The Core Team

Annie Perkins, BSc, MSc, Managing Director and Facilitator

Annie has worked in agriculture and natural resource management in New Zealand since 1995. Currently she works primarily as a business and project manager and extensive experience as a professional facilitator. She is one of New Zealand’s key exponents of participatory processes. Annie’s passion is supporting learning about sustainable farming and she led six years of extension work for the New Zealand Farm Environment Award Trust. Annie has been an extension researcher (AgResearch), sustainable agriculture education coordinator (Environment Waikato), soil conservator (in the US) and catchment planner (in Australia). She has a BSc in Dairy Science (Virginia, USA) and a MSc in Ecological Economics (Edinburgh, Scotland).

Annie is a trustee of the Te Whangai Trust (which supports people into employment through work in its native tree nursery) and a founding member of Sustainable Waikato, a group established to review and endorse candidates who align with the principles and practices of sustainability in the 2010 elections for Environment Waikato and Hamilton City Council. She is also a member of the Australia Pacific Extension Network; the NZ Institute of Primary Industry Management and the NZ Association of Resource Management. In addition, Groundwork Associates supports the Hamilton Environment Centre and is a member of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce.

Amanda Beatson, BA Hons (English), Marketing and Communications Consultant

Amanda has worked in marketing, event management and communications roles since 1991. She has experience in both the public and private sectors dealing with a diverse range of disciplines including education, health and engineering. Part of the Groundwork team since 2002, Amanda played a key communications role in the NZFEA Trust’s ‘Learning from Leaders’ initiative. Groundwork’s performance in this area led to a contract with MAF to train others in effective communication for SFF projects. Amanda enjoys finding the “right voice for a project’s needs” - one which sits comfortably with the client and works well for the intended audience. Whether creating a report or newsletter, web page or e-zine, advertisement, brochure, media release, strategy or policy document, Amanda’s goal is to write clear, concise, engaging copy. Amanda is also on the board of the Waikato Kindergarten Association and an active volunteer at kindergarten, a local Mainly Music group and pre-school playgroup.

Jane Sadlier, Executive Assistant and Projects Coordinator, Bachelor of Teaching, Certificate in Business Administration and Computing.

Jane came to Groundwork after working for three years as the Executive Assistant to the Director Planning and Enterprise at Waikato Institute of Technology, with two previous education sector administration roles already under her belt. Her position with us (where she is responsible for the smooth-running of Groundwork’s consultant team and provides logistics support for our projects) utilises her strengths in event and project management, customer service and office administration.

Oriana Brine, BSc, Research Assistant and Administration Support

Oriana joined our team in January 2009 while completing her BSC (Biological Sciences/Chemistry) at Waikato University.  Now studying for a biology masters at Auckland University she continues to work with us part time applying her research and communication skills to our projects.

Judith Roberts – All in One Accounting

Judith has been an integral part of Groundwork’s operation since 2008, providing accounting, financial management and performance reporting services for our business and our projects.  A star with MYOB and Excel and her exceptional analytical skills bring rigour and robust analysis to our project work.

Kim Barclay, BA Hons (English), MA Hons (History), Venue & Office Administrator

Kim has extensive experience in venue and event management across a diverse range of sectors, combined with high level administrative and technical skills. Kim’s venue management career started in 2002, when she helped the South Waikato Arts Trust to restart Putaruru’s Plaza Theatre. Since then she has managed sports games, weddings and a range of venues from small community theatres to large event centers.

In 2005 Kim won a University of Waikato Masters Scholarship, which funded her thesis in US media history. That same year, she managed and directed an 11-centre tour of The Diary of Anne Frank for Te Awamutu Little Theatre. The production garnered honours from the Netherlands Embassy and the New Zealand Jewish Council, as well as the 2006 Supreme Trust Power Community Award for the Waipa region.