GoodYarn, GoodWork, and GoodManagement are managed by the Good Programmes Trust which was established in December 2017. The Trust gained charitable status in July 2018 (CC55540) and is overseen by five trustees.
Meet the Board
Dana Carver
Chairperson
Dana has over twenty years experience in the Health and Wellbeing sector. She has a degree in psychology with post graduate studies in physiology and is a certified fitness instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She previously managed and directed a wellness centre which worked with local GPs to offer lifestyle solutions as a substitute or supplement to medication, and currently works as a program manager and coach, helping organisations to implement and evaluate change initiatives. She has served over 400 clients to date, both individuals and organisations, and is responsible for initiating the GoodYarn licensing programme, which has allowed GoodYarn to become a nationwide resource. She is passionate about mental health literacy and seeing GoodYarn embedded into industries and organisations.
Igor Gerritsen
Deputy Chair
Igor became a GoodYarn facilitator in 2016 when he was the regional coordinator of the Bay of Plenty Rural Support Trust. He has delivered GoodYarn to more than 35 groups in the rural sector. Igor has a background in the Police, Financial Planning and Church pastor. He is a workplace development and wellness coach with his own company, Seedtalks. He holds a diploma in Financial Planning from Massey University and a Masters Degree in Leadership from Dallas Theological Seminary. Igor is passionate about mental health literacy and helping people to live life to the full.
Kris Kennet
Trustee
Kris is excited to join The Good Programmes Trust after experiencing the programme firsthand and recognising its real value in strengthening mental health literacy across workplaces and communities.
He currently works as a Wellbeing Advisor for Fire and Emergency New Zealand, following 14 years of service as an operational Firefighter and Officer.
Kris takes a holistic approach to wellbeing, with a strong passion for proactive and preventive strategies. He has trained in a range of modalities to support self-awareness and self-regulation and is committed to helping others thrive.
Outside of work, Kris is a proud father to his daughter and enjoys spending time in and around the water, especially at the beautiful beaches near his home in Dunedin.
Pete Rowlands
Secretary
Pete has a career spanning strategic management, governance, and business improvement, with extensive experience supporting organisations to strengthen leadership capability and deliver meaningful social outcomes.
He is currently a Trustee of the Meningitis Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand and sits on the Advisory Council of the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations (CoMO), and brings to the Good Programmes Trust, over two decades of commitment to charitable causes following the loss of his son, Gareth, to meningococcal septicaemia in 2003. Since then, Pete has become a passionate advocate for awareness, education, and prevention, undertaking a number of extreme endurance challenges to raise funds and drive global attention to the disease.
Pete’s governance experience is complemented by a strong belief in the power of education and conversation to improve wellbeing and resilience. As a Trustee of the Good Programmes Trust, he is committed to supporting initiatives that equip young people, families, and communities with the tools and confidence to communicate effectively and navigate life’s challenges.
Rosanna Dickson
Treasurer
Rosanna brings a unique mix of commercial leadership, governance experience, and genuine community connection to the Good Programmes Trust.
She has over 25 years’ experience across agribusiness, finance, sales, and media. Today, as a Senior Agri Manager at LIC, she works alongside large dairy farming businesses across the upper North Island. Her focus is simple… take complex information and turn it into clear, practical decisions that deliver results.
Originally a Chartered Accountant, Rosanna combines solid commercial thinking with a very down-to-earth style. She is known for being approachable, straight up, and focused on what works in the real world.
Alongside her day job, Rosanna has a long track record in governance and community leadership. She currently sits on the ESNZ Jumping Board and is Chair of Show Jumping Waikato. Her focus here is building strong organisations, backing volunteers, and creating positive experiences for people involved in the sport.
Rosanna cares deeply about wellbeing and strong communities. She is proud to support the Good Programmes Trust and the work GoodYarn is doing to help people feel more connected, supported, and able to have the conversations that matter.
Meet the Team
Louise Deacon PhD
Advisor Content & Delivery
Louise Deacon led the team of health promotion specialists that initially developed GoodYarn, and, as an experienced facilitator, she has delivered over 68 GoodYarn Facilitator Training events. Louise has a PhD in Management, and her research examined the application of work health and safety regulation to mental health in New Zealand. Louise has a broad interest in public health approaches to mental health, with a special interest in the fields of occupational mental health and wellbeing, and workplace psychosocial risk management. She works as a contractor and consultant through her psychological health and safety consultancy, Thought:Process.
Karen Gibson
Business Support Manager
Karen joined the GoodYarn team in 2023, coming from the private sector, where she was delivering GoodYarn workshops as part of a wellbeing role. Prior to this, Karen has spent the past 15 years as a Registered Nurse, with varied nursing roles across New Zealand, Australia and Africa, including volunteer nursing on Mercy Ships in Madagascar. Karen now works across both public and private sectors of the health and wellbeing industry and has a strong passion for the wellbeing of her teams and wider community. Karen originates from Northland, and her down time is spent in the outdoors, out on the ocean, or riding her motorbike around the countryside.
Annette Beautrais PhD
Suicide Prevention Consultant
Annette has a broad background in health and mental health research with specific expertise and experience in suicide research and prevention. She has conducted multiple research studies of suicide and suicide prevention, working in New Zealand and internationally, and has published extensively.
Her current interests centre on translating suicide research findings into practice, disseminating information about suicide and suicide prevention, and providing community and professional training in suicide prevention. She is now based in South Canterbury and spends a lot of her time implementing wellbeing and suicide prevention programmes in workplaces. She has a wide range of interests in suicide prevention but is especially interested in suicide prevention in men, workplace suicide prevention programmes, rural suicide prevention, suicide clusters and contagion, and, more generally, implementing best practice, evidence -based suicide prevention programmes as widely as possible.
Michelle Thompson
General Manager
Michelle joined the Good Programmes Trust in September 2018 after five years as the founding chief executive of the Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand. Michelle is passionate about improving health and wellbeing for communities and workplaces across New Zealand. She has a background in business start-ups and restructures, particularly for not-for-profit and charitable organisations within the health sector. Michelle currently lives on a farm in Central Hawke's Bay running cattle, sheep and a few alpacas (not for eating).