Trustees

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  Sir John Walker

  Founding Chairman

  
  Sir John Walker is a champion New Zealander and one of Manukau's favourite sporting icons.
  
  During a long and distinguished career, matched by few others, he made his international debut in 1973. He showed extraordinary durability for a runner and created a staggering list of achievements. Chief among them, he -
  
  • Became the first athlete to break 3m 50s for the mile in 1975 at Gothenburg, Sweden with a time of 3m 49.4secs. That record was to stand for almost four years before being beaten by Sebastian Coe in July 1979.
  • Won the 1976 Olympic gold medal over 1500m at Montreal in a compelling performance.
  • Became the first person to ever run 100 sub-four minute miles -achieving that mark a staggering 135 times.
  • Set the world record over 2000m at Oslo in 1976 and his time of 4m 51.4s was to stand for almost a decade
  • Won 14 NZ Track and Field titles over 800m and 1500m
  • Won the Halberg Award twice, in 1975 and ‘76 and was also voted the 'Sportsman of the Decade' for the 1970s.
  • Competed at two Olympics (1976 and 1984) and four Commonwealth Games (1974, 1984, 1986 and 1990) where he collected one Olympic gold medal and two Commonwealth silver and one Commonwealth bronze medals.
  
  Born in Papakura, John and his wife Helen have long made Manukau City their home. A fourth term councillor, he has become increasingly concerned about the health and welfare of our young people and had a vision, shared by Mayor Len Brown, to get more of Manukau's young people, more active, more often. And so the John Walker 'Find Your Field of Dreams' Foundation, with John Walker as its champion, was born.

• 

  Mike Sage

  Deputy Chairman

  
  Mike Sage is a 44 year old commercial lawyer and avid sportsman. He is a partner in Simpson Grierson, specialising in commercial/corporate law.
  
  Mike lives on a lifestyle block in Whitford. He is married with three kids (ages 13, 11 and 10) who are all heavily involved in school and club sport in the Manukau area (primarily hockey, equestrian sports, cricket and touch rugby).
  
  Mike is a former age group and senior representative hockey player, and has coached hockey for 20 years. He has competed in triathlons for more than 20 years, mainly at the Ironman distance, and in recent years has been concentrating on multi-sport events, including the Coast to Coast race.
  
  Mike has coached hundreds of Manukau City kids, from diverse backgrounds, through the Howick-Pakuranga and Southern Districts Hockey Club. He is a firm believer in the power of sport, to teach kids social skills, teamwork and self-confidence. We need to champion, relentlessly, the opportunities and encouragement for kids to get into (and to stay in) sport.

• 

  Arthur Anae

  Arthur Anae migrated to NZ as a 5 year old in 1951 with his parents and siblings.
  
  He is of Polynesian (Samoan), English and Asian (Chinese) descent.
  
  Arthur has been a self-made businessman for over 40 years. He is a former Member of Parliament, serving six years as a National List MP. Currently he is a Manukau City Councillor for the Otara Ward, an elected member of the Counties-Manukau District Health Board, is appointed to the Counties-Manukau Sports Federation and a member of the Phobic Trust. Most recently (2008) Arthur has undertaken the duty of acting Mayor of Manukau for a short time.
  
  Arthur has served on numerous business, community, government and church boards and committees for over 30 years.
  
  Arthur is passionate about the city’s young multicultural, multitalented population.
  

• 

  Paula Daye

  RGON, Post Grad Dip Business Studies, FNZIM
  
  Paula has more than 30 years experience in the Health and Disability Sector.
  
  Her training as a nurse in London led to a career in public health working in Scotland and Devon before migrating to New Zealand in 1973. From her nursing background and having gained a qualification in business studies, through Massey University, Paula’s experience broadened into general management in the health sector, where she held several senior management positions.
  
  Paula has successfully built strategic alliances, promoting positive outcomes for her patients while managing large numbers of staff and multimillion dollar budgets. As CEO of Coast Health Care Ltd. and the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind, Paula was responsible for delivering quality health and disability services during a period of political and social change.
  
  Her passion for the health and disability sector was further inspired through attending ‘Strategic Perspectives in Non-profit Management’ at Harvard University.
  
  She has served on a number of boards including, Crown Public Health, Deputy Chair Vision Education Agency, World Blind Union Executive, Chair Women’s Committee Asia Pacific and the Family Services National Advisory Committee.
  
  Since leaving the RNZFB she has continued to direct her passion for the health and disability sector through a variety of roles including, Professional Coach and Mentor, Board Director Kidney Health NZ, Department of Internal Affairs Listening and Assistance Service, Trustee Appointer Mobility Dogs Trust and service development and project management for the Auckland Kidney Society.

• 

  Luke Gagamoe

  New Zealand-born, Luke Gagamoe is of Samoan descent and was raised in central and west Auckland. Luke is a keen sportsman and has recently turned his attention to multi–sports events and coaching, and is a member of the Auckland Rugby League board under the new NZRL structure.
  
  An accountant by profession, Luke has passion for working with young people and is one of the leaders of the 360 Teen programme in Manukau. The programme equips teenagers with Life skills through sporting activities (touch, basketball and boxing), camps, community-based activities, life sessions and coaching.
  
  He is also a musician and has played in a covers band for over five years. Luke currently leads a commercial and finance role with Fonterra, having previously worked with Fletcher Forests, Air New Zealand and Carter Holt Harvey.

• 

  Dr Stuart Middleton

  PhD, MA, AIEd(Lond.), DipEd, DipSLT, DipTchg
  Director, External Relations - Manukau Institute of Technology
  
  Dr Stuart Middleton taught English in several Manukau City secondary schools before becoming a teacher educator at the then Auckland College of Education. In 1990 he became Principal of Aorere College, a large multicultural secondary school in Manukau. He returned to the Auckland College of Education to undertake a variety of roles before taking up his present position as Director, External Relations at Manukau Institute of Technology in 2002.
  
  Stuart Middleton has been awarded a Commonwealth Relations Trust Fellowship to the University of London, and several QANTAS Media Awards as New Zealand’s best social issues columnist. He has written a weekly column in NZ Education Review for the past ten years. In 2007 he won a Fulbright New Century Scholars Award and joined an international group of scholars studying equity and access in higher education. In 2007 he undertook a period as a Visiting Scholar at the University of California: Berkeley.
  
  He is a Life Member of the NZ Assn for the Teaching of English and active in a variety of community organisations in Manukau including the City of Manukau Education Trust, the Counties Manukau Regional Sports Trust and the Otara Economic Development Trust. He has recently been appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of Manukau Leisure Services Ltd, a council controlled organisation that provides all leisure facilities and services throughout the city.

• 

  Noel Robinson

  DCNZM
  
  Former chairman and managing director of Robinson Industries, Noel Robinson was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and the community in the recent Queens Birthday Honours List.
  
  Since selling the business in 1999 he has been actively involved with the Counties Manukau community. He is chairman of the Counties Manukau Pacific Trust, which developed the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre. He is Chairman of the Estate of Sir Woolf Fisher and Chairman of Highbrook Developments Limited.
  
  

• 

  Gary Troup

  A resident of Papatoetoe for 45 years, Gary is self-employed in event management and sports marketing and is a former New Zealand test cricketer.
  
  Gary is a first term Manukau City councillor, representing the Papatoetoe ward. He is deputy mayor and chairs the council’s Grants and Events sub-committee. Prior to his election to council, Cr Troup served 12 years on the Papatoetoe Community Board; six of those years as chairman.
  
  Gary is a trustee of Camp Quality NZ, "for children living with cancer", a former trustee of Counties Manukau Sports Foundation, and of Manukau Holiday Camps Trust. He is the President and Life Member of the Papatoetoe Cricket Club, and Vice President and Honorary Member of the Auckland Cricket Association.
  
  Gary is involved with many local community groups and clubs as is the co-founder of the Papatoetoe Multisport facility.
  
  He has been involved with, and a keen supporter of, the John Walker ‘Find Your Field of Dreams’ Foundation from it’s inception in early 2008.

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  Richard Walker

  Richard Walker, BiS (MIT), was born and raised in Manukau City. He has a passion for sport and technology. Richard is currently a director of a software solutions company in Newmarket, Auckland. When he is not involved in work-related activities Richard enjoys keeping fit and active. His hobbies include fishing and wakeboarding.
  
  Richard shares John’s vision of encouraging youth to engage in sport and recreation as a positive channel for learning and development.