Welcoming our new Board Members!

DEPOT Te Whare Toi is pleased to announce the appointment of five new members to its Board. The new board members are Cora-Allan Lafaiki Twiss, Malcolm Lawry, Felicity Letcher, Rosey Nathan and Karen Payne.

Each of our new board members brings with them a wealth of experience and expertise that will help guide DEPOT towards its aim: ensuring that art and creativity make a vital contribution to our culture, our communities and our economy. We are enormously grateful to our outgoing board members and would like to acknowledge their support over the years.

You can read our new board members’ bios below, or learn more about our team here.

Cora-Allan Lafaiki Twiss (Ngapuhi, Ngatitumutumu / Alofi, Liku) is a multidisciplinary artist with a MA in Visual Art and Design in Performance from AUT and was the recipient of a AUT Postgraduate Deans award for her research. She has exhibited her work throughout Aotearoa and internationally. Her work sits in major collections including The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Auckland War Memorial Museum and the Wallace Arts Trust. Cora-Allan was awarded the Creative New Zealand Pacific Heritage Artist award (2020), a McCahon House Residency (2021) and received Annual Arts Grant funding to focus full time on her Hiapo (Niuean Barkcloth) practice in 2021. She is also a founding member of BC Collective.

Karen Fraser Payne brings a unique blend of experience to the DEPOT board spanning 35 years across corporate, government, and not-for-profit sectors. 

Her professional practice and voluntary board roles have included diverse entities, Auckland Airport, The Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, Touch Compass Dance Trust, and Hohepa Homes. Karen began her trustee work as a founding director of Touch Compass Dance Trust and is a former trustee of Hohepa Auckland.  She is a current Board member of DANZ Aotearoa and Mapura Studios. Karen has in-depth experience in and an understanding of disability and the arts. She is passionate about ensuring equal rights in the arts for those living with disabilities.Karen regards being entrusted with board governance as requiring an authentic commitment to collaborative stewardship to safeguard a thriving and accessible arts community.

Malcolm Lawry is passionate about helping harness and grow artistic and creative talent in Aotearoa. With over 25 years in both the public and private sectors, in legal, strategy and investment roles, across a broad range of industries, Malcolm brings a wealth of experience to the DEPOT board. As General Manager Commercial and Business Development for Tataki Auckland Unlimited, he manages two of the largest film studios in the country and has been heavily involved in the investment and development of the Auckland screen sector over the last 4 years. Malcolm believes in the creative sector, for essential community well-being but also as an economic powerhouse. Malcolm lives in Te Hau Kapua and is eager to see the greater Tamaki creative sector thrive.

Rose-Marie (Rosey) Nathan is an experienced Recruitment Partner, Career & Leadership Mentor, and Business Consultant with over 20 years of expertise across various industries. As a certified Chartered Manager and Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders, she advocates for diversity and inclusion, with a focus on accelerating women’s entry and mid-level careers. Her areas of focus include recruitment, career and leadership mentorship, CV and interview preparation, industry insights, and mediation skills. She delivers results through her hands-on approach, strong negotiation skills, and high energy. “I really admire the emphasis that Depot places on the importance of art and creativity in building communities, and I’m excited to see what the board can support to accomplish,” says Rosey. “I have a deep appreciation for all forms of art and strongly believe that everyone should have the opportunity to explore their creativity. I’m eager to contribute my skills and experience to Depot, and my own recruitment background aligns well with the creative career programmes Depot delivers.”

Felicity Letcher is a leader within the creative industries who has held key positions in industry-led organisations for over twenty years including Red Leap Theatre, Nightsong Productions, Film Auckland, Auckland Screen Alliance and Screen Sector Strategy 2030 committee. With Roger Murray Felicity helped to establish props and makeup effects company Main Reactor as a major creative force in the New Zealand screen sector. Their film work has included Spartacus, Legend of the Seeker, Ash Versus Evil Dead, Shannara, The Meg and Mulan. Felicity convened and chaired the Screen Covid 19 Action Group and post-Covid worked with NZTE, Screen Canterbury and Film Bay of Plenty with developing strategic plans for studios and regional film offices. “I am extremely excited to join Depot’s board at what I see as a time of great change – not only for the organisation, but for the wider ecosystem,” says Felicity. “Depot, has emerged as a leader in the Auckland creative sector with enormous potential to work on a regional and national level. I believe in being an active board member who can help create and support change.”