Althea Carbon is a Filipino-New Zealand lawyer and co-founder of Charity-IT, a not-for-profit organisation that helps charities improve their IT systems.
Carbon was born in the Philippines and her family moved to Christchurch when she was 10 years old. She attended the University of Canterbury, where she became CEO of Entre, a student-run company focused on developing entrepreneurship in students.
On graduating, she moved to Wellington to work as a lawyer for Chapman Tripp. [1] In 2013, she co-founded Charity-IT as a way for IT students to share their skills with the not-for-profit sector. She is also a mentor with the Asian Law Students Society at Victoria University. [2]
In 2014 she won the Emerging Leader category at the New Zealand Women of Influence Award for her work encouraging women to engage in entrepreneurship, science, and technology. [2] [3] [4] [5]
The University of Canterbury is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbury College, the first constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is New Zealand's second-oldest university, after the University of Otago, which was founded four years earlier, in 1869.
Russell McVeagh is a New Zealand law firm with offices in Auckland and Wellington. It is one of New Zealand's largest law firms and is ranked highly by law firm ranking guides such as The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.
Dame Theresa Elizabeth Gattung is a New Zealand businessperson and the former chief executive of Telecom New Zealand (1993–2007).
Mai Chen is a New Zealand and Harvard educated lawyer with a professional and specialist focus in constitutional and administrative law, Waitangi tribunal and courts, human rights, white collar fraud and regulatory defence, judicial review, regulatory issues, education law, and public policy and law reform. Chen is a barrister and holds an office in the Public Law Toolbox Chambers. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Auckland School of Law. Having served previously in the university's Business School. Chen is also the Chair of New Zealand Asian Leaders, SUPERdiverse WOMEN and the Superdiversity Institute for Law, Policy and Business. She is married to Dr John Sinclair and the two have one son.
Chapman Tripp is New Zealand's largest commercial law firm. It is considered one of the "big three" law firms along with Russell McVeagh and Bell Gully. Established in New Zealand in 1875, it now has around 52 partners and roughly 240 legal staff across its offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The firm practises in all areas of corporate and commercial, property, construction, finance, tax, dispute resolution, environmental and public law.
Family First New Zealand is a conservative Christian lobby group in New Zealand. It was founded in March 2006 by former Radio Rhema talkback radio host and South Auckland social-worker Bob McCoskrie who continues to be its National Director. Its 2006 stated objectives were to "seek to influence public policy affecting the rights and protection of families and promote a culture that values the family". In 2009 Victoria University religious studies professor Paul Morris said Family First was "successfully broadening the Christian agenda in New Zealand politics in a way never seen before". In 2020 Family First was described as "New Zealand's most formidable conservative campaigners". Family First was established by a trust deed under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957 in 2006, was registered as a charity in 2007 and deregistered in 2022.
Amy Juliet Adams is a former New Zealand politician of the New Zealand National Party and the current chancellor of the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. She was the Member of Parliament for Selwyn from 2008 to 2020, when she retired.
Sir Ralph Heberley Love, known as Ngātata Love, was a New Zealand Waitangi Tribunal negotiator, academic and Māori leader. Love was a Professor Emeritus of Business Development at Victoria University of Wellington's Victoria Management School. In 2016 he was convicted of defrauding his own iwi, taking payments of $1.5 million.
New Conservatives is a conservative political party in New Zealand. Some opponents and observers have described the party's policies as far-right, though the party now states it has moved to a "more centrist" position under new leadership. It advocates for lower taxation, anti-abortion measures and austerity cuts.
Deon William Swiggs is a New Zealand politician serving as the Environment Canterbury Councillor representing the Christchurch West/Ōpuna Regional Constituency. He previously served as the Christchurch City Councillor representing the Central ward from 2016 to 2019. Prior to Swiggs being elected, he was most well known for his participation in Rebuild Christchurch, an organisation founded after the 2010 Canterbury earthquake.
Michelle Emma Dickinson, also known as Nanogirl, is a nanotechnologist and science educator based in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Women of Influence Awards are an annual set of awards which recognise women who make a difference to everyday New Zealanders' lives. The Awards were first made in 2013 and were initially sponsored by Westpac Bank. In 2016, Stuff NZ became a joint sponsor.
Stacey Anne Shortall is a New Zealand lawyer, based in Wellington. She has received a number of awards for her legal work and social programmes, which aim to develop children and women to their full potential.
Chlöe Charlotte Swarbrick is a New Zealand politician. Following a high-profile but unsuccessful run for the 2016 Auckland mayoral election, she became a parliamentary candidate for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, standing in the 2017 New Zealand general election and was elected as a member of the New Zealand Parliament at the age of 23. In the 2020 election, Swarbrick was elected as the Member of Parliament for Auckland Central, becoming the second Green Party MP ever to win an electorate seat, and the first without a tacit endorsement from a major party leader. She retained Auckland Central in the 2023 election. In March 2024, she was elected co-leader of the Green Party.
Golriz Ghahraman is a former New Zealand politician, lawyer and writer. The former United Nations lawyer was a child asylum seeker, and became the first refugee elected to New Zealand's Parliament. Ghahraman was a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the Green Party from 2017 to 2024, when she resigned amid multiple shoplifting allegations, which she was later convicted of.
Rachel Elizabeth Boyack-Mayer is a New Zealand unionist and politician. Since 2020, she has been a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party.
Rez Gardi is a Kurdish New Zealander international lawyer and human rights activist. She was awarded the Young New Zealander of the Year for 2017 for her services to human rights.
Alexia Hilbertidou is a New Zealand social entrepreneur and the founder of GirlBoss New Zealand, a social enterprise which aims to empower women in leadership, entrepreneurship, science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Camilla Vera Feslier Belich is a New Zealand lawyer, trade unionist and politician. She has been a Member of Parliament, representing the New Zealand Labour Party, since 2020.
Susan Jane Grey is a political figure and environmental lawyer in Nelson, New Zealand. She is the co-leader of the NZ Outdoors & Freedom Party and of Freedoms NZ. She is known for promoting medicinal cannabis rights and opposing COVID-19 vaccination, 5G technology, and the use of 1080, frequently sharing misinformation on social media about the effectiveness of COVID vaccination.