag Lunches programme.
Helen and her family have whāngaied their two younger children who whakapapa Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tūhoe, and Ngāti Kahungungu. Through BGI, they've had some amazing opportunities to visit marae around the motu (country) and deepen their connection with te ao Māori (the Māori worldview).
Helen loves working with rangatahi, community members and fellow BGI staff who are just as passionate about food and whānau as she is. Looking back, she wishes she’d been encouraged to build confidence in herself sooner. At BGI, she's teaching youth how to feed themselves well, and back themselves while doing it.
Kahukura Ritchie
Kaiārahi Māori Development Team Lead | Kura Wānanga Coordinator and Youth Worker
Kaiārahi Māori Development Team Lead | Kura Wānanga Coordinator and Youth Worker
Kahukura grew up in Whaingaroa/Raglan and is Ngāti Kahukuraawhitia, Ngāti Moe, Ngāti Kahungunu, and Rangitāne ki Wairarapa.
In 2018, BGI offered him an internship to study at Praxis (a network of youth development practitioners) where he got involved with a rangatahi Māori leadership development programme called Tuia.
Kahukura loves video games, cooking, diving, whānau, and his dogs. He's in the final year of his Bachelor of Youth Development, but also supports rangatahi as BGI's He Whakatipuranga Hou coordinator and Kura Wānanga Lead. On top of all this, he mentors through Oranga Tamariki, Police, and Iwi Justice referrals.
Kahukura realised at his first BGI information evening just how helpful a mentor would have been for his younger self. Now, through helping others, Kahukura has found pride in his identity and a passion for deepening his connection to his whakapapa.
Ruth Prentice
Te Awhi Parenting Coordinator
Te Awhi Parenting Coordinator
Ruth Prentice was born in Leeds and grew up in West Yorkshire. She moved to New Zealand in 1998 after studying and working in Edinburgh. She calls Wellington home now and has three children who were all born and raised here.
With a professional background in strategic HR, Ruth has been drawn into the refugee resettlement sector over the last decade, whilst navigating the world of neurodiversity through her youngest daughter.
She is the parenting facilitator on our Challenge for change team, where she can empathise and support other families who find themselves in similar situations, with children who may struggle to fit into a neurotypical world.
She loves the nurturing and inclusive culture at BGI, with the community kitchen/ garden/cooks always there to create a nourishing welcome.
Outside of BGI Ruth runs a community initiative "Aroha Afternoons" which is all about breaking down barriers and bringing people together from different backgrounds, cultures and religions to share lived experience over kai and kōrero.
Music often features at these sessions as she also plays a blue electric violin and loves nothing more than to connect with different musicians from other parts of the world.
Jahzalia Hollis
Youth Worker
jahzalia@bgi.org.nz
Youth Worker
Ko Taiwānanga te moana
Ko Taupiri te maunga
Ko Te Atihau te marae
Ko Ngāti Hikairo te hapū
Ko Rongomaiwahine e Ngāti Porou ngā iwi
No Māhia ahau
Ko Emily toku māmā
Ko Jahzalia toku ingoa
Jahzalia (Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Porou) hails from the great peninsula of Māhia, Hawke's Bay. She's been involved with BGI since she was in year 10, as a Journeys young person. Later on, she began helping to run the programme during weekly sessions and school holidays.
These days, Jahzalia is an experienced Journeys team mate and youth worker. She feels grateful to have received a scholarship to study youth work after year 13 and loves now being part of the BGI team!
Te reo Māori is what Jahzalia enjoys practicing, both in her own time and through working with rangatahi Māori. It enables her to learn more about her whakapapa and Māoritanga. It's also connected to her love of singing waiata. At BGI, you'll often hear her before you see her!
Thinking back several years, Jahzalia says having help with her time management definitely would've set her up for success. She's developing that skill now.
Daniel Kumar
Youth Worker
Youth Worker
Daniel was born in Auckland and lived in Tuvalu, Fiji and Australia, and now calls Wellington home.
Daniel was a part of a BGI’s kaupapa, Te Ahi o nga Rangatahi and that’s how he became connected to BGI. During this programme Daniel learnt the importance of youth representation and speaking on things that are important to you. In 2022 BGI offered Daniel a scholarship to study at Praxis and through this he has learnt to be able to better support rangatahi and aims to empower other rangatahi to speak on matters that are important to them. At BGI Daniel is programme coordinator for Te Ahi and helps out with programmes like Journeys, Sports Break and Paper Bag Lunch.
Outside of BGI Daniel loves creative expression including dancing, random painting, hanging out with mates, being in the water, music and long walks in the sun.
Slay, Serve, Survive
Daniel
