Trustees

Chairperson: Jim Bowler

Director of BUILDSURE Building Consultants

Jim became a member of the Trust because he became increasingly aware of the disparity in matters of access. From being a young father of three children in pushchairs, to later in life where pushing a person in a wheelchair and being able to access toilets, public facilities and buildings that other people could, the limitations in the built environment became apparent.

The built environment, through building design seemed in some situations, set to avoid acceptance of persons with a disability. This is contrary to the common good and far from equitable. Jim's enthusiasm for change via education has not diminshed!

 

Ann Maddox

LLB(hons) Mjur (Distinction), Senior Associate with Simpson Grierson

Ann specialises in local government and infrastructure law, including the Building Act 2004.

Ann previously trained as an Occupational Therapist and therefore has an indepth understanding and awareness of the importance of the built environment for people with disabilities.

 

Michael Pusinelli

M L Pusinelli & Associates, Consultant in the hospitality and tourism industries

Michael is a passionate believer in the importance of good service delivery standards in all aspects of business life and sees his involvement with the Trust as an extension of this into a practical field. He believes in what the Trust is trying to achieve and wants to help in his own way.

Currently Michael's field is the tourism industry, with main activities revolving around development projects and quality standards. He finds it useful to be in a position to be able to comment on accessibility issues as they relate to both these activities.

 

Vivian Naylor

BSc (Hons) London, CCS Disability Action - Northern Region, Barrier Free Advisor & Educator.

Vivian joined the Trust because she believes in the importance of designing the built environment in a way that is safe and usable by everyone and she fully identifies with the Trust's goals.

Vivian brings nearly 40 years of lived experience of mobility impairments, both as a wheelchair user and walker with calipers and crutches. She has an in-depth knowledge of other physical as well as sensory impairment and how design features of the built environment impact negatively on people.

Buildings are with us for a minimum of 50 years and we need to be thinking long term on the advantages of Universal Design in both public places and private houses. NZ can learn so much from the mistakes experienced in the Northern Hemisphere in not designing homes that will work for all generations and they are now facing shortages in housing that caters for an ageing population.

The importance of Sustainability is increasingly being acknowledged and designing all buildings that better meet the needs of everyone, reduces the requirement for major modifications in the future. A smaller carbon footprint.

 

Jonty Tetley BSc

Post graduate study at Victoria University.

Jonty joined the Trust in order to do proactive work on access for people with disabilities and also network with like minded people.

 

 

Carina Duke

Practice Advisor for Adult Orientation and Mobility Instructors at the Royal NZ Foundation of the Blind.

Carina also has an Environmental role to provide information on best practice for the Design of Buildings and the Roading Environments for persons who have vision impairment or are deaf/blind to external agencies.

Carina advocates for an environment that is accessible for everyone.

 

Ross Livingstone

Contract Relationship Manager, Disability Directorate at Ministry of Health.

Ross was a valuable member of the Wellington City Council's Disability Reference Group and also their Disability Advisor for three years.

Ross is a wheelchair user who promotes access and inclusion for everyone.

 

Bill Wrightson

MNZM, MBSc (Arch), BA, TC Dip. Principal of Wrightson Associates.

Bill has 38 years professional and consumer experience (as a quadriplegic wheelchair user) creating universally usable built environments has been published and lectured in New Zealand, the USA, Sweden and Canada since 1982 on accessibility matters.

He directed the Barrier Free Programme for CCS Disability Action from 1980 to 1988, Chaired the NZS 4121:2001 Standards NZ Review Committee and with his consulting practice Wrightson Associates has completed over 1600 commissioned research, advisory and assessment tasks on building access and usability.

He was a member of the old Building Industry Authority, is the Immediate Past President of the Disabled Persons Assembly of NZ and currently a member of the Access Advisory Panel of the Department of Building and Housing.

He has a Master of Building Science degree in architecture on Universally Usable Buildings and is currently completing a PhD on accessibility and safe building design.

Bill is determined to see that none of the hard won legislative and compliance entitlements for disabled people is lost and he has a vision for extending the current requirements for access to public buildings into private housing.

 

Richard Cullingworth 

DipSurv FRICS - Chartered Building Surveyor and Access Consultant

Richard became a member of the Trust because he believes in the development of a built environment that is accessible and usable by everyone. He brings extensive practical experience in the assessment and design of accessible environments gained at a time when the UK was adapting to huge changes in building codes and discrimination law.

He has worked alongside architects and designers on a range of projects including the conversion to exhibition space of Grade 1 historic buildings at Althorp (for the Diana, Princess of Wales Trust) and the design and subsequent construction of the 80,000 sq m extension to the Manchester Arndale shopping centre.

He has undertaken assessments of existing properties ranging from central Government offices and 5 star Hotel chains, to night clubs and airport buildings. He was a member of the committee which developed and wrote the British Standard BS8300:2001 and has lectured extensively to property professionals and clients.

Richard believes that the Trust is in a unique position to be able to influence how the built environment is designed and adapted and fully supports its aims..

 

Advisors:

Prof. Margaret Wilson LLB(hons)

MTur Former Dean of Law, University of Waikato. Current Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Wyn Hoadley MA LLB(hons)

First Chairperson of the BIA, Previous Mayor of North Shore, first Chairperson of the Barrier Free NZ Trust

 

Annual Reports:

2007-2008 Barrier Free NZ Trust AGM Report

Download the report as a PDF

2006-07 Barrier Free NZ Trust AGM Report

Download the report as a PDF.

2005-06 Barrier Free NZ Trust AGM Report

Download the report as a PDF.