OUR BOARD

Meet the Sport Waitākere Board of Trustees.


Dr Katie Bruffy (Chairperson)

Katie is orginally from Cincinnati, Ohio. She has a PhD in sport management and is currently the Head of Community Studies and Bridgepoint at Unitec Te Pūkenga in Mt Albert and Henderson.  

Katie has lectured and researched in sport management and as part of her role at Unitec, leads teams who partner with our communities across sectors including early childhood, sport, recreation and exercise, foundational education and language studies.

She is passionate about creating opportunities for equitable access to play, sport and active recreation in the West Auckland community.

Michael Holmes (Deputy Chairperson)

(Ngāti Ranginui)

Tēnā koutou. Ko Tauranga tōku hau kainga, ko Ngāti Ranginui tōku iwi, Ko Ngai Te Ahi tōku hapū, Ko Michael Holmes ahau.

While not born in West Auckland, Michael was certainly raised here, having moved to Whenuapai in 1976. Michael went to Waitākere College, and the University of Auckland, completing a Bachelor of Commerce. Michael played club rugby at Waitematā, and Club Cricket at Waitematā and Suburbs New Lynn.

Since finishing University Michael has worked largely in consumer goods, developing his business management skills with a number of large multi-national companies, and a few smaller SMEs. Still living in West Auckland, he now raises two daughters with his wife Hinekura, and is excited by the opportunity to give back to a community that has given so much to him.

Nicola Mills

Nicola is a born and bred Aucklander, passionate about health and wellbeing.

She is currently a senior finance executive at Auckland Council and was previously the principal advisor on strategic financial matters to the Mayor of Auckland and an Assurance Director at PwC.

Nicola is a Chartered Accountant and also holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Post-graduate Diploma in Commerce (Economics). She frequently enjoys Auckland’s cycle-ways and hiking trails and is on the side-lines at her daughter’s Saturday netball games.

Robin Taua-Gordon 

(Te Kawerau a Maki)

Ko Waiti, Waiaua me Pawarenga ngā awa.
Ko Puketora, Makeao me Ongaro ngā maunga.
Ko Tainui, Mataatua me Mamari ngā waka.
​​​​​​​Ko Te Kawerau a Maki, Te Whakatohea me Te Rarawa ngā iwi.

Robin works for Te Kawerau a Maki as the Executive Officer of the Mana Tangata Unit. Her role involves protecting and enhancing the cultural, social and environmental values of Te Kawerau a Maki, mana whenua of West Auckland.

A proud resident of West Auckland who is passionate about empowering Māori and, in particular, young people. Robin has been involved in education for over 30 years and is currently completing a Master’s in Education at Auckland University. Robin was on the Auckland Conservation Board from 2017 - 2020 and is the Chairperson of Te Kawerau Iwi Tiaki Trust. Robin loves anything to do with the ocean and walking in the Waitakere Ranges, on opened tracks of course.

Te toto o te tangata he kai, te oranga o te tangata, he whenua, he oneone - While food provides the blood in our veins, our health is drawn from the land and soils.

Ivan Harré ​​​​​​​

Ivan was raised in Fiji and came to live in Auckland in the mid-1970s. 

His experiences in the Pacific community at that time, have shaped his work as a Sports and Media Consultant, currently leading the Pacific Sporting Partnership Programme at Netball New Zealand.  

Ivan has deep family roots in West Auckland, having raised three boys in the west. He is passionate about the benefits sport can bring to the health and wellbeing of our people and communities, and finding ways to equip our sport and recreation systems to achieve this.

Jarrod Walton

​​​​​​​Jarrod is a tax specialist with experience as a tax manager at KPMG Auckland, Jarrod joined Chapmans Chartered Accountants in 2008 and is now a partner at the firm. He was admitted to the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2004 and has since become passionate about helping local business in West Auckland succeed.

Jarrod joined the Sport Waitakere Board in 2015 and has spent the last 6 years presiding as chair. 

Nick Rowland

Nick is a thought-provoking marketing and partnerships expert born and raised in Taranaki.

Nick moved to Auckland in 2013 and established his own business, Side by Side in 2016 as an agency that assists sports, charities, and brands to develop win/win/win partnerships.

Working across a wide range of sectors Nick is passionate about what sports provide and is fuelled by assisting organisations in driving for commercial outcomes that result in mutually beneficial alignments.