Our People
Our compassionate, caring and skilled staff provide specialised support to you, your whānau and your communities to move from surviving to thriving.
We believe you and we are here to listen.
Chief Executive
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Sue Wood
Sue joins us from a large retirement village in Lower Hutt where she was the Manager to 120 staff. She is passionate about providing support to a wide range of people within the Wellington community and has over 25 years’ experience as a nurse. She spent 10 of those years working in mental health, as well as supporting young women suffering from anorexia and bulimia.
More recently, Sue has worked in management at IHC/Idea Services, advocating for people with intellectual disabilities. She also volunteered for 15 years as a counsellor in the community.
She is married with 4 adult children and grandchildren and lives in the Hutt Valley.
Board Members
Sara Passmore: Board Chair
Sara has 15+ year's experience in project and programme management and 10+ year's experience in Senior Management in the charity and NFP sector.
In 2018 she completed a Masters of Business Administration from Victoria University of Wellington. Her research area focused on how to support Māori to maintain their legal connection to the whenua across generations. Sara also has a Bachelor’s of Education and a Bachelor’s of English Literature.
Sara is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. a member of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and member of the Community Governance Steering Group.
Sara's current governance roles include treasurer of Humanists NZ, board member for Wellington Women’s House, the Guild of Agriculture Journalists and Communicators, and vice-president of the Rationalist and Humanist Association of New Zealand.
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Kathy Mansell: Board Member
Kathy has been a public servant for just over 40 years working in a variety of areas including housing, primary industries and vulnerable children.
Kathy is currently a Deputy Chief Executive at Land Information New Zealand where she leads the Property Rights Group who are responsible for processing all property transactions in New Zealand.
Kathy has tribal affiliation to Tuhoe. Kathy is a former client of Help and has a strong desire as a Board Member to be a part of realising the organisations mission.
Nicholas Pritchard: Board Member
Nick has been working as a Police officer for over 23 years. He began his career in Christchurch and relocated to Wellington in 2012 where he is currently the Manager of the Wellington Adult Sexual Assault Team. This team covers Wellington, the Kāpiti Coast and Wairarapa.
Nick is passionate about providing quality service delivery to victims of sexual abuse and forging strong working partnerships with stakeholders and service providers.
In his current role, Nick oversees 26 different partnerships between Police and external stakeholders, including Wellington HELP.
Nick has been married for 21 years and has two daughters aged 14 and 17.
Rachel Craig: Board Member
Rachel is a passionate change professional whose change career spans local government, central government and the private sector. An early career in learning and development and business improvement arms Rachel with a variety of skills that she is humbled and honoured to use to support HELP in our efforts to support survivors of sexual violence. She is currently a change consultant in central government, supporting organisations to transform their ways of working to better achieve the outcomes they seek.
Her family are avid volunteers with herself having been an active volunteer across a number of charities and NGOs for the past 20+years. She is a recent member of the Wellington community and is enjoying getting to explore the beauty of Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Kim Partridge: Board Member
Kim is the Programme Manager for Specialist Pathways in Ara Poutama Aotearoa’s Pae Ora team. She has nearly 20 years’ of experience working in project management, tech, communications, and innovation.
Kim is from Belgium on her mother’s side and England on her father’s side. She grew up in London. Her passion for rugby brought her to Aotearoa in 2011.
Kim has volunteered for organisations such as Wellington Rape Crisis, Women’s Refuge, Oxfam, and Kaibosh. Working with HELP Sexual Abuse Wellington is her first board position. She wants to ensure that people have access to care, information, and support.
Kim has a degree in law, a master’s degree in international human rights law, and a diploma in māori law and philosophy from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Zoe Griffiths: Board Member/Treasurer
Zoe Griffiths is an experienced senior public servant with over 30 years working in the social sector. She holds a Bachelor of Laws, completed in 1986, and has held various legal and senior management positions, including Chief Legal Advisor in Child, Youth and Family, Deputy Secretary Corporate with the Ministry of Education, and the Auckland Regional Public Service Commissioner. Her career has been dedicated to the care and support of vulnerable New Zealanders. Zoe is an experienced leader and is skilled in governance and change. She retired from the Public Service in July 2024 and resides in Tamaki Makaurau with her family.