Bridget Leonard – Chair
Bridget joined the Harbour Sport board as she believes in the multiple benefits of sport and physical activity across all ages and all levels of participation and sees the opportunities this creates to support the hauora of our entire community.
She has a background in physiotherapy and biomedical physiology and has undertaken research into hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Currently her physiology is applied to anti-doping and the protection of clean sport. Bridget is also on the board of Helensville District Health Trust and Canoe Slalom NZ and is a Chartered Member of the institute of Directors.
She is a strong advocate for and resident of the Kaipara region of our community and enjoys being active in our beautiful outdoor playground.
Bevan Miles - Trustee
Bevan is a long-time North Shore resident (for all bar 1 of his 40-odd years) and passionate about both the region and sport. With his playing days largely behind him, Bevan is enjoying the opportunity to contribute to Harbour Sport (and a few other sporting organisations) through volunteer and governance roles.
For his day job, Bevan is a lawyer and a partner at Chapman Tripp, where he leads the national tax practice. When he has some spare time, Bevan coaches cricket, plays the odd round of golf, likes to travel and loves spending time with his wife and two kids.
Megan Bates - Trustee
Megan is an experienced Senior Finance Leader in the legal, telecommunications, wholesale and retail sectors in New Zealand, most recently holding the Chief Financial Officer role at law firm Dentons Kensington Swan.
Megan began her Chartered Accountancy career at PWC in New Zealand before moving to the retail sector with Carter Holt Harvey, qualified as a Chartered Accountant through the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and holds a Bachelor of Management Studies with Honours from the University of Waikato.
Megan and her family returned to the Shore in 2016 after an eight-year stint in Tokyo Japan where two of their three children were born while her husband Steve played rugby for Toshiba. Sport is a passion of the Bates family and weeknights and weekends are spent on the side line and bleachers of the rugby, netball, tennis, and basketball courts of the North Shore, with a bit of mid-week golf for Megan thrown in for good measure.
Megan was appointed a Trustee of Harbour Sport in March 2023 and is member of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Pete De wet - Trustee
For twenty five years, Pete has harnessed the passion of sport, to drive loyalty with teams and brands, for leading Associations, Federations and Sports Agencies in South Africa, Africa, Europe and New Zealand.
With a breadth of experience across many sports codes, Pete now leads Triathlon New Zealand as Chief Executive.
Originally from South Africa, but now a proud New Zealand Citizen, Pete resides in Browns Bay with his Wife Taryn, and three daughters Chyler, Caitlyn and Cayleigh.
When not working, or standing side line supporting his kid’s playing sport – he loves watching sport and now participates in the odd triathlon.
Richard McRae - Trustee
Richard has lived in the North Shore for the marjoity of his life and has been an active participant in the sporting community. He is part of the North Shore Rugby Football Club, as a committee member and coach. He also coaches school basketball, and finds himself on the sidelines most weekends.
In his professional life, he is an experienced marketing professional, specialising in media and digital marketing. He has worked in Auckland and London in media agencies and is currently at One New Zealand where he manages media and digital marketing.
Sheryne Lok - Trustee
Sheryne has more than 10 years of experience in the sport and recreation sector, including working as a Sport and Recreation Consultant and in a Regional Sports Trust. Currently, she is a Service and Asset (Open Space) Planner at Auckland Council.
She is passionate about improving cultural diversity in sport and recreation, increasing Asian participation in sport and recreation through cultural intelligence, and increasing the number of Asian females in the sport management space. She has her Master of Business, majoring in Sport Leadership and Management. Her thesis focused on a sport facilitator’s cultural intelligence and how it influences Chinese sport and recreation participation.
In 2019, she was listed by the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono as one of the 25 Young People to Watch awarded for her involvement in Chinese and Asian sport leadership and policy development.
John Marsden, QSO, JP - Kaumatua
Rev John Marsden was awarded a Companion of the New Zealand Orde of Merit (CNZM) at the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2019 awards. He already holds a Queen’s Service Order (QSO) and is a Justice of the Peace (JP).
John was raised in Kaiwaka and has been part of Te Uri O Hau/Ngāti Whātua life for his entire existence. Ōtamatea Marae has been his place of growing up. He attended boarding school in Auckland for his educational pursuits followed by further tertiary study at Auckland University.
John has worked in various areas of employment which has taken him all over Aotearoa in the field of banking, education, tertiary level of health and primary health. John has two daughters although lost one to cancer over the past two years. He is passionate about providing support, and advisory/leadership to whānau of all ages. John’s aim is to particularly ensure our iwi, hapū, and whānau are given the best opportunities in this present environment to improve life experiences for all our tamariki and mokopuna.
John is now semi-retired, but still heavily involved in the church and its related ministry work.
