Chair
chair@volunteermarlborough.org.nz
Josh is originally from the UK and is a qualified winemaker with an honours degree in winemaking and viticulture. He has a wide range of international experience, having made wine in the UK, Greece, California, Germany, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand. He came to Marlborough for a short-term winemaking contract but was struck by the dramatic beauty of the region and decided to stay. It is now very much his turangawaewae, his place to stand. He is currently winemaker at Huia Estate Vineyards, a small organic winery in Rapaura.
He is passionate about the transformational power of education and mentorship, and he serves on the committees for Marlborough Young Winemaker of the Year, Sunbelt Toastmasters. He also volunteers regularly as a wine judge and on various sensory panels. He joined Volunteer Marlborough to give back to the community he loves as well as improve his understanding of governance.
Josh lives in Blenheim with his wife and two daughters.
Fun fact: Josh recently became a New Zealand citizen, completing his affirmation in te reo Māori - a language he is determined to get better at.
Deputy Chair
Libby is a lawyer now working for Community Law Marlborough after many years in private practise specialising in Family law .
Over the years she has volunteered for a number of organisations including a school board of Trustees, a service club, Plunket and Play centre and was involved in establishing a mainly music group and the Marlborough Coeliac support group.
In her free time Libby is found in her country garden enjoying seeing hard work create beauty.
Fun fact : in 1996 Libby donated a "Divorce " to be auctioned off to raise money.
Treasurer
Patricia has proudly served as Treasurer of Volunteer Marlborough for more than two years, supporting the organisation's mission of strengthening communities through volunteering, connection, and service.
Originally from Chile and now proud to call Marlborough home, she is a Senior Winemaker at Wither Hills, part of Lion New Zealand, with more than 20 years of international experience and a career spanning 13 countries around the world.
Beyond her professional role, she is passionate about community leadership and creating opportunities for people to connect and thrive. She currently serves as Acting Chair of the Marlborough Multicultural Centre and Secretary of Méthode Marlborough, alongside governance roles across a range of charitable and community organisations. She has also supported initiatives including the Cancer Society, refugee and migrant support programmes, youth mentoring, and community development.
She believes strong communities are built through generosity, inclusion, and people helping people, and she is proud to contribute to organisations that make a positive difference across Marlborough.
Secretary
Karen has spent more than 18 years working as a social worker across care and protection, disability support, NGO, and ACC Sensitive Claims. Her practice is grounded in a deep belief in people’s ability to grow, heal, and thrive when they’re met with genuine connection and support. Community involvement has always been important to her, and she has volunteered in local spaces for many years.
Karen is also a mother of four and a proud grandmother of two, and her whānau keeps her anchored in the values of resilience, aroha, and collective strength.
Fun fact: Karen has an uncanny ability to remember people’s stories and small details years later; it’s her secret superpower in this mahi.
Trustee
John and his wife Jessie have a wonderful blended family with five children, making for a noisy household when everyone is home! Marlborough has always been home for John. He has spent plenty of time away from the province – study and travel when younger, and more recently around New Zealand and overseas through work and industry roles. But he has always felt a strong pull back to Marlborough.
“Marlborough has always looked after me. That’s what I want our community to feel like for other people too.”
John runs his family’s horticulture business, and has Board experience through his roles in the NZ vegetable industry. He took the opportunity with Volunteer Marlborough after Jessie signed up to volunteer with Meals on Wheels through VM (she’s continued with them for more than 2 years). He believes being part of a community means you should do your part and saw an opportunity to put some of his experience to use as a Trustee.
“I get a huge amount out of being involved in our community. There are fantastic people involved and it’s really inspiring how determined they are to make a genuine difference for Marlborough. They’re people I might not have got to know otherwise, with different backgrounds and perspectives on our community. It’s great how volunteering itself connects different parts of the community. Being around people who care about Marlborough makes you want to contribute.”
John is very optimistic about Marlborough’s future. He thinks it is a fantastic place with brilliant people, and sees enormous potential in what our community can achieve when people get involved, contribute and look out for one another.
Fun fact: The toughest crowd John has had to convince to eat 5+ A Day is his own kids, who reckon he only knows how to cook stir-fries.
Trustee
Matt is a born and bred Marlburian, and a proud former Marlborough Boys' College student. A qualified civil engineer, he is also a dad of four with children ranging in age from 15 to 23.
Community involvement has been a big part of Matt's life. He spent around 12 years with the Blenheim Volunteer Fire Brigade and has also volunteered for seven years as a mentor with the Graeme Dingle Foundation's Career Navigator programme, helping year 11-13 students explore career options and think about what their future could look like. In 2024, his contribution was recognised with a national Graeme Dingle award.
When he's not working or volunteering, Matt enjoys getting away with family, preferably to the Gold Coast or somewhere in the Marlborough Sounds.
Fun fact: Matt enjoys watching sports, particularly All Black tests and V8 Supercars
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