Board of Trustees

Alexia Black
Heamana ā-Motu/ Chairperson

Gabrielle Hogg
Mema Poari/Board Member

Vanessa Macneil
Hekeretari/Secretary

Natasha Fernandez
Mema Poari/Board Member

Anna Reed
Mema Poari/Board Member

Alexia Black
Heamana ā-Motu/ Chairperson

Alexia grew up in the Waikato and experienced first-hand the devastating impact of suicide on whānau during her teen years. She trained to work in mental health and disability support in Otago and her first few roles in the sector saw her working with many people who had returned to the community after Cherry Farm (the local institution) closed. What she saw during this time led Alexia to a career in human rights, including an incredible role assisting Sir Robert Martin KNZM in his role on the United Nations Committee for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Alexia identifies as a proud member of both the rainbow and lived experience communities – having experienced post-natal depression, depression and workplace burnout. She joined the board of Balance Aotearoa in 2019 and has been National Chairperson since 2023. Alexia has held multiple lived experience roles, including as a researcher within the lived experience rōpu of the Mental Health and Addiction Directorate at Manatū Hauora, as Interim Director of Lived Experience and Engagement for MHAIDS, Te Whatu Ora, and as a representative of Balance and the Disabled Persons Organisations Coalition on various advisory and governance groups.

Vanessa Macneil
Hekeretari/Secretary

Ko Rangiuru te Maunga
Ko Te Arawa te Waka
Ko Kaituna te Awa
Ko Tapuika te Iwi
Ko Ngati Moko te Hapu
Ko Ngati Moko te Marae
Ko Macneil toku whanau
Ko Vanessa Toku ingoa.

Nau mai harae mai

I am Vanessa Macneil and my whanau hail from Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty. My husband Ben and I currently live on a farm just outside of Putaruru with our two girls Sienna 12 and Violet 10, our cat Satan, the goats Kooji and twilight and the calf’s freezer and tail-less and I can’t forget our dog Chuckie. I also have two older children Aaron 35 and Jess 29 and three mokopuna Skylar 15, Kaed 9 and Jayden 6.

I am an executive coach and I work alongside Maori and Pacifica on their leadership journey walking alongside them to help them overcome what is holding them back from achieving in their professions.

I also work part time for Oranga Tamariki and for St Pauls Co-operating church as a community co-ordinator running cooking classes, after school programmes and drop in café. In my previous life I have been a sewing machinist, Data entry operator, pricing analyst, Kaiārahi Cultural guide as well as spending 14.5 years working for fletcher building with the last two years as the National Estimation Manager for Humes Pipelines.

Being on the local School board as a trustee for the past 2.5 years as well as being the secretary on one of nga hapu I whakapapa too, and on the charitable trust associated with this helping set the strategic plan for growth for our hapu and finding funding with the other trustees is just some of the things I bring to the table.

I look forward to working with all of you to continue to make Balance an amazing organization.

Anna Reed
Mema Poari/Board Member

Ko Kawerau te maunga
Ko Haehaenui te.awa
No Otepoti ahau
Ko Kelly te whanau
Ko Anna toku ingoa

Anna was raised in central Otago and Dunedin and moved to Wellington in 2012. She originally trained in education and taught for ten years before retraining in health policy and health promotion during covid. Anna has lived experience of post-natal depression and anxiety and has a chronic illness. As a Disability Advisor for Wellington PHO Tu Ora Compass Health, Anna is passionate about the role of lived experience and the peer work force. Anna also enjoys facilitating professional development around disability and the human rights model. Anna is on a number of lived experience and disability advisory groups. She currently lives in Porirua with her husband and two young children, aged 8 and 6.

Gabrielle Hogg
Mema Poari/Board Member

My name is Gabby Hogg. I live in Auckland, but I grew up in Hawkes Bay. I am currently in my late 30s. I am autistic with catatonia and with other neurodivergent needs and mental distress, particular PTSD. I also have chronic physical health needs, endometriosis.

My passions lie in the area of neurodivergent needs which, yes, covers mental distress. I also am passionate about human rights and public policy. I am hoping to bring the lived experience of disability and mental distress and the intersectionality of impairments. I currently study at AUT doing a BA in social sciences/public policy. I am also a part time user of Augmentative and Alternative Communication – I hope to bring that unique experience around accessing mental health services when you use AAC. I have a special interest in high and complex needs. I have had experience of being a support worker and supporting a variety of children and young adults with a variety of support needs, some of whom also had Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, along side their learning (intellectual) disability. As I was doing my job, I discovered the unmet needs of mental distress in the disability community.

I currently work as a contractor with Te Pou, working on the Equitable Access to Wellbeing workforce framework. I think now is the time to be critical of the incoming government. I am also an aunty to 5 nieces and nephews, ranging from 3 to 16. I hope to uphold all the mana of those that are neurodivergent or considered to have a neuro disability.

Natasha Fernandez
Mema Poari/Board Member

Ko Tararua te maunga e rū nei taku ngākau
Ko Waitārere te moana e mahea nei aku māharahara
Ko Fernandez tōku whanau
Ko Natasha tōku ingoa

My name is Natasha and I moved to Aotearoa, in 1998, from Dubai. I live in Levin with my daughter (14), my cat, Nick (16), and my dog, Charlie (3).

I have worked in many fields ranging from accountant to data geek which has helped me to grow the skills that I want to use to help Balance grow. I am passionate about lived experience and while I have not had first-hand experience with it, I have had to self-advocate for a number of years as I am AuDHD and have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and have developed a special interest in educating people on both topics.

Ēhara tāku toa i te toa takatahi, engari he toa takitini.
Our strength is not made from us alone, but made from many.