The Speakers

Headshots and Bios

Martine Hartley-Parsons

Leadership Coach & Organisational Development Specialist, Pito Mata Consulting

Martine Hartley-Parsons brings decades of leadership in inclusion, equity, and Rainbow advocacy across Aotearoa’s public service. A former senior leader and social worker, Martine has championed visibility and belonging throughout her career — from co-founding the gQ network (precursor to CARN) to leading the public service’s first Rainbow workforce survey, WeCount 2019.

She is the founder of Out to Lead, Aotearoa’s first leadership programme for Rainbow-identifying people, and a certified coach known for her courageous, compassionate approach. Martine’s work with the Leadership Development Centre helped embed inclusive leadership across senior public service programmes. Through Pito Mata Consulting, she continues to support leaders and systems to grow with purpose. Based on the Kāpiti Coast, Martine is a proud step-parent, gardener, and advocate for change — one starfish at a time.

Kerryn Pollock

Kerryn Pollock is an Area Manager and Senior Heritage Assessment Advisor at Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. She leads the organisation’s Rainbow List, a project focused on improving the representation of queer lives, communities, and histories on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero — the national statutory list of Aotearoa’s place-based heritage.

Lori Leigh

Dr Lori Leigh (they/she) is an interdisciplinary researcher at the University of Otago whose work spans queer studies, arts and culture, public health, housing, social wellbeing, and urban studies. Their research explores how creative practices and culture influence community formation, public health, and wellbeing in urban contexts, with a focus on the experiences of marginalised communities.

Lori is an award-winning artist, writer, and educator, and in 2024 received a CLNZ | NZSA Research Grant for their upcoming book Homo Sweet Homo: The History of New Zealand’s Queer Homes. Their work is driven by a commitment to social justice, inclusion, and the power of the arts to foster connection. Lori also serves as a Trustee on the Board of Kawe Mahara Queer Archives Aotearoa.

Sandra Dickson

Sandra Dickson (she/they) is a Pākehā gender non-conforming woman of Scottish, Canadian, and English descent with 30 years’ experience working in Takatāpui and Rainbow communities, and in family and sexual violence prevention at local, national, and international levels. She is autistic, bisexual, and a survivor. In 2015, Sandra informally founded Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura to bring focused attention to the experiences of violence within Takatāpui and Rainbow communities. Today, she continues to contribute to the organisation’s research, community development, and violence response mahi, and holds advisory roles with Vine and government.

Bex Fraser

Bex Fraser (they/them) is a Pākehā non-binary trans bisexual person with 23 years’ experience as a facilitator, manager, and volunteer in community organisations. Their work centres on social justice, intercultural practice, and violence prevention for marginalised communities, including former refugees and migrants, single parents, and queer people. Bex has been involved with Hohou te Rongo Kahukura since 2015 and currently co-ordinates the Sensitive Claims Service, supporting Takatāpui and Rainbow people who have experienced sexual harm.

Kahukura Rogers-Rahurahu

He uri ahau nō Ngāti Raukawa, me Ngāti Tahu – Ngāti Whaoa, me Ngāti Kahungunu, me Ngāti Hāmua. They are also the second generation of English and Irish immigrants.

Kahukura (they/them/ia) is a Takatāpui (trans, non-binary, queer) neurodivergent person with over 15 years’ experience in community-led development, arts, mental health, and advocacy. They are passionate about Te Ao Māori, interculturalism, and creating safer environments for whānau and young people, shaped by their experience as a parent. At Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura, Kahukura is the Whānau Worker for the Integrated Safety Response with NZ Police, providing crisis intervention for Takatāpui and Rainbow people following family harm incidents. They also offer social work support to those who seek help directly from the organisation, outside of police involvement.

Swathi RR

Swathi (she/her) is a Kairuruku at Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura, where she co-ordinates projects, administration, communication, and community development functions. She has lived in Aotearoa for seven years and holds a doctoral degree in Education from the University of Waikato. Swathi is passionate about research, education, and community development. She has recently contributed to the development of online resources and training modules from the Elder Voices research and is currently working on research related to elder abuse in Takatāpui and Rainbow communities.

Senior Sergeant Rhona Stace

Senior Prevention Partnerships Advisor – Inclusion New Zealand Police

Rhona has served in the New Zealand Police for 30 years, including six years as a School Community Officer and 12 years as a Senior Prosecutor within the Police Prosecution Service. Since October 2022, she has been in her current role supporting the Manager – Inclusion. Rhona describes herself as a parent, a poet, and an active member of her local Anglican church congregation. She lives in the suburbs with one of her two adult children and two cats — and just happens to also be transgender.

Julia de Bres

Associate Professor Julia de Bres (she/her) is a sociolinguist at Massey University and a researcher in transgender health. She currently leads a Marsden Fund research project on family support for transgender young people in Aotearoa (Project Village Aotearoa). Julia is an administrator of the national support group NZ Parents and Guardians of Transgender and Gender Diverse Children (NZPOTC) and coordinates PATHA’s Trans Health Research Network.

Rhi Munro

Rhi Munro (he/they) has worked in community-led development, health promotion, and grassroots leadership for over ten years. He currently works in harm reduction for CAYAD (Community Action on Youth and Drugs), focusing on changing the systems and environments that perpetuate alcohol and drug harm among rangatahi. Rhi holds a Master of Information Studies from Victoria University and specialises in how movement and exercise can empower health and wellbeing in transgender and non-binary communities.

He is passionate about movement practices grounded in community, intergenerational peer support, harm reduction, and environmental restoration. Rhi is the co-founder of The Joyful Movement, a social enterprise transforming the relationship between movement and transgender communities in Aotearoa. A non-binary trans man and 2023 alumni of the New Zealand Leadership Development Programme, Rhi’s story was recently featured in TransGenerations, an NZME docuseries sharing the stories of transgender New Zealanders.

Sophie Parker

Sophie Parker (she/her) is a Senior Adviser Inclusion & Diversity at Ara Poutama Aotearoa, where she leads regional initiatives and advises on national policy to promote equity and representation across the workforce. With over a decade of experience in custodial operations, leadership, and facilitation, Sophie brings a strong focus on creating inclusive environments for both staff and people in the care of Corrections. She chairs their national Rainbow Network and sits on the Governance Group for the Cross-Agency Rainbow Network.

Sophie’s background includes operational roles across Aotearoa and the UK, paired with a commitment to improving workplace culture through education and advocacy. Her mahi is driven by a passion for ensuring everyone feels seen, valued, and safe, aiming to create a world that is more inclusive for those that come after her.

Jen Wilde

Jen Wilde (she/her) is a passionate advocate for inclusion and equity, whose leadership journey began with a personal turning point — coming out at age 30, a moment that surprised both herself and those around her. She identifies as a Pākehā, lesbian, neurodiverse cis woman and is a survivor of domestic abuse, bringing a deeply personal lens to her work in creating safer, more inclusive spaces.

Jen’s leadership path began as the lead of the Inland Revenue Rainbow Network, where she championed visibility and support for LGBTQIA+ staff. Her drive for systemic change led her to the governance of the Cross-Agency Rainbow Network (CARN), where she now serves as Chair, fostering collaboration across the public sector. Outside of her advocacy work, Jen is a Senior Change Manager at Inland Revenue, applying her values of empathy, resilience, and transformation to shape inclusive organisational culture. She lives in Te Papaioea Palmerston North with her wife, children, and a lively crew of pets.

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