Ko wai mātou

Our Team

Our operations and projects are overseen by a dedicated team who work hard to ensure everything runs smoothly. 

Our Team

  • General Manager

    Hannah grew up down the road in Waiwhetū and recently moved back to Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai with her young whānau. With a professional background in law and human resources, Hannah also has lots of experience working with organisations promoting supported and stronger communities. When she’s not spending time with her whānau and friends she enjoys reading, music, and advocacy with People Against Prisons Aotearoa. Hannah is excited to be working with a project so close to where she grew up and looks forward to meeting you all soon.

    You can get in touch with Hannah at , hannah@cupa.org.nz

  • Finance Manager

    Catherine joined Common Unity in February 2023 as our Finance Manager. She manages all the important financial functions of Common Unity, taking care of payments, receipts, payroll, budgets and year end reporting. Catherine grew up in Naenae and loves being connected to Te Awa Kairangi again. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, creating things and reading.

    If you’d like to discuss donating or funding any Common Unity projects you can contact Catherine via catherine@cupa.org.nz

  • Sophie

  • Jess has  just completed a bachelors degree in health promotion and sociology. After a short term interning with us, Jess has moved on to being an Urban Kai Farmer. “I am interesting in tackling food insecurity in Aotearoa, and am excited to learn ways to cultivate kai in an urban setting”


  • Jill of all trades

    Michaela is the heart of Common Unity. She first joined The Remakery as a volunteer in 2018 and now leads our Comms & Marketing space. She wears many hats as a key player in the business hub team. Michaela can often be found in our sewing studio making amazing products with Sew Good, or in various locations around The Remakery making magic happen.

    For all marketing and comms related kōrero, you can contact Michaela via admin@cupa.org.nz

Roberta

  • Sew Good Coordinator

    Roberta is our Sew Good coordinator and tutor, since May 2021. She is a costume designer from Barcelona (Spain) and shares her sewing skills and creativity with the community. You can find Roberta humming away in the studio working on community projects, creative collaborations, upcycling projects, and commercial orders. She brings her knowledge and experience in design and creating products from repurposed textiles. She is in charge of processing and organising our Fabric Library.

    Roberta loves hiking in her spare time, rowing, electronic music and chair design.

    If you’d like to know more about our Sew Good sessions you can contact Roberta via sewgood@cupa.org.nz

Our Board of Trustees

Common Unity is supported by an active Board of Trustees with diverse backgrounds and skills, who all volunteer their time to deliver better outcomes for our community.

  • Chris has been a member of the Common Unity board since 2019 and the board chair since March 2021 & as of 2023 co-chairs alongside Frankie Herrington. He is interested in seeing food waste reduced and the better use of rescued food. Chris first got to know Common Unity when looking for an outlet for wood shavings from his Hutt-based timber recycling business. The wood shavings have been used on the gardens at Rimutaka Prison.

    Chris is an enthusiastic but amatuer cook and is interested in most things outdoors. In his shed is a range of well used sailing, hiking, mountain biking and camping equipment. He has two young adult daughters who grew up in the Hutt Valley.

  • Frankie (Ngāti Raukawa) is an experienced portfolio and project manager with governance and change expertise. Her most recent roles have been in higher education and public service.
    A Waiwhetū local, Frankie was drawn to Common Unity's numerous creative projects and manaakitanga. Having seen the positive impact on the community, she wanted to support the mahi by joining the Board.
    Her interests align to Common Unity's kaupapa. In particular, sustainability, conservation and community development. Frankie has previously worked as a volunteer for Forest and Bird, SPCA and Zealandia. In her spare time, Frankie can be found in the garden or immersed in a good book.

  • Info coming soon! Watch this space :)

  • Kristie is a new member to the Common Unity board (since July 2023). She is a long-term public servant who has always had a focus on equity and improving the lives of New Zealanders. Kristie first came across Common Unity when she was doing work around food insecurity and saw it as a great community led solution.

    Kristie mainly spends her spare time hanging out with her chihuahua Louis. She also has a keen interest in cooking and patisserie.