Our Board

Brent Impey is Chief Executive Officer of MediaWorks NZ Limited, which operates two national television channels (TV3 and C4), radio stations out of 23 markets (including network brands More FM, RadioLIVE, Solid Gold, The Edge, The Breeze, The Rock, BSport and Kiwi FM, as well as regional stations Mai FM in Auckland and Northland, Times FM in Orewa, Sounds FM and Easy FM in Blenheim, Radio Dunedin, and Coromandel FM) and a new media division (NetWorks).

Brent has been involved with The Fred Hollows Foundation for eight years. For all that time, he has also been Chairman of The Foundation in New Zealand, and for three years (until late 2005) a Director on the Board of The Fred Hollows Foundation in Australia.

"I am a great believer in the work of The Foundation. Its goal of building sustainability with a 'do it' attitude is one I identify with. I am forever amazed by the core work of The Foundation, namely the quality cataract surgery in developing countries, and affordable lenses. In addition, it has been a humbling experience to not only witness these dedicated people work, but also to assist in a small way to build The Foundation, whether the South Africa or the Pacific projects."

Brent has been a leading media executive in New Zealand for many years and was named as 'Media Personality of the Year' in 2003. He received the award for 'Broadcaster of the Decade' in 1990, and 'Queens Commemorative Medal for services to broadcasting', also in 1990. He was also Executive Director of the Radio Broadcasters Association from 1983 until 1998.

Brent graduated with a Bachelor of Arts/Law from the University of Auckland in 1975 and was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in 1976. Brent practiced as a lawyer for 15 years, specialising in media law.

Aseta Redican is General Manager, Pacific Health at the Auckland District Health Board.  In this role she has successfully established two Pacific primary health organisations and a number of Pacific initiatives, including the Parish Nursing Services.

Aseta won a scholarship from the Samoan Government to attend secondary school in New Zealand. She then went on to become the first Pacific person to qualify from the School of Physiotherapy at the University of Otago in 1964. Aseta then returned to Samoa in 1966 and established the physiotherapy department at the public hospital in Apia. Since then, Aseta has been involved in improving the health of Pacific people in New Zealand.

In 1991, she established the Pacific Island Heartbeat Program at the National Heart Foundation.  As the manager for Pacific Issues with the Northern Regional Health Authority and the Health Funding Authority, Aseta has also established a number of other Pacific healthcare providers.

Aseta is a member of the council of Samoan Women in New Zealand and PACIFICA (a national Pacific women's organisation in New Zealand).  Aseta was PACIFICA's representative on the Ad Hoc Committee, which monitored the implementation of recommendations from the Cartwright Cancer Inquiry in 1988.

Aseta has been a member of the Ministry of Health's Pacific Reference Group since 2001 and has been a key speaker at a number of local and international forums on Pacific Health.

Aseta has been a Director on The Foundation's New Zealand Board since 2004.

“I have always been a great admirer of the work The Fred Hollows Foundation has been doing in developing countries and was very honoured and humbled when asked to join the Board in New Zealand in 2004.  I am excited and impressed by The Foundation's courage and commitment when expanding the range of its work and venturing into the Pacific establishing a number of projects, clinics and training programs of which I hope to play some small part,” says Aseta.

David Walden's first exposure to Fred Hollows was whilst he was working in Australia. Fred's profile was high and David was intrigued by the work he was doing.

David is the Managing Director of Whybin/TBWA in New Zealand. When the network's Sydney office was being established it became involved with The Fred Hollows Foundation in Australia. David was happy to volunteer both his personal time and the agency's time to assist The Foundation in New Zealand.

“I believe Fred is truly one of the remarkable individuals from last century and the more I have worked with The Foundation the more in awe of his vision and tenacity I have become,” David says.

John McElhinney is Chief Executive Officer of The Radio Network Limited (TRN), one of New Zealand's largest commercial radio businesses which has over 120 stations. These include the country's major networked stations, such as Newstalk ZB, Classic Hits, ZM and Radio Sport, as well as genre stations Radio Hauraki, Coast, Easy Mix and Flava. The company is also a joint venture partner in The Radio Bureau, New Zealand's radio advertising placement agency.

John joined the radio industry in 1972, firstly with the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, then Radio New Zealand and most recently with The Radio Network.

The early part of his career was spent in programmes and promotions (he was named the radio industry's Program Director of the Year in 1980) before he became a General Manager and then Head of Marketing for Radio New Zealand. From 1987 to 1997 he was General Manager for The Radio Network in Taranaki, being promoted to Sales and Marketing Director for TRN in April 1998 and then Chief Executive in June 2001.

John is currently chairman of the Radio Broadcasters Association and a member of the Institute of Directors. He joined The Foundation's New Zealand Board in 2003 and the Australian Board in 2006.

“Like many people, I had the need for more fulfilment in my life and thought I should give of my time to a worthy charity. I thought long and hard about the various options and came to the conclusion that the very worthy work of The Fred Hollows Foundation was the one that I wanted to be involved in. It has such practical aims and outcomes and improves the quality of life of so many people, it was just too hard to go past,” John says.

Martin Simons is Chief Executive Officer of APN New Zealand, the publishers of The New Zealand Herald, The Aucklander, New Zealand Woman's Weekly, the New Zealand Listener, Creme and 9 daily regional newspapers and 35 community titles. 

Martin has worked in the newspaper industry for 35 years as a journalist, editor, manager, regional manager and chief executive and has been a senior manager with APN for 12 years.  He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Graduate School of Business Management in 2004.

Martin joined The Foundation's New Zealand board in 2006. 

Mary O'Regan brings to the New Zealand Board a strong passion for community development.

She is currently a partner in consultancy firm O'Regan & Lynch, specialising in social research, project evaluation and social policy analysis.  She has a solid background in the voluntary sector, as well as at community and central government level, helping policy makers work effectively with communities and other agencies to effect change.

As CEO of the Ministry of Women's Affairs, Mary steered the Ministry through the State Sector reform process.  She has also worked as assistant director of a community development organisation and has worked extensively in the Pacific, particularly Samoa, managing bilateral aid programmes and working with government departments and non-governmental organisations.

Mary has also been the leader of several voluntary organisations, including a term as National President of the YWCA.

What attracted Mary to The Foundation was Fred Hollows - what he achieved and the legacy that remains.  "I love hearing about his passion and commitment, his intolerance of unnecessary obstacles and his focus on building local capacity to ensure what he started is sustainable into the future.  I feel honoured to be able to participate in some small way in that future," says Mary.

Richard Griffin has a long history in publishing, broadcasting and journalism both in New Zealand and Australia. In the United Kingdom he has been a commentator, news director and political editor.

In his earlier days, Richard attempted to pursue a career in medicine but was diverted by the opportunities he then believed existed outside the strictures of Otago Medical School.

“I conducted a boisterous interview with Fred on air, live, in a Wellington studio when he was visiting New Zealand just weeks before his death. I found that mixture of garrulous enthusiasm, outrage at injustice and absolute commitment to his cause enormously appealing. At the time Fred's 'heart-on sleeve' passion reminded me very much of my father's commitment to a cause and I found the resonance extraordinarily stimulating,” Richard says.

Richard has been on a number of voluntary boards. For a time he chaired the SPCA and more recently he has been working with the New Zealand Asthma Foundation and takes a continuing interest in the New Zealand Diabetes Foundation.

“I am looking forward to what seems to me to be the somewhat wider perspective on life and circumstances inherent in the aims and objectives of The Fred Hollows Foundation.  While I am aware that Fred elicited varying responses to his style of doing business I must say I emphasise entirely with his “gung ho” approach to achieving his objectives no matter what bureaucracy and critics threw in his way,” Richard says.

Richard has been a Director on The Foundation's New Zealand Board since 2004.