Our Board and Team
Passionate about your hearing
The team at Hearing Nelson are dedicated to improving the lives of people who are Hard of Hearing and Deaf preventing hearing loss through education in schools, workplaces and community groups.
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Philip Woollaston
Patron
A former mayor of Nelson, MP and cabinet minister, Philip also has over 20 years of experience as a local vineyard and winery proprietor. Married to former Hearing Nelson board member Chan, he has moderate hearing loss and wears hearing aids (when he remembers!)
Our Board
Simon Gutschlag
President
U
Herman van Gessel
Treasurer
I have a background in management accounting and experience working in not-for-profit organizations both in New Zealand and overseas.
Liz Gilliespie
Board Member
I'm the Office Manager at Age Concern Nelson Tasman, served as the Office Manager for Hearing Nelson, and as Board secretary. As a partially deaf person, I appreciate the support offered by Hearing Nelson and Hearing New Zealand. I'm proud of the broad services provided by Hearing Nelson, including education, hearing aid maintenance and the Hearing Hub. I offer all my skills to continue the work we have done within the community.
Ann Wheatley
Board Member
I've used hearing hearing aids for more than 30 years. The remarkable technological advances of the past 20 years enabled me to continue my professional practice as an evaluator of programs funded by donors, despite a severe level of loss. I joined the board in 2024 to help ensure that services of Hearing Nelson reflect the needs and priorities of the communities we serve.
Jackie Clemmer
Board Member
I have been an audiologist for nearly 20 years and have experience on various professional boards, clinician training, philanthropic audiology and management in the public health service. After sensing an increasing need for high-quality and ethical private options, I opened my own successful practice in 2019. This small business has sustainably grown and now employs two more fantastic people. Committed to both improving hearing and preventing hearing loss, I joined the board of Hearing Nelson in 2023.
Brian Munro
Board Member
My business background includes 17 years leading large food factories in Nelson and Auckland. Things changed in 1999 when I became Pastor of a church in West Auckland and led the church for 14 years before retiring to Nelson. Our church included a deaf group. Since coming to Nelson I have built connections with the deaf community, and over the last 5 years have run Sunday services pitched for deaf. I have some understanding of the difficulties of doing life when you are deaf ànd would like to be involved in helping the hard of hearing.
Our Team
Bev Wells
Manager
I joined as Manager of Hearing Nelson in April 2024. I have business administration and management experience, most recently in the aged and disability sectors. Living with family members who have hearing impairments, I've witnessing advancements in knowledge and technology that make a huge difference to people’s lives. With experience looking for new funding opportunities and a
natural tendency to focus on the future, I'm excited to see what we can achieve in the coming years.
Jackie Cooper
Administrator/ Fieldworker
Jackie joined the team here at Hearing Nelson in July 2022 as part time receptionist and fieldworker. She is finding working closely with the various rest homes in our area and the Hard of Hearing, very rewarding. She has previously worked as a medical receptionist and in the hospitality industry, and now looking forward to being able to help people on a more personal level in supporting them with the maintenance and cleaning of their hearing aids. She enjoys working with the team at Hearing House, and its excited to see what the future brings her role.
Morfydd Barker
Golden Bay Fieldworker
Born in Wales and given a name that goes back to the Arthurian legends, Morfydd was brought up in London. She has had two lives - one was as a scientist and software engineer in the UK and Singapore. The second is as a resident of Golden Bay, charity worker, painter and teacher, but primarily carrer for her late husband Bill. She is now delighted to be able support those with hearing loss.
Our Partner contractors
Cathy Gutschlag
Support Facilitator
Cathy has the support facilitator role at Hearing Nelson. She is a Social Worker student at NMIT and passionate about advocating for the right of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. She is an experience teacher of NZSL and communicator that brings us close to the Nelson Deaf Community.
