Kate Bundle
Kate first became involved with Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in 2000 as a lawyer in private practice in West Auckland and has been a trustee since its establishment. As a specialist family lawyer she represented many grandparents in circumstances where the grandparents were required to assume the primary care-giving role for their grandchildren as a result of their parents drugs/alcohol abuse and domestic violence issues. This experience has given her an insight and understanding of the uniqueness of the plight of the grandparents embroiled in our family court system and the degree to which it is a growing problem that needs to be urgently addressed by our society and the Government.

Kate graduated from the University of Otago in 1989 with a degree in law and for nearly 9 years practised in civil, criminal and family law litigation. During the early 1990’s she worked for 2 ½ years in marketing, communications and risk management roles in the banking industry in London and from 2001-2007 she worked for LexisNexis NZ Ltd in the legal conference and professional development and training sector where she undertook programme development and latterly held an executive team management role. From 2004-2007 she was a contributing writer to the fortnightly NZ Lawyer magazine. Currently she is enjoying her role as fulltime mother to her three children and her work for the Trust; in particular the development of the Trust’s inaugural national conference to be held in October 2009.

Kate Bundle

Nicolette Bodewes

Nicolette Bodewes is married with two adult children. She comes from a Dutch family that immigrated to New Zealand early 1950 and made West Auckland their home.

Nicolette has a BA majoring in Psychology and a Law degree with Honours from Auckland University. She was a mature student and specialises in the area of Family Law. Nicolette is a Director of Schnauer and Co. She has extensive experience in all areas of family law, in particular resolving relationship property matters and parenting disputes. Nicolette has represented both grandparents and parents applying for Parenting Orders through the Family Court. This has provided her with an understanding of the issues facing grandparents caring for their grandchildren, both legally as well as emotionally and financially.

Nicolette is also secretary of the North Shore Zonta club.

Nicolette Bodewes

Judith McKay

Judith McKay is the General Manager Finance and Estates for AUT University where she has responsibility for the Finance and Property portfolios.

In her career prior to joining AUT, Judith was Finance and Administration Manager for the Union Shipping Group of companies, company accountant for a number of manufacturing companies, an auditor at Price Waterhouse and a Cobol programmer.

Judith is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Directors. She has been married to Ross for 43 years, has two adult daughters and three young grand-daughters

Des Brennan

CEO Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust NZ:

Geoff Lawson

Email geoff@grg.org.nz

Cell 021 727 004

Consultant to the GRG Board:

Jill Worrall: MNZM

Jill Worrall is the mother of three sons and grandmother to six grandchildren. With her late husband John, the family cared for several foster children over a period of twenty years. Jill was raised by extended family for the first half of her childhood. She has been a nurse, a social worker and a senior lecturer in social work at Massey University. She has had the privilege of writing the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Handbook and undertaking the GRG research on Grandparent and other kin caregivers 2005 and 2009.