The Fund is governed by a board of Trustees. Up to six are elected from among the members, one is appointed by Airways, and a maximum of three are independent non-member trustees. 

Pictured:

Standing from left to right: Cam Lorimer, Jim Dunn, Natasha Thompson, Reagan Hellyer, Ann Parkinson, Angelique Bowman, Dr Simon Ryder-Lewis (Case Manager) and Paul Robinson
Sitting from left to right: Penelope Ryder-Lewis, Scotty Herbert, Dave Mainwaring and Erin Lee.

Trustees

SCOTTY HERBERT  Chairperson  Trustee Member

Scotty has been a trustee since 2013. He has been an ATCO for over 30 years having trained in Auckland before working in the towers in Napier and Wellington. Following that he did 3 years on Wellington approach radar before spending 6 years in Dubai, doing approach radar. On his return to NZ in 2011, Scotty worked for 2 years on Ohakea radar before transferring to Auckland radar. In 2023, he transferred to Christchurch Tower where he is currently based.

Scotty is married to Tina and they have 2 adult kids, Casey and Max. Outside of work and family, Scotty is kept very busy with a keen interest in rugby refereeing, and is a member of the local Volunteer Fire Brigade, where among the obvious duties, is also the Welfare Officer. He was also on the NZALPA ATC Council as the Med & Welfare Officer from 2014 retiring from there in late 2023.

NATASHA THOMPSON  Trustee Member

Natasha has been a trustee of the MBF since 2014. She has been working as an air traffic controller since 2001, first in Palmerston North tower then from 2003 in Wellington tower. Natasha is married to Jeremy and together they have a primary school aged daughter.

DAVE MAINWARING  Trustee Member

Dave has been a trustee since 2002. He joined ATC in the mid-1980s and currently works on Wellington Approach.  He spent a good few years from 1991 to 2007 as a NZALPA rep being a contract negotiator for much of that time, returning a few years ago for another stint up to 2019.  So he has some definite ideas about how hard we have fought for what we have, and how important it is that we preserve it.  After ”retiring” from NZALPA, Dave was sand-bagged by Don Currie and Spot Wilson into serving as a trustee for the MBF.  Dave recently stood down as Chairman, but agreed to continue as a trustee.  As Jim says – it is a pleasure to work with a group that has such knowledge and experience, and such a strong focus on ensuring the welfare of controllers.  Maybe you could get involved yourself one day?  There are so many dimensions to ATC beyond the pure operational job – and he’s not talking about management!  Dave’s instincts tell him we may need to fight to keep what we have during the early 2020s …………

CAM LORIMER  Trustee Member

Cam has been a trustee since 2022 and has worked as an Auckland Tower controller since 1998. In a previous life he gained a BSc in Resource and Environmental Management, a PPL Fixed Wing in NZ & Australia, a CPL Rotary in Australia, and flew for several years on the Sunshine Coast. 
He served on the NZALPA ATC Council for 12 years including three contract negotiations and was the Medical & Welfare Officer until handing the reigns over to Scotty Herbert. He has been a PAN Peer Support Volunteer for the last ten years and is now looking forward to learning form the wealth of experience provided by the other MBF trustees to help in the welfare of our ATC members. 

In his spare time, he likes to keep fit to counter his love for good Gin. And is the Treasurer for Western District Cricket. He and his wife Deb live in Titirangi, Auckland with their 2 "adult" kids Shae and Zac and spend as much time as possible at their batch in Whangamata. 

REGAN HELLYER Trustee Member

Regan is the newly elected Trustee and is looking forward to representing his fellow ATCs. He began his career in New Plymouth in 2009 and has been on Area Radar since 2010. He has served as a Duty Manager for several years and is presently the Duty Manager Team Leader. In his spare time, he likes to get out and about doing as many sports as he can.

SARAH ROSS Trustee Member

Sarah joined Airways in 2002 and spent 5 years in Hamilton Tower before a year of leave without pay travelling around Europe. On returning to NZ in 2008, Sarah took up a position at Christchurch Tower where she has stayed, serving as an instructor and checker, with part-time stints in the Safety Office and now 50/50 as a Duty Manager. Sarah is looking forward to using her experience of MBF from the claimant’s side to help her fellow members. She enjoys tramping, reading, and flying aerobatics, and in her spare time is developing a fruit, berry and vegetable garden among the 50 walnut trees on the rural property she shares with her partner Lachlan and cats Pipi and Griffon.

PENELOPE RYDER-LEWIS  Independent Trustee

Penelope is the principal of Bartlett Law, a boutique employment law firm based in Wellington. She has been a principal in that firm since it was established in 1997, and prior to that worked in other Wellington firms and ECNZ. She has extensive experience in health-related employment issues, including workplace stress. In her spare time she enjoys anything to do with aircraft and travel; and maintains a lifelong interest in ballet and dance. For 9 years she was a board member of the NZ School of Dance. Penelope is a trustee of the New Zealand Airline Pilots’ Mutual Benefit Fund.

PAUL ROBINSON  Independent Trustee

Paul is a retired controller who has been involved in NZALPA and IFATCA for many years.  During his early years as a controller, he was covered by the original “Loss of Licence Insurance” scheme which didn’t focus on enabling ATC staff to regain their medical fitness for work and which eventually failed financially.  One of his roles in NZALPA was to negotiate the Mutual Benefit Fund-ATC in the early 1990’s to replace the old LoLI scheme.  Subsequent to that he has filled trustee positions in the Airways Superannuation Plan, the NZALPA Contingency Fund Trust, and the NZALPA Group Life and Group Disability Insurance Plans.  He and his wife live in Auckland, and have two adult children and five grand-children.  They enjoy travelling, boating, food and wine, and golf.

Mark Wilson Independent Trustee

After nearly 40 years’ service with Airways and its predecessor, Mark retired in September 2021. His career included working at Dunedin and Wigram Towers, The Aviation College (now the Airways Training Centre) and finally the Christchurch Centre. Generally known as Spot, at the time of his retirement he had been an operational controller on the Christchurch Terminal Sector for around 28 years. Mark spent much of his career as a union official, negotiating many ATC Employment Contracts. While taking a break from union activities he became an MBF trustee and was a past Chairman of the Fund. Now in retirement he hopes his knowledge can be put to good use to ensure the longevity of the Fund.

Frances Holmes Company Trustee

 A trustee appointed by Airways in 2024, Frances is a Finance Manager for Airways.  A Chartered Accountant with 15+ years of experience covering roles in audit and advisory services before moving into the finance team at Airways. Originally from the UK, Frances moved to Christchurch in 2012 and lives with her husband in Governors Bay. They enjoy spending their time making the most of the great New Zealand outdoors especially tramping in the backcountr

Administration and Case Manager

ANN PARKINSON  Operations Manager

Ann's BA (hons) Business Studies degree and background in business administration gives her excellent knowledge and understanding of systems and processes to ensure efficient running of the office. Ann has worked within multiple industries and brings an array of unique administrative, accounting and customer service skills. Ann enjoys running, scuba diving boating and house renovations! 

ANGELIQUE BOWMAN  Finance and Membership Administrator

Ange's background is in finance and administration, and she prides herself on providing exceptional customer service. Over the years, Ange has worked in diverse industries, giving her a variety of skills and knowledge. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to the gym, traveling, watching movies, and enjoying a nice glass of wine.

Dr SIMON RYDER-LEWIS  Case Manager

Simon qualified as a Medical Practitioner from Otago University in 1994 and has worked full time in medical practice since this date. He is currently registered to practice as a Medical Practitioner in New Zealand (NZ) (NZMC No. 20475). Simon works full-time as a Specialist Occupational physician. He holds a number of contracted Occupational Physician positions in the Wellington region.

He has undertaken and completed post-graduate training in Occupational Medicine and attend regular on-going education meetings. Simon has obtained the post-graduate Diploma in Industrial Health from the University of Otago and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. He worked for a number of years as the consultant at a Chronic Pain Service at Lower Hutt Hospital. He is former Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer in Occupational Medicine at Otago University, Wellington School of Medicine.

Simon is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine a member of the UK Society of Occupational Medicine. He is a member of MEDICHEM (Occupational and Environmental Health in the Production and Use of Chemicals) and the American Congress of Government and Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Simon is a member of the Work Safe Asbestos and Occupational Respiratory Disease Panel.