Meet the Team

Who am I? An impulsive purchase in the name of a dream church restoration project brought us to the Hurunui five years ago. We love the wide open spaces and kindness of the locals. I’ve worked with children and young people throughout my working life here in NZ and abroad and currently work in community development at the Hurunui council.

Why am I here? I love community and working with community to create the best possible outcomes.

What I can help you with?
As the facilitator of the Together Hurunui Network let me know if you see any gaps in our community.
As the Welcoming Communities coordinator please get in touch for migrant and newcomer support.

How to contact me:
Phone: 027 1800 2773

Who am I? Kia ora koutou. I’m originally from Christchurch, and these days my partner and I live in Amberley with our two children. We’ve called the Hurunui district home for quite some time now, and it’s a place we really love being part of. I’ve spent most of my working life in the tertiary education sector, and I’m passionate about helping people learn and grow.

Why am I here? Because I care about this community and want to make a positive difference where I live. And importantly — to help make our roads safer for everyone who uses them.

What can I help you with? In my role as your Safer Roads Facilitator, a big part of what I do is support road safety education across the Hurunui district - helping people build the knowledge, awareness, and skills they need to stay safe on our roads. Alongside this, I organise campaigns, courses, and community activities that focus on the issues we’re seeing locally. Everything I do is about supporting all road users - whether you’re driving, riding, cycling, or walking.

How to contact me:
Phone: 027 808 4563
My normal work days are: Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 9am - 5pm

Who am I? I’m a Hurunui girl at heart, having grown up in Amberley. My time at council has taken me through a range of roles, from administration to working with the (Visit) Hurunui Tourism team. I love being part of the Community Team - no two days are ever the same, and there’s always something meaningful happening in our district.

Why am I here? The Hurunui has a way of getting under your skin, and being part of this district means being actively involved in the people and projects that shape it. My role takes me across the region to meet residents and to support community initiatives. The scenery is definitely a bonus!

What can I help you with? Reach out if you’d like guidance on preparing a strong funding application, want to discuss our age‑friendly (older persons) work, or have a community‑led development idea you’re exploring. I can help you figure out where to start and connect you with the right people at council to keep things moving.

How to contact me:
Phone: 027 500 2562

Who Am I? Kia ora! I live in Leithfield, where my family and I have been part of the Hurunui community for over seven years. We love the strong sense of connection that makes this district special.

My background includes work within the local medical centre and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, supporting people through challenging times and strengthening community connections. I also serve on the Leithfield School Board of Trustees and am passionate about supporting strong, resilient communities for future generations.

What Can I Help With?
I work alongside community groups, schools, agencies, and local organisations across a range of community wellbeing initiatives, including:

• Food security and food resilience initiatives
• Supporting Hurunui based foodbanks
• Community-led projects and events
• School and early learning wellbeing initiatives
• Emergency welfare support and community connection
• Strengthening local networks and partnerships

Whether you are looking to connect with local initiatives, start a community project, or strengthen wellbeing in your neighbourhood, I’m here to help.

How to contact me:
Phone: 021 296 5241
My normal working days are: Monday, Wednesday & Friday

Who am I? Kia ora! I’m Kim. I’ve lived in Hurunui my whole life and was once a young person here myself. I’m passionate about supporting the local rangatahi and helping them thrive in the community I know and love. I love spending time in the outdoors and exploring the backyard that is the Hurunui!

Why am I here? I’m here to connect with young people, provide support, events, and opportunities, and to help them feel empowered in all aspects of their growth. I aim to support all rangatahi to be the best they can be and feel connected to their community.

What can I help you with? I can support rangatahi to connect with the programmes we offer, help them get involved in events and opportunities, work to break down barriers to their success and development, and provide guidance to make the most of what’s available in our community. Reach out, I can help connect the dots!

How to contact me:
Phone: 027 1800 2929
kimberley.spencer@hurunui.govt.nz.
You can find Hurunui Youth on both Facebook and Instagram!

Kia ora, I’m Nathan!

Having recently started to call North Canterbury home, I feel privileged to be doing my mahi with rangatahi throughout the Hurunui district.

I bring with me a strong background of youth work combined with outdoor education and adventure activity instructing. Having gained a bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Education and Sustainability at ARA, I am passionate in embedding these principles throughout my life.

I am dedicated in assisting and mentoring rangatahi to develop their own strengths, especially using our environment as a catalyst for this journey.

Coming into the SEED programme this year, I am excited to offer a diverse range of experiences for our youth to help them gain direction and uplift the mana in their lives.

On the weekends you will most likely find me playing in the mountains – rock climbing, fishing, hunting, kayaking and more.

I also love sports and can talk for hours about rugby – be warned!

How to contact me:
Phone: 027 1800 2655
nathan.dick@hurunui.govt.nz

Who Am I? I spent the first 17 years of my life in Amberley and after spreading my wings far and wide I have been drawn back - working in the region I love!

I have two beautiful teenagers and am lucky enough to have daily strolls on the beach with my gorgeous pooch.

Throughout my working life I have been involved in many industries, horticulture, education, sales with the majority being in hospitality management.

Why Am I Here? From being a teenager and having teenagers, I understand the tricky road that needs to be navigated during this time - it takes many hands of support!

I am lucky to be given the opportunity to help discover the skills and motivators in a young persons life and turn these attributes to guide and step into their career path.

What Can I Help With? MTFJ is an amazing nationwide programme that works towards the vision of all young people to be engaged in employment, training, or other positive community activities.

My role is to help young people navigate the steps needed to gain employment from creating a work readiness plan; Advise with curriculum vitae (CV) and cover letter, applying for employment, interview support and ongoing support during the first 3 months of their employment.

If you know of anyone that could benefit from our programme, I would love you to get in touch.

How to contact me:
Phone: 022 016 3828
anna.scott@hurunui.govt.nz

Who am I? Growing up mostly by the eastern beaches of Christchurch my husband and I decided to take the leap to North Canterbury, seems he is rather handy and built us a home out here, and we love it out these ways! Now calling stunning rural canterbury home, although you still will find me not to far from the ocean.

We have five boisterous beautiful boys between us and the country air works wonders!

Why am I here? Having navigated trying situations as a youth I have always felt the pull to give back to those who are needing it most, todays rangatahi navigate such an array of obstacles that I feel they need to be supported and heard and valued more than ever, I hope to install positive guidance, an ear to listen and a safe environment for them to come as they are.

Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai – Nurture the seed and it will blossom.

What can I help you with? I work out in three local area schools and run the weekly youth hangout space in Amberley Library, while also supporting the SEED programme. I run a range of fun activities at lunchtimes with rangatahi, this is a supportive environment where youth can bring their own ideas and help lead and create safe and fun spaces that are engaging.

I love building connections with the youth and helping to grow new leaders of tomorrow where they feel a sense of belonging and value.

I can help with connection for local activities and schools if there is anything youth related that you may be wanting to support or collaborate on in the Hurunui feel free to reach out.

How to contact me:
Phone: 021 541 329
melody.owen.jones@hurunui.govt.nz