Our Trustees

Kia ora koutou,
My name is Sally O’Neill and I am co-chair of the Cultural Conversations Trust. I joined the Trust a year ago after being involved in one of Cultural Conversations events- Casual Conversations. This introduced me to the wonderful world of aroha, shared experience and unconditional acceptance that makes this community so special.

I am Matty Anderson and am very privileged to serve on The Cultural Conversations board. I am of Niuean and Pakeha descent, He/him CIS hetero. I have lived experience with addiction and some of the
unpleasant comorbidities that accompany it. Nowadays I find myself very busy and very happy. I have a mixed family and feel loved and safe.

Ali was born in Iraq and works at NMIT as an IT tutor.
“I have always wanted to help build culturally diverse communities that empower people to share their talents and skills and offer a range of ideas and expertise, enabling those to learn from a more diverse collection of refugees and migrants living here in New Zealand.

Growing up here in Aotearoa as a refugee it was challenging to find community outside of Bhutanese refugees. This made me feel isolated from the wider Nelson which became even more paramount as I approached adulthood, that I connected with alike communities. Several years ago when I first attended one of Cultural Conversations events I was drawn to how it was so community.

I am privileged to have been invited to join the trustees of Cultural Conversations. The Kaupapa of the work done sits alongside my values of Whanau, Community, Relationship and Whakawhanaungatanga. A community that is open, accessible, diverse and brings with it the knowledge and lived experiences of many to share and enhance the growth of our next generations is a special and treasured Taonga.

I'm originally from India, but I've called Nelson home since 2018. I work in finance, where I get to use my skills to help manage and analyze financial matters. Outside of work, I'm passionate about sports, especially cricket. Whether I'm playing or following matches, it's a big part of my life.

My name is Imogen, and I am honored to serve as the rangatahi (youth) representative on the Cultural Conversations Board. I come from a Jamaican and Pakeha heritage and spent the majority of my childhood in Samoa. It is a privilege to bring a youth perspective to this community.