Board of Directors
The RNZFB Board of Directors is the legal authority ultimately responsible for all aspects of the RNZFB and its affairs. Its role is governance, rather than management (which it delegates to the CEO). The Board focuses on the wider issues of the RNZFB's purpose, and sets and monitors strategic direction. It appoints and works in very close partnership with the CEO. The Board must ensure that the CEO is supported and resourced to carry out the agreed responsibilities.
Current Directors have long-standing expertise in the blindness sector including Community Committees and consumer organisations, not-for-profit agencies, business and public life.
The Board may have up to eleven Directors. The blind, deafblind and vision-impaired membership elects eight of these, associate members elect one, and the remaining two Directors may be co-opted to the Board for their specific skills or experience. Directors serve for a term of three years.
The Board of Directors replaced the Board of Trustees once the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act 2002 came into force.
Board members
Don McKenzie, chair
Don has over 50 years' active involvement in the Foundation, almost half of those as a Board member. From 1980 to 1992 he was chair of the Board of Trustees. Don is now retired from a 40-year career as a self-employed physiotherapist, with a particular interest in rehabilitation and disability issues. He received an OBE in 1981 for his services to the blind and to physiotherapy.
Dr Geoff Gibbs, deputy chair
Geoff was CEO of the Foundation for 20 years - from 1977 to 1997. Before being appointed he obtained a specialist degree in education and rehabilitation of the blind in the US and has recently gained a DLitt from the University of Northern Colorado. Geoff has been involved in international blindness-related activities since the early 1980s. He has served as regional president and treasurer of the World Blind Union and as a project and audit consultant. He is a JP and officer of the NZ Order of Merit.
Linda Beck
A qualified lawyer with a Masters degree in employment and human rights law, Linda is a past chair of the Association of Blind Citizens Christchurch branch. She is involved in a number of disability groups and review boards, including Workbridge and the Assembly of People with Disabilities. She also volunteers at the Christchurch Community Law Centre. Linda was born blind and now has partial vision in one eye. She is currently completing a PhD in employment law.
Dr Neville Bennett
Neville is a Canterbury University lecturer who holds a PhD from the London School of Economics. A JP and disability officer at the university, he is also a trustee and member of numerous community boards and groups in Christchurch. He writes for NBR and the Otago Daily Times on issues of social change and economics. Neville's wife is partially sighted.
Jillian Mills
Jillian has a BA from Canterbury University, trained as a teacher and was one of the first blind or partially sighted teachers in this country. She is in charge of the English for speakers of other languages department at Feilding High School. Over the years she has been an active volunteer in her local community and was a founding member of the Feilding Advisory Committee of the Foundation. Jillian is a lifelong Foundation member who is partially sighted.
Geraldine Glanville
Geraldine holds a BA in economics and worked for 25 years for IBM before taking early retirement. Geraldine has been active in the Association of Blind Citizens NZ for over a decade, representing the organization on the Foundation's Board of Trustees before being elected as a Director. She is current vice-president of ABC and is a past member of the Auckland Community Committee. Now blind, Geraldine was born partially sighted.
Dr Jonathan Godfrey
Jonathan holds a PhD in Statistics and is a lecturer at Massey University. Currently Jonathan serves on a variety of committees including the Board of the Association of Blind Citizens NZ. He is also Chairman of Palmerston North City Council's Hokowhitu Ward Committee. Jonathan is a lifelong Foundation member and has retinitis pigmentosa. He is one of few blind people in New Zealand to gain a doctorate. Jonathan is a keen sports fan with strong interests in red wine and foreign food.
Dr John White
John holds the associate member position on the Board of Directors. He has a PhD in Chemistry and prior to retiring in 1999, John was director of the University of Auckland's computer centre. Chairman of the Auckland Community Committee, John volunteers each week as a driver for the St Anne's Craft Club for the Blind. Astronomy and music are among John's other interests. He is president of Auckland Astronomical Society and a member of the Bach Musical choir.
Jason Hollingworth
A chartered accountant, Jason also holds a Masters degree with first class honours in Accountancy. He is the chief financial officer (CFO) and company secretary of Sky Network Television Ltd and is a previous CFO and director of a number of NZ companies. He has also lectured on managerial finance at the University of Canterbury's MBA program. Jason and his wife Jennifer have three children. The eldest, Elizabeth, has been blind since birth and diagnosed with Lebers Syndrome.
Sam Chaffey
Sam founded Truescape Ltd in 1995, a visual engineering company specialising in 3D simulation of large scale industrial and commercial development projects. Prior to this he spent 10 years in the USA building a commodity food trading company which principally imported New Zealand perishable products for national distribution from its California base. Sam has been partially sighted from birth. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree and was a recipient of a Blind Achievers award for business in 2002.