Charities Commission

Sid Ashton – Chairperson

Sid Ashton, an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and the community, has been a Christchurch accountant for over 30 years.

Sid chaired the Tax and Charities Working Party in 2001/02. Sid is the former Chief Executive of Te Runanga o Ngaitahu, and a former Chair of the Christchurch Arts Festival Board. He is a trustee for the Diabetes Training and Research Trust charitable trust. Sid is also a Director of Ryman Healthcare, a publicly listed company, and a member of the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand.

Sid was appointed on 13 June 2005, and was re-appointed for a further term expiring on 16 July 2011.

Judith Timpany – Deputy Chairperson

Judith Timpany is the Chief Executive of the Whanganui Community Foundation Inc and a Justice of the Peace. She has qualifications in both commerce and community development.

Judith has 20 years experience in the charitable sector in a broad range of community focused activities, including three years as a Whanganui City Councillor, Chair of Philanthropy New Zealand (currently a board member), and membership of WINGS CF (an international grant maker’s body). She has also held several corporate directorships.

Judith was appointed on 13 June 2005, and was re-appointed for a further term expiring on 14 August 2010.

Kerry Ayers – Board Member

Kerry Ayers is a practising lawyer who has written extensively on trusts and property-related issues, including four legal textbooks. His work has also included extensive seminar presentations including national seminar series for the New Zealand Law Society and the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants. He has been involved in extensive work on issues relating to charities law and the setting up and administration of charitable entities.

Kerry was also a member of the New Zealand Law Commission consultative committee on reform of the law of trusts. He is a former Vice President of the New Zealand Law Society and a former board member of the New Zealand Law Foundation.

Kerry was appointed on 13 June 2005, and was re-appointed for a further term expiring on 16 July 2011.

Ian Calder – Board Member

Ian Calder, an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to children and the family, has considerable experience in and knowledge of the not-for-profit sector. Ian was the Chief Executive of Barnardos New Zealand from 1976-2003, the President of the New Zealand Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations, Treasurer of the International Forum for Child Welfare, and a member of various government advisory boards including the 1988/89 Working Party on the Taxation of Charities and Sporting Bodies. From 2003 he has been a member of the Social Workers’ Registration Board.

Ian was appointed on 13 June 2005 for a term expiring on 12 June 2007. He was re-appointed for a further term expiring on 14 August 2010.

Frank Claridge – Board Member

Frank is a chartered accountant who has been involved with not-for-profits and community organisations for more than 50 years. His involvement has ranged from short term consultancies, to various levels of part-time or full time management and governance, much of it on a voluntary basis. Between 1962 and 2009 Frank was involved in national Boards and Committees of the Methodist Church of New Zealand.

For some 20 years prior to his retirement in 2004, Frank was the Chief Financial Officer for the Royal NZ Foundation of the Blind. Since retiring, Frank has been involved with a large number of organisations, carrying out organisational reviews, capacity-building, and providing general supportive advice and recommendations.

He is currently a member of several Boards linked with not-for-profit, charitable and community activities. He was appointed to the Board of the Charities Commission in 2005 after serving on the Working Party for the Registration, Reporting and Monitoring of Charities in 2001-2002 and the Charities Commission Establishment Group in 2003-2004.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Victoria University of Wellington, is a Fellow of the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants, is a member of a number of other professional bodies and has been a Justice of the Peace since 1973.

Frank was appointed on 13 June 2005 for a term expiring on 12 June 2007. He was re-appointed for a further term expiring on 14 August 2010.

Trish McKelvey – Board Member

Patricia McKelvey, a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Education and an MBE for services to Women’s cricket, has a wealth of operational and governance experience in the education and sport sectors.

She is currently Chair of the Correspondence School Board of Trustees and Electra Limited; a member of the Victoria University Council and a Board Member of Barnardos New Zealand and Bowls New Zealand. Previous appointments include Principal of Wellington High School, Captain of the New Zealand Women’s Cricket Team, Chair of the Board of Career Services and a variety of other tertiary education, social services, and sporting leadership roles.

Patricia was appointed on 7 July 2008 for a term expiring on 7 July 2011.

Tania Kingi – Board Member

Ms Tania Kingi is the managing director/contractor of Kaiarahi Tapiri Limited, a role she has held since 2003. The role includes Māori research, project management and evaluation, organisational and community development, and auditing systems and services among health and disability service providers.

Tania provides management services to Te Roopu Waiora Trust, a kaupapa Māori disability support service, founded and governed by whanau with disabilities. 

In 2008 she was appointed as a member to the Board of the New Zealand Blood Service.

She has participated in many committees to improve the provision of health and other services.  She is the Chair of the National Steering Group of Māori Disability Support Services, and is a provider representative to Counties Manukau District Health Board.
She is an elected representative to Arau Ora - Counties Manukau Māori Health and Disability Collective, representing 20 organisations.

She is also co-Chair and executive committee member of Te Ora o Manukau (Manukau, the Healthy City Forum).
She has a Diploma in Business from the Auckland University Graduate School of Business, and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Māori Development through Te Ara Poutama, Auckland University of Technology.

Tania was appointed on 1 July 2009 for a term expiring on 30 June 2012.