Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Ben Kendrew is the Lead Pastor of Arise Church New Zealand, appointed to the role in 2023. In this capacity, Ben provides oversight of spiritual health, Ben is the Lead Pastor of Arise Church New Zealand, appointed to the role in 2023. In this capacity, Ben provides oversight of spiritual health, organisational vision, and governance across a large and complex national church context. Working closely with the Board and senior executive leadership (alongside the General Manager) Ben plays a key role in strengthening governance practice, stewarding organisational health, and leading sustained change through seasons of growth and transition. Ben brings 18 years of experience in ministry and church leadership, marked by a strong gift of faith and a deep commitment to healthy, collaborative leadership cultures. This background has shaped his approach to governance as a partnership between spiritual leadership, accountability, and organisational maturity. Ben and his wife Amy, herself a significant minister and leader, are based in Christchurch with their three children.
Ps Chris Bethwaite lives in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife and four children. He is an ordained minister with The Elim Church of New Zealand and serves as their Executive Officer. The role sees him responsible for the smooth running of the Elim movement throughout New Zealand. Chris also serves the wider church in New Zealand as Chair of the Inter Church Bureau, which is an ecumenical group that monitors taxation and finance issues, risk management and property issues and advocates to central and local Government on behalf of churches, to ensure that the needs of churches are taken into account. Chris is a keen sports fan, especially F1, league, rugby, and tennis. He enjoys travelling and discovering new places and spending time out with family and friends.
Chris Clarke is the CEO of Wilberforce Foundation. Previously he was CEO World Vision New Zealand and CEO Hawke’s Bay District Health Board. He has also worked for World Health Organisation (Europe), NHS (Wales) and in a number of health sector roles in New Zealand. Chris holds law and commerce degrees and since 2009 has been the inaugural Praxis Visiting Scholar at Green Templeton College, Oxford University. Chris is Chairperson of Arrow Leadership Global which works with faith based leaders in majority world and fragile state contexts. He also chairs the Emergency Alliance in New Zealand - a grouping of 9 major humanitarian NGOs. Chris is a member of St George’s Anglican Church in Espom Auckland, and St Cuthbert’s Church in Collingwood, Golden Bay. Chris is married to Karen and they have two adult sons.
Donovan is the General Manager of Arise Church, where he has served for the past two and a half years, overseeing organisational operations, strategy, and governance across. In this role, Donovan (alongside the Lead Pastor) works closely with board members and senior leaders to ensure strong governance and sustained organisational change. Prior to his current role, Donovan was a senior actuary at Deloitte. This background brings a rigorous analytical lens to his approach to governance and leadership. Originally from South Africa, Donovan moved to New Zealand in 2019 with his wife Hanah and their three daughters. They now call Wellington home.
Geoff is a Senior Employment Lawyer and has experience across all aspects of employment and health and safety law. Geoff provides strategic advice for Boards, organisations and individuals facing broader “people” related challenges, including issues relating to culture, safety, reputational risk, leadership and industrial relations, and he has particular expertise in either preventing or quickly resolving people dispute. As well as working with a range of private and public sector organisations, Geoff has significant experience working with churches and other religious and charitable organisations.
John Watson is an award-winning journalist-turned-PR-consultant and founding director of Good Mahi, a communications consultancy providing good comms for good work. John has helped dozens of organisations across NZ and Australia engage in public relations, reputation risk management and crisis communications to both promote and protect their brands. He has presented at the Association of Integrated Schools NZ, Christian Media and Arts Australia, and Christian Schools Australia.
Judith is a Partner at Parry Field Lawyers where she acts for a wide range of clients, from not-for-profits and charities to private and small and large commercial clients, as well as Community Housing organisations, and institutions navigating claims of historical abuse in care. As a trusted advisor, Judith supports organisations looking to address claims of historical abuse in care, providing legal advice and guidance on best practice. She holds a number of governance positions, including with charitable trusts and other charitable organisations.
Kirsten Patterson MNZM (known as KP) is the Chief Executive of the Institute of Directors and is a Chartered Member of the IoD. In 2025 she was awarded the New Zealand Royal Honour, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to governance and women. She is a qualified lawyer and a Distinguished Fellow of the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand. She serves on the boards of the Global Network of Directors Institutes (GNDI), the mental health charity, Voices of Hope, Climate Foundation New Zealand, is Chair of the Brian Picot Ethical Leadership Advisory Board at Victoria University in Wellington and Ambassador for the Wellington Women’s Homeless Trust. She is also on the New Zealand External Reporting Advisory Panel (XRAP). A strong advocate of diversity, KP is a member of Global Women New Zealand and was one of the founding members of Global Women’s ‘Champions for Change’, a group of senior executives and directors who commit to diversity in the workplace. KP was the founder and is Executive Sponsor for Chapter Zero New Zealand – the New Zealand Chapter of the World Economic Forum’s Climate Governance Initiative - hosted by the IoD NZ to mobilise, connect, educate and equip directors and boards to make climate-smart governance decisions, thereby creating long term value for both shareholders and stakeholders.
With a strong foundation in leadership across both private and for purpose sectors, Paul now leads Boardworks as its Managing Director. Known for his deep curiosity and problem-solving skills, he excels at helping boards align their purpose, outcomes, and strategy. Paul’s expertise includes guiding boards to uncover root causes of governance challenges, ensuring organisations stay on track for long-term success. He holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and an MBA, along with executive education from Harvard, Duke, and IMD business schools. Paul chairs a for-purpose trust board and is independent Chair for a commercial entity and Executive Director for a pioneering collaboration in the for-purpose sector. In Kenya, Paul was made an honorary Maasai chief for his work in bringing Maasai and Kamba tribes together. Paul also serves on several advisory boards. Paul is a Member of the Institute of Directors and Member and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company. Paul is married to Angela, with two adult sons at university, Will and Michael. Happiness for Paul is walking our dogs, and when his fitness allows, getting out in our beautiful wilderness and running the Great Walks. (Two left to go – Hump Ridge and Heaphy.)
Rachel Afeaki Taumoepeau is a highly experienced professional director and governance leader with extensive experience across the church, community, business, and public sectors in New Zealand and the Pacific. Rachel is the South Pacific Regional General Secretary for the World Evangelical Alliance overseeing Nations; New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands. Rachel serves on a range of boards spanning energy, education, housing, economic development and faith-based organisations. She is a Chartered Fellow and a member of the Pacific Advisory Group of the NZ Institute of Directors and is widely recognised for her commitment to high quality governance, ethical leadership, and diversity of thought in decision making. Through her consultancy and board roles, Rachel works closely with leaders to strengthen governance frameworks, support organisational health, and enable long term impact for communities. Her leadership is grounded in values of integrity, goodwill, and excellence, with a strong focus on serving people and stewarding purpose led organisations well. Rachel is passionate about equipping current and emerging governors to lead with confidence, cultural awareness, and faith informed wisdom. Rachel and her husband, Aleki, attend Activate Church Hamilton with their four active and always hungry young sons who enjoy rugby, basketball, golf and have a love for music.
For over 30 years, Craig Vernall has served as the senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in New Zealand. During this time, the church has grown to become the largest Baptist Church in New Zealand. Craig has a strong commitment to outreach to families, Biblical exposition, and overseas mission. He served as the NZ Baptist national leader from 2011-2018. He enjoys spending time in the huge outdoors of New Zealand and has in recent years hiked 2,700 kilometers of Camino pilgrimage trails through Spain. He is passionate about helping others to understand who they are in Christ. Craig is married to Michaela who is also a Baptist pastor. They have shared 31 years of church ministry. They have 3 married children and 7 grandchildren.
Tim Sterne is the founder of Basalt Solutions, helping Christian organisations respond well when concerns and complaints arise. A former NZ Police Detective Sergeant with hundreds of investigations behind him - across fraud, sexual offending, corruption and more - he now brings that depth of experience to organisational settings through training and independent investigations. Since launching Basalt Solutions, he has helped his clients respond to a range of allegations including misconduct, bullying and harassment, historic abuse, child safety, and governance issues. He knows faith-based organisations from the inside - the unique culture, the vulnerabilities, and the challenge of responding to serious concerns with both justice and mercy.
Dan assumed the role of CEO in 2021, leveraging his extensive experience as in-house counsel and lending manager. His passion for propelling the growth of the church and Christian enterprise informs his every move. With a solid background in commercial law from Tauranga and a stint at the esteemed Z Energy head office in Wellington, Dan brings a wealth of expertise to our team. His commitment to our vision shines through his collaborations with churches and charities dedicated to making a positive impact throughout Aotearoa. Beyond his professional pursuits, Dan remains an active member of Bethlehem Baptist Church, embodying our core values both within and beyond the boardroom.
Whether you're a young recruit or an old hand, governance is likely to throw you many curveballs. Chris Clarke is a seasoned leader who has sat in many boardrooms, both here in New Zealand and overseas. This session will unpack the various traps, tricks and opportunities of governance that will assist everyone to prepare for what a Board table might throw up. Armed with a smile that could sweeten even the sourest grape, Chris will ensure this session will be fun, funny and informative.
Our annual, anchoring presentation from the Institute of Directors will be sure to demystify what good governance is all about. Kirsten Patterson brings a wealth of experience, humour, and juicy war stories that is bound to add value to those young and old in the realm of governance.
The Chair plays a pivotal role in all governance settings but can often be misunderstood. Are they a dictator, facilitator, or passive bystander? In this session, Rachel will unpack the core tenants of a good Chairperson and apply this to the various governance settings we might find ourselves in.
In 2022, Arise Church was placed squarely in the public spotlight following allegations of abuse. During an intense season of scrutiny and criticism, questions were asked about the governance structures that oversaw the church. Four years on we hear from Ben Kendrew (Lead Pastor) and Donovan Stevens (General Manager) about the lessons learned and how Arise has re-built its capabilities as a large Christian organisation.
Join Geoff Bevan for a highly practical and engaging workshop, focused on how to legally and safely handle serious HR issues / complaints in a church setting. The workshop will also cover common employment problems and risks that churches encounter, and potential solutions. The session will be aimed at both managers with churches/Christian organisations, and those in a governance role.
Join Judith Bullin and Tim Sterne for a practical workshop on responding to complaints in church settings. Covering historical and current matters, the session focuses on governance responsibilities, good practice, common pitfalls, and when to seek external advice. Judith and Tim will also outline what an investigation involves and what boards and senior leaders need to oversee it well. This timely session is highly relevant for governance leaders facing increasingly complex issues.
Join reputation risk and crisis communication specialist John Watson in this highly interactive and practical workshop. You will assess your top reputation risks and learn the basics of crisis communications and media training, so you are better equipped to navigate high-pressure situations, protect your reputation and lead with confidence and conviction when it matters most.
The best governors are those that understand what it is like to be in management or leadership. Drawing on 31 years' experience in pastoral leadership, Craig Vernall will paint a picture of what those on the other side of governance need in order to thrive.
An examination as to why Boards who, from the outside, look very competent and capable, can make a big mess.
If you think someone you know who works in a Christian ministry or charity would benefit from the conference, please share this link with them.
Share
