About Inner City Women’s Group
Our People
We have a highly qualified and experienced team of facilitators who are bound by the ICWG Code of Ethics and practice. All facilitators hold tertiary level qualifications and are highly experienced in their field.
Board of Trustees
Melissa Grant - Board Co-Chair
Melissa (Ngâpuhi) is a qualified counsellor with over 15 years of expertise in the mental health, addictions, and domestic violence sectors. She currently works for Whakarongorau Aotearoa//The National Telehealth Service as the Head of Mâori Service Development.
She has held various roles, encompassing clinical, supervisory, and leadership positions in both Kaupapa Mâori and mainstream social and health services.
Melissa is a passionate advocate for Mâori rights and uses her leadership and clinical abilities to work towards the well-being of the community. She envisions a future underscored by equity, support, and empowerment. Melissa is deeply committed to collaborations that put the welfare and outcomes of Mâori communities at the forefront.
Ann Marie Searchfield, RPN, MN, PGcertMgtSt - Board Co-Chair
Ann Marie is a Registered Psychiatric Nurse who has specialised in Acute Mental Health, and Consultation Liaison Psychiatry. She has a particular interest in the social imperatives of mental health. Ann Marie has in the past worked in workforce development within the mental health sector, and has led a service that uses digital and innovative new ways of supporting wellbeing for people. She now works for Ara Poutama (Corrections) where she is able to support the rehabilitation and health of those who are convicted of crimes, including family violence and violence against women. Her role on the board allows her to work with an organisation that sees violence as a gendered issue and to support and empower women, breaking cycles of abuse.
Suzette Jackson (she/her) is a Māori (Te Ātiawa) and Pākehā community researcher, academic, registered social worker (RSW), and drug and alcohol practitioner (DAPAANZ). She holds a Master of Social Work and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland. Her doctoral research focuses on mothers with substance use disorders in residential care. Suzette lectures in mental health and addiction at Auckland University of Technology and has contributed to research on equity and responsiveness in community health and substance use treatment. She is an experienced trauma and addiction counsellor and works part-time as a researcher at Higher Ground Drug Rehabilitation Trust.
Madi Keay is passionate about creating safer, more connected communities, with a particular focus on supporting women and whānau through times of transition or hardship. She has a background in psychology, sustainable development, and Indigenous studies, and brings both lived experience and a decade of leadership in the charity sector to her work. Madi has served on several boards and founded initiatives aimed at amplifying community voices, improving access to support, and driving systemic change.
Stasha is a senior analytics leader with a strong track record of using data to drive meaningful, strategic decisions that improve lives and systems. She currently serves as Head of Analytics and Insights at Whakarongorau Aotearoa (National Telehealth Service), where she leads a high-performing team delivering data solutions that support critical health, wellbeing and mental health and addiction services across Aotearoa.
With over a decade of experience across the health, justice, and public sectors in both New Zealand and Australia, Stasha specialises in transforming complex data into compelling insights. Stasha brings governance and advisory experience through her work on national health projects, analytics education, and strategic consultancy. She is a passionate advocate for data equity, with a deep respect for Māori data sovereignty and the ethical use of information.
Through this role, she contributes strategic thinking, governance oversight, and a values-driven approach focused on empowering women to live free from violence.
Bella McDonald is in her final year of a Law and Arts conjoint, majoring in Communications, at the University of Auckland. As the ICWG board intern, Bella observes board meetings to learn all things governance.
Of Samoan and European descent, she offers a dynamic, younger Pacific perspective to the board. In addition to her academic pursuits, Bella has had experience in leadership through being a panelist on the Pasifika Waymakers Fund (facilitated by the Ministry of Pacific Peoples and Foundation North) as well as the New Zealand Women’s Law Journal advocacy committee. She is also an active member of her local community, serving in her church and wider student body.