Our Board Members
Maz McKevitt
Chair
A volunteer for the Citizens Advice Bureau Whakatāne for 7 years, Maz has worked as a secondary school teacher, tutor, and industry trainer, as well as an administrator in the education and health fields. She served as Secretary (2016-2018) and Chair (2018-2021) of the CAB Whakatāne Board, and for 4 years was a Trustee on the National Board of CABNZ. Maz was an inaugural member of the BOPDHB Health Consumer Council 2018-2019. She has been a Baywide trustee since 2018 and has been Chair since 2021. Maz is driven to support a fair and just society and is committed to the Baywide focus on access to free legal advice, information and education.
Laura Gaveika
Deputy Chair
Laura worked for the Institute of Directors NZ as the BOP Branch Manager for 7.5 years. During this time she organised and attended hundreds of events and courses focused on best governance practice. Laura has also recently completed a course on Māori governance. As well as being a Baywide Trustee, Laura is a Committee Member for Te Puke Gymsport, a Trustee for Education Pathways Trust and the Owner / Director of TORA Limited. She was Chair for the Institute of Directors Staff Whole-Being Committee from 2018 – 2022. Laura is passionate about making a positive impact in our community and developing greater diversity in the governance space.
Dale Eru
Since returning to NZ in 2017, Dale has moved from a career in commercial media to working with, for and in her community. Dale joined Baywide as a trustee in November 2022 and is a trustee for Whakapoungakou 24 (Tikitere Trust). Dale has also volunteered for numerous not-for-profits and charitable trusts in the UK and Australia. These include Magic Me (arts based intergenerational projects), Positive Lives (an international photographic project documenting the impact of HIV & AIDS around the world) and Te Reo Maioha ki Poihakena.
Helen Stewart
Helen was Executive Director of the Kawerau Enterprise Agency (KEA) Inc from 2002-2018. She is interested in community development and chairs Kawerau and Districts Ageing in Place (KADAP) Inc and STEAM-ED Charitable Trust in Tauranga. Helen has been active in the voluntary sector for many years and is involved with several non-profit organisations across the wider Bay of Plenty. She also had 2 terms on the Bay of Plenty Institute of Directors Committee.
Brigid McDonald
Brigid joined the Board in November 2022. Brigid currently leads the strategic property team at Kāinga Ora, with a focus on land acquisition and development to enable new social housing. She holds a current legal practising certificate and has worked as a lawyer in the areas of property, construction, resource management, and local government.
Jess Andrew
Jess worked as a lawyer for Crown Law in Wellington and then as General Counsel Environment & Property with Waka Kotahi. Jess has recently moved out of the law, working as Regional Manager System Design for Waka Kotahi across Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
Jess is passionate about effective governance to enable organisations to thrive. She became a Baywide trustee in 2021 to ensure greater access to sound legal advice and information for those who would otherwise not have access to these services. Jess was previously a trustee on the Hutt City Council’s Community Facility Trust.
Steve Franklin
Steve joined the Baywide Board in 2016 and is also a trustee for several other community organisations. Steve is a Director of Hamertons in Whakatane, where he leads the litigation and dispute resolution team.