The Committee

Our Committee

Warwick Shillito

President

Warwick is a senior lecturer in anatomy, physiology, pathology and image interpretation in the Bachelor of Medical Imaging. He also teaches clinical anatomy and pathophysiology to osteopathy students in the Bachelor of Musculoskeletal Health and Postgraduate Diploma in Osteopathy.

His background is in psychology and chiropractic, having practiced for 10 years in Singapore and Australia. He has been involved with the union for over ten years and has been Treasurer, Secretary, Vice President and President over that time.

He has experience with resolving a wide range of industrial disputes as well as being involved in a number of collective employment negations. He has two adult sons, both of whom live overseas. In his spare time he is involved in sport and the performing arts….even a dabbling in musical theatre from time to time.

Jane Parker

Vice President

Jane has been a lecturer in law in the Dept of Enterprise and Digital Innovation for the last four years. Since graduating in law Jane has worked in diverse areas at the interface between the law and the legal rights of individuals in their daily lives.

Jane has worked for the Parliamentary Ombudsmen, the Ministry of Justice as a Disputes Tribunal Referee and the Real Estate Agents Authority on the regional Complaints Assessments Committee and is passionate about access to justice and transparency within government.

For Jane, active involvement with AASC is an opportunity to be part of a team that achieves positive outcomes for AASC members in a critical area of daily life – their employment. Away from Ara Jane loves reading, “lively” discussions, farmers’ markets and sharing meals with friends and her family.

Gus Walkden

Treasurer

Gus started teaching at Ara (in the CPIT Department of Business) at the start of 2012, after working as a professional Business Consultant for over 8 years.

Gus loves teaching and making a real difference in student’s lives as they come to study at Ara.

Gus enjoys amateur photography, in particular macro-photography. Gus has a Masters’ in Business Administration (MBA) degree from UC and loves making accounting reports relevant and easy to understand for everyone involved in the business. As treasurer, his aim is to help AASC use their financial resources to maximise member benefits.

Heather Josland

Committee Member

Heather is a senior nursing lecturer with a (background in emergency nursing) and a vested interest in healthy working relationship for all employees. She represents AASC Union on Ara’s Health and Safety Committee. Out of work, Heather values spending time with her husband and grown children.

Anna Richardson

Committee Member

Anna has worked at Ara (formerly CPIT) for 28 years in the Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health. Anna has an understanding of the challenges in working as an Academic in the tertiary sector – maintaining practice currency, providing excellent teaching and learning to our students and being research active.

Anna has enjoyed the time that she has worked at Ara over the years. In Anna’s work in AASC she wishes to ensure that the quality of the working environment and the experience of being an Ara employee is positive and fulfilling one.

Anna Scott

Committee Member

Monica Cozlevcar

Committee Member

Leighton Brown

Committee Member

Leighton Brown joined the committee 6 years ago, having had previous experience in secretarial roles. Leighton believes the philosophy of AASC is perfectly suited to the needs of academic staff at Ara, and he enjoys the points of difference that the organisation has over other unions in the workplace.

Leighton enjoys listening to music of all genres and conversing with a wide range of people. As a regular in the Ara staff room, Leighton enjoys a good conversation, and the discovery of where that might lead.

Amit Sarkar

Committee Member

Arifah Addison

Committee Member

Arifah became a computing teacher after ten years working in various corporate IT roles interspersed with world travel. She started off in high schools before moving into the tertiary arena at Ara, and enjoys the dynamic and challenging nature of the education sector as well as the interesting and diverse people involved in it.

Arifah believes that it is important to help others navigate their journey, so as well as becoming part of the AASC committee she has also joined the local branch committee of IT Professionals NZ.

Tina Falconer

Committee Member

Amy Curry

Committee Member

Ko Taranaki te maunaga

Ko Waitara te awa

Ko Urenui te marae

No Ōtautahi ahau

Ko Ngati Mutunga toku iwi

Ko Amy Curry toku ingoa.

 

Amy Curry is a senior academic staff member within the nursing department at Ara. Amy has worked as a Registered Nurse for over 20 years, she has both experience in the public and private sector. Her experience in the nursing field has equipped her with an understanding of the challenges and rewards of healthcare.

Amy is passionate about promoting equity in the workplace and classroom. She believes that a fair and inclusive environment is essential for staff well-being. Amy has been actively involved in initiatives aimed at fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the clinical environment for students, creating a supportive and empowering learning environment for students.

With her blend of professional experience and dedication to equity, Amy Curry continues to be a driving force for positive change in the education sector.