About Us

Peter Robinson – Chair

Pete, spent over 20 years as a Police Officer in Manchester, UK. He moved to New Zealand in 1995 and settled with his family on a 5 acre block in Kaipara. On arrival to New Zealand he joined Team Management Services as a Leadership Development Facilitator and has since then conducted thousands of training workshops here and internationally.

For over 25 years Pete and his family have made Paihia their second home and just under five years ago moved to Paihia completely.

Pete and his wife Pat have been married for over 45 years and have three grown children and six mokopuna.

“I have spent a significant amount of my time off shore with my work and have always admired the many community volunteers working tirelessly when I come home. Rotary, Volunteer Fire and Focus Paihia. I decided that it was about time I did my bit”

Marty Robinson – Trustee

Marty is representative of The Paihia Haven of History on the Focus Board. This position was previously held by the late Andrew Thomson. Marty’s association with Paihia can be traced back to 1823 with the arrival of the missionaries, his ancestors Henry and Marianne Williams. Hence his main reason for joining the Focus Paihia Trust; to help drive the establishment of the Paihia Museum, which has been operating on a small open air basis at the original Church Mission Station site beside the St. Paul’s church graveyard.

His first personal connection with Paihia/Waitangi was in 1976 as a barman in the THC Waitangi Hotel (now The Copthorne Resort) for two summer seasons, while studying at University. He is also a member of the Paihia Farmers’ Market, which operates every Thursday on the Village Green, serving non-alcoholic fresh orange juice. Not quite 40 years involvement in Paihia – almost local!

Ngati Kawa Taituha – Trustee

NGATI KAWA TAITUHA is  the Focus Paihia Māori Representative. Ngati Kawa Aramiha Taituha was born in Kawakawa Hospital, attended Paihia Primary School and Bay of Islands College, leaving there in 1995. He spent his post college years in Christchurch and Sydney returning to New Zealand in 2001 to complete a diploma in Māori Studies, Ngapuhi. Following this Ngati Kawa became the Te Ataarangi Maori Language Facilitator at Waitangi Marae and worked at the Copthorne Hotel before joining the Waitangi Treaty Grounds team, where he currently works and has done for the past 10 years.

A big highlight of his life was travelling through Hawaii and Canada in 2011. Moving forward, his future aspiration is to leverage the power of the internet and build an online infopreneur digital platform.  Ngati Kawa is a highly active member of our community and is involved in a number of organisations. He is the Te Tii Waitangi Marae Chairman, a Te Tii (Waitangi) B3 Trustee and Te Maungarongo Whenua Trust Chairman. He is involved with the Taitokerau Maori Tourism Association, Iwi Kiwi Eco Park (Waitangi Endowment Forest) and Tuu Taua o Ngapuhi (Ngapuhi Martial Arts Academy).

Roger Dold – Trustee

Although a familiar face at Focus Paihia working bees, many will know Roger from the days when he owned FULLERS, and/or as the father of four children, who all grew up in Paihia and went to Kerikeri High School. Significantly, together with Mike Simm and Chris Jacobs, in 1989 he bought Fullers out of receivership. Some 15 years later, after winning the Supreme Tourism Award for New Zealand in 2000, Roger sold Fullers in 2004.

Roger continues to have similar businesses in Fiji and Whitsundays which means he is regularly travelling. Roger is hoping to cut down on his travel and spend more time in Paihia and would love to put something back into the community that has given him and his family so much. After working behind the scenes on fundraising for the Mountain Bike Park over the past year, Roger is happy to offer his services to fill the position of  Business Representative on the Trust.

Michele (Shell) Wilson – Trustee

Michele (also known as Shell) is representative for our youth on the Focus Board. Currently
she is the assistant manager and curriculum co-ordinator at Hiwa i te Rangi, Northland
College Teen Parent Unit, Kaikohe, providing support and opportunities for young parents
throughout Te Tai Tokerau. She was Teacher in charge of Performing Arts at Bay of Islands
College from 2004 – 2018 during which time she produced and directed a number of theatre
productions including Footloose and Xanadu. She is also a Trustee of the Upsurge Bay of
Islands Arts Festival Trust, with a passion for connecting local communities through the
Arts. She recently achieved a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Enterprise through SIT,
and brings significant experience working with youth in the Educational and Creative Arts
sectors. She is committed to providing creative opportunities and increasing participation in
positive activities for Northland Youth. Michele also brings experience from the Tourism and Hospitality sectors, having held various roles in event management, fundraising, networking, facilitating community events and initiating business enterprises. Michele, born Tamaki Makaurau, of Fijian, Tongan and Portuguese descent, was raised in
Waitakere City and Sydney. She has been residing in Paihia for over 21 years. For the last
four years she has been raising her two sons with her husband Karl on their lifestyle block
outside of Kawakawa.

Gary Lucas – Trustee

Gary, originally from Lower Hutt, has loved the Bay of Islands after enjoying a couple of beach summers living on an orchard and helping out with Kayak Hire in his teens. Fast forward 30 years including 25 years living in England working in Hotel Management and then 17 years building up and selling an Event Management company, he returned to the Bay with his wife Lesley in 2013. After 5 years owning Luxury Apartments, Campervan Park, and a Gym in Paihia, they decided to sell and take an overseas sabbatical experiencing 22 countries in 14 months through 2019. Loving the Bay and deciding to return again, new business opportunities, bare land and a house build beckon.

Gary has been active in joining in the community as a member of the Paihia Volunteer Fire Brigade, part of the Bike Park team, and Lesley is a committee member of Business Paihia. Introduced to Focus Paihia by offering to project drive the 2021 CCTV installation project, he was subsequently invited to join the Trust Board of Focus.

“I look forward to having the opportunity to contribute to the fantastic work that has already been achieved by Focus in building the great town of Paihia and to give back to our community”.

Campbell Sturrock – Trustee

Campbell spent 11 years with Auckland Council in environmental compliance and leadership roles before stepping into an Environmental and Sustainability Managers role with Fulton Hogan and later a national role with Fletcher Construction. In 2016 he was sponsored by 20 businesses to take his family and a sustainable lifestyle on the road in a house bus. They explored Aoteraroa for 5 years writing for the NZMCA magazine on tiny house living and environmental issues and contributing to Kiwis along the way. In early 2021 they chose Kawakawa and the Bay of Islands area as the best place in NZ to settle to reconnect to the land and a strong, vibrant community. The people here are the friendliest, most spirited and capable people they have met.

Campbell, while exploring what an ecolocalist is, has been busy nurturing bush and waterways on his land and growing a food forest at scale with the help of his wife on the digger and his kids’ enthusiasm. After his adventures, not only in NZ but in India (fitting artificial limbs to earthquake survivors in one of the poorest places on earth), he’s passionate about getting the basic needs of our families and communities covered locally. He’s keen to help Focus Paihia further contribute to growing this re-localisation and resilience so no matter what the future brings we are connected, prepared and can thrive.

Jack Poutsma – Trustee

Jack has lived and worked in Paihia for most of his career as a chartered accountant in public practice within the firm now called PKF Bay of Islands. His three children all attended Paihia School and local colleges before pursuing their own careers elsewhere.

Over his time in Paihia Jack has been actively involved in Rotary (local and district), and football, as well as school boards, various charitable and other trusts, and was the first Chair of the Residents & Ratepayers Association. Jack assisted to establish Focus Paihia but declined appointment as a trustee at that time. He is looking forward to being involved once again.

Focus Paihia Co-ordinator – Amy Armstrong

Amy and her husband, from the Bay of Islands, decided that Paihia was the best place for their young family, so they moved up from Auckland.

Amy brings years of experience in office management, administration, and community/social services.
Her children attend Te Kura Kaupapa o Taumarere, where she serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees, and she is also a committee member of Tai Kotuku Waka Ama Club.
She is excited to join Focus Paihia and to get involved in Paihia projects, as well as meet more of the lovely locals.