Board Members
Richard Wesley, Chair
Richard has been involved with the great New Zealand Outdoors through his interest in tramping, climbing, kayaking and all things outdoors. He has travelled extensively around the world, undertaking climbing expeditions in South America, Central Asia and Alaska. He has also worked in the international humanitarian aid field for four years in Africa.
Holding an Engineering Degree from Auckland University, he is currently working in the programme and project management field in Christchurch.
Family time is spent with his wife and four young kids. This results in lots of opportunities to talk about leave no trace principles with the children at different levels and stages of development in their exploration of the great New Zealand outdoors.
Chris North, Secretary
Chris lectures in outdoor and environmental education at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. His teaching background includes secondary and tertiary institutions in New Zealand and North America. He has worked as a teacher, tourist guide and outdoor instructor for a range of organisations.
Chris’ research is in the areas of outdoor education practices, adventure education, sustainability and environmental education and initial teacher education. Chris is a founder of Leave No Trace New Zealand.
In his spare time, Chris enjoys unicycling and family adventures in the outdoors.
“We abuse land because we see it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
Aldo Leopold
Gayle Newman, Treasurer
Gayle Newman is an accountant and keen mountain biker, based in Rotorua. Having seen over the last 5 yrs the growth in both the recreational and competitive Mountain
The goal I personally would like to achieve is to have this amazing playground available for our children, grandchildren and our
Christian Martin, Nelson
Christian became involved with NOLS in 2009 as a field and wilderness medicine instructor and currently holds the post of NOLS New Zealand director, which is how he first became aware of LNT and qualified as a LNT Master Educator.
Prior to NOLS, Christian worked in the environmental planning field. Christian is based in Nelson, and particularly enjoys long wilderness expeditions in remote locations as well as family camping trips in easily accessible and lightly touched pockets of Aotearoa. Joining the Board of LNT NZ in 2020, Christian is excited to be a part of expanding the recognition of LNT in New Zealand for the betterment of wild places.
Alex Warriner, Training
Alex joined the LNT board in 2020 with a focus on training co-shared with Cassandra Colman. Alex’s background has mainly been in the volunteer sector as an outdoor instructor with the Auckland Branch of Mountain Safety Council teaching bushcraft, outdoor first aid and risk management. He is currently the Chair of the Auckland Branch of Outdoor Training New Zealand running bushcraft related training courses to members of the public. Alex was previously a national trainer with SCOUTS New Zealand.
He is a Senior Assessor Mentor with Skills Active Industry Training Organisation and a Leave No Trace Master Educator. He holds diplomas in Adult Education and Training, Bushcraft, and Risk and Safety Management.
Alex’s interest in Leave No Trace was propelled by seeing the effects of inconsiderate users in the outdoors and wanting to make a positive difference in how we recreate in the outdoors in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Cassandra Colman, Training
Cass joins the LNT Board in 2019 as a Master Educator with 20+ years experience in the outdoors, and a particular interest in extended wilderness expeditions. Cass has been a Field Instructor since 2003 with NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School), primarily at international locations. This provided amazing opportunities to engage and teach LNT principals in a variety of environments, from deserts and canyons to temperate rain forests, coastal to alpine.
After returning to NZ to live, Cass is now based in Hokitika on the stunning West Coast. She loves nothing more than being on, in or beside the ocean, and is happiest under sail in rough seas.
Cameron Crowe, Leave No Trace Australia
Cameron Crowe is our board contact with Leave No Trace Australia. Cameron is a businessman with an environmental passion.
Cameron initiated the establishment of Leave No Trace Australia in 2001 after studying the international Leave No Trace program at NOLS Pacific Northwest, Seattle, Washington State. Cameron has a background in tourism and community education and outdoor leadership in regional communities and isolated environments spanning more than 20 years.
Mandy Armstrong, Advisor
Mandy has been on the Board of LNT for about 4 years and has taken on a role as advisor. She enjoys a range of outdoor adventures to do with skiing,tramping, & running. She has previously been involved in outdoor education & tourism ventures as a business owner & professional. She has worked for a number of years as a process engineer & consultant in dairy, energy & water; and most recently as a consultant in Maori economic development and investments.
Currently her focus for Leave No Trace is facilitating a collaborative project for Tongariro Park involving Iwi, DoC & RAL to champion education & behaviour around cultural & environmental respect.
Pete Zimmer, Advisor
Pete Zimmer joined the Board of LNT in late 2015. Pete has a practical background in farming and a degree in agricultural science. Pete has also worked for over 20 years as an independent guide and instructor in the outdoors. Pete’s outdoor recreation interests are mountaineering, skiing, mountain biking, kayaking and trout fishing. In his spare
Pete and his family live on a small block of land and grow their own food. For a living Pete works for NZ Land Search and Rescue Incorporated as a Group Support Officer. Pete has been a member of the Tongariro Taupo Conservation Board since 2014.
Sarah Sellar, Advisor
Sarah currently works as a Lecturer on the Diploma in Outdoor Leadership at Otago Polytechnic (Dunedin). She has worked as an Outdoor Educator for the past 14 years all around the world. She has a Diploma in Environmental Management, a Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Practice and a Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Teaching.
Leave No Training has been organised by Sarah around New Zealand as required, from short awareness courses to longer Master Educator courses.
She is currently studying a Graduate Certificate in Adventure Therapy. Her passions include being in the outdoors in any capacity, gardening and doing partner acrobatic yoga. She feels and wants to promote a deep spiritual connection to Papatuanuku and Aotearoa.
