Our People

Our people are the heart Perinatal Wellbeing Canterbury. Our team of 3 in the office take care of the day to day operations and are supported by the governance of our volunteer board members. Our Wellbeing Groups would not run so well without our volunteer peer supporters and childcare volunteers.

Ngā Kaimahi / Our Team

Erin Manning
Operations Coordinator

Erin has a background in health, starting in the laboratory and moving into business intelligence analysis and capacity planning, giving her experience working with many different people in the health sector.

Erin uses her lived experience with mental illness to help support mothers and to advocate for better perinatal mental health support. Erin is involved with the perinatal mental health network across New Zealand and is Vice-Chair of the Women’s Health Consumer Council at Te Whatu Ora Canterbury.

She is passionate about making sure all parents have easy access to the help they need, when they need it.

Sarah Taylor
Support Coordinator

Sarah has a background in Nursing. Within her role as Support Coordinator, Sarah is responsible for coordinating the delivery of our community programmes.

Prior to joining Perinatal Wellbeing Canterbury, Sarah spent 12 years working for a large social service agency where she managed a volunteer youth mentoring programme, oversaw budget advice to clients and facilitated parenting programmes.

Sarah believes that a positive parenting experience vastly improves outcomes for children.

Rae Wakefield-Jones
Finance Coordinator

Rae has worked in the not for profit sector for over 10 years. She has extensive experience in establishing, improving and managing administrative processes and systems. Her experience in financial management and reporting provides valuable support for the Perinatal Wellbeing Canterbury board.

She has been involved in her community for many years, including time as a volunteer for the combined Student Army and Farmy Army during the Canterbury earthquakes and as a committee member of her local residents’ group for 3 years. She joined the Waimakariri Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) as a volunteer in 2021.

Peer Supporters / Childcare Volunteers

Our Peer Supporters are trained volunteers with lived experience of perinatal mental illness. They provide support at our wellbeing groups, and support programmes as well as online and via telephone. Our childcare volunteers look after the babies and toddlers at our groups to give the mums attending a well earned break.

Garyn speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese and runs our Asian Wellbeing Group for Chinese mothers

Tania uses her lived experience to support the mums at our New Brighton Wellbeing Group

Christine, Sarah, Liz and Megan support individual mums and help out at our groups as needed

Sarah and Jayne are our amazing Wellbeing Group childcare volunteers

Ngā Kaiārahi / Our Board

Cheryl Moffat
Chair

Cheryl has over 30 years’ experience in the charity sector in management and fundraising.
She is a Fellow of the Fundraising Institute of NZ and has been the Southern Region Manager for Coastguard New Zealand since 2008. Cheryl has held numerous senior roles within the sector throughout her career, including National Operations Manager for Autism NZ and fundraising roles with St John, Presybterian Support, Blind Low Vision NZ and Arthritis NZ . She has had extensive experience in leadership and governance having been a board member for a number of local and national charities. A member of the Zonta Club of Christchurch South for 25 years, Cheryl is committed to service to the community.

Jessie Gemmell
Midwife Liaison

Jessie works at Christchurch Women’s Hospital as a core midwife, working alongside her Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) colleagues and other health professionals to ensure women receive the care that meets their needs.

Jessie has been involved with Perinatal Wellbeing Canterbury since 2015 after personally experiencing the benefit of PWC’s support services.

Her lived experience of perinatal mental health decline provides the Board with a complete and rounded appreciation of the organisation’s goals.

Pedro Betancort
Clinical Advisor

Pedro holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Behavioural Psychology and has practised in Clinical Psychology (Spain), Clinical Psychotherapy and as a Counsellor registered by PACFA, AOD.

He is a counsellor and educator with more than 15 years’ professional experience, including working in Australia. He is currently advancing his expertise in Psychodrama Training to support the work he does with both couples and individuals.

Janine Turkington
Communications Advisor

Janine is the principal of a small strategic brand and communications consultancy.

With a long career in the advertising and communications industry, in New Zealand and off-shore, she has extensive background in strategic brand development and the development and execution of strategic communication strategies, including issues management and reputation management.

Jennie Hamilton
Trustee

Jennie has an MBA (dist.), and a Diploma in Journalism from the University of Canterbury.

She has a background in journalism, communications and engagement and has been a trustee or board member of community organisations for 30 years.

She was awarded a QSM for community service in 1994.

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