Our People

KAUPAPA

The Featherston Community Centre provides a community space for services, ongoing or one-off events, activities and classes for public and private users and promotes a high level of well-being in the Community by acting as a pivot in the co-ordination and delivery of appropriate services to the people of Featherston and throughout the South Wairarapa.

VISION

The Featherston Community Centre enhances the well-being of the entire community.

Joanna Baldwin - Centre Manager

Joanna Baldwin started as Centre Manager in May 2021.

I moved back to the Wairarapa from Lower Hutt in mid- 2020 - choosing to raise my children here surrounded by this wonderful community and being closer to whānau.  My previous employment roles have seen me working with businesses of all sizes, public service agencies, retail, health boards and Government. I have also had many volunteer roles in disability services, mental health, and youth development.
The Community spirit in Paetūmōkai Featherston is something we can all be very proud of and I am excited to be part of it.

Please feel free to drop in and let me know any Community Centre issues you want addressed and discuss some potential remedies.

Featherston Community Centre Charitable Trust Board:

The Board meets monthly. Its purpose is to set the vision, mission and direction for the Centre and determine how the Centre should operate by way of policy. Its role also includes overseeing financial matters such as budgeting and funding.

We strive for a Board that reflects the diversity of the community and the needs of the Trust. The Trust constitution allows a maximum of nine board members with provision to co-opt 2 additional members for special, short term projects.

If you feel strongly about supporting the Featherston Community and would like to investigate what board membership entails, please contact the board chair at paul.mason@fcc.nz for information.

 

Paul Mason

Paul Mason (Chairman)

Paul Mason - Chairperson

I've always been impressed with how the Community Centre serves the community, and I am proud to play a part in shaping that facility.

I'm a keen musician and enjoy entertaining around the Wairarapa, singing and playing everything from Jazz and blues to country and classics. I'm a past President of the South Wairarapa Rotary Club and have been convener of the Martinborough Fair for many years.

Marianne McMillan (Treasurer)

Marianne McMillan - Treasurer

I am a Chartered Accountant whose career has been in Audit and Risk across Government.   I have lived in Featherston for over 20 years and have raised two children here.   Featherston has been good to us and I love being part of the community.   Being the Community Centre’s Treasurer is a privilege and is my way of giving back to the community.   Being a lover of animals, we have a small farm in Featherston where my partner and I raise a few cows, alpacas and horses.

 

Jay Jensen (Secretary)

Jay Jensen - Secretary

I'm an aspiring Finacial Adviser, passionate about empowering our next generation to be the best they can be, to aim for the stars and hopefully hit the moon. I currently work withing the Financial Services Industry within a corporate environment but a tight knit team. People are at the centre of what I do. I'm very proud of what we achieve for our clients and the difference we make in their lives.
I have a keen interest in Financial Planning, Business Development and being part of something bigger than what is going on in my own. This is why I joined the Featherston Community Centre Charitable Trust Board, and it is my way of giving back to our rural community.
I have spent a great amount of my childhood in Wairarapa, particularly Featherston. More so in my teen years, riding horses with my Grandmother and learning about the lifestyle on the farm. Featherston is a fantastic community to be a part of.
Ehara tāku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.
My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.

Darrin Goulding

Darrin Goulding - Board Member

I have been a resident of Featherston for some ten years developing a ‘life style block’ along the Tauherenikau River.
Previously I was a Director at St John New Zealand and more recently a Programme Manager within Capital and Coast DHB and Hutt Valley DHB COVID Response Team.

Lynda Moore

Lynda Moore - Board Member

I moved to Featherston in 2019 with my husband. My daughter and her family have since built a house in Featherston.
I lived in Upper Hutt for 20 years before moving, and I feel I have a greater sense of being part of my community in Featherston than I ever did in Upper Hutt. That is partly due to participating in events at the Community Centre.

In the course of a conversation with Jo at the center, I volunteered to be a member of the board, and am enjoying my time.

William Aitkenhead

William Aitkenhead - Board Member

I returned to the Wairarapa in 2020 and am proud to call Featherston home.  We look forward to raising our family in such a supportive and caring community.  My drive is always to see others succeed, both through my personal and professional life.  I work in government and have experience across a range of areas including investment and project management, strategic thinking, and governance.  I am honoured to be able to use these for the benefit of our community, through the Community Centre.