Thursday 20 November 2025
Caroline Bay Hall, Timaru
10:00am - 3:30pm
$30 - Includes light lunch & site tour
Anne Pattillo, Director, Pattillo
Nigel Bowen, Timaru District Mayor
Nils Macfarlane, General Manager, Multicultural Aoraki
Chris Mene, Director, Mene Solutions
Agenda
Please kindly note this agenda is accurate as of 22 October 2025.
The Panel
Anne Pattillo, Founder and Director, Pattillo
Anne Pattillo is the founder and director of Pattillo, bringing more than 30 years of experience in facilitation and consulting across New Zealand and Australia. A strategic thinker and internationally recognised leader in stakeholder engagement, Anne is known for her transformative work with leadership teams helping them rediscover purpose, renew energy, and move decisively into action.
Her work spans government, corporate, and NGO sectors, where she is sought after for her ability to tackle complex challenges and guide organisations toward meaningful, purpose-driven outcomes.
Nils Macfarlane, General Manager, Multicultural Aoraki
Born and raised in Timaru, I studied at the University of Canterbury and became an enrolled Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand. After completing my legal studies, I moved to Wellington, where I attended film school, before heading to Osaka, Japan, to teach English. Following the 2011 earthquake, I returned to New Zealand and practiced immigration law.
In 2016, I returned home to Timaru to raise my daughter and began offering immigration clinics through Multicultural Aoraki. I now have the privilege of being the General Manager and love helping make South Canterbury feel like home for all newcomers who arrive here.
What I love most is seeing how Timaru has evolved over the 20 years we have been in operation and how warmly the community continues to embrace our growing cultural diversity.
Nigel Bowen, Mayor of Timaru District
Born and raised in Timaru, Nigel has deep roots in the district he leads.
Alongside his role as Mayor, he and his wife Jane run successful local businesses and have two daughters. Through this involvement in the community, he has a strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by local people. He first served as a Timaru District Councillor before being elected Mayor in 2019 and is now serving his third term.
As Mayor, Nigel has focused on promoting bottom-up democracy and ensuring that local communities have a strong voice in decisions that affect them. He has placed particular emphasis on sound fiscal management, long-term infrastructure planning, and securing fair investment from central government into the regions.
Nigel serves as Chair of the Canterbury Mayoral Forum (2022–25 term), leading Canterbury’s mayors to advocate with one strong voice on key issues such as infrastructure reform, housing, climate resilience and economic growth.
What he values most is seeing Timaru and South Canterbury continue to grow as vibrant, connected communities where people and businesses can thrive.
Moana Rielly, Senior Community Engagement Specialist, Meridian Strategies
Moana is a senior community engagement specialist at Meridian Strategies with over ten years of experience designing and leading inclusive engagement strategies across diverse communities. Originally from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Moana has spent most of her life in the United States, where she worked with local governments and non-profits to foster meaningful dialogue and co-design processes in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
Moana brings a bicultural lens to her work, weaving te ao Māori values such as manaakitanga and kotahitanga into participatory frameworks that build trust and long-term relationships. Her approach is grounded, strategic, and people-centred and whether she’s facilitating a workshop on climate risk with communities or advising on urban regeneration projects. Moana recently returned to Aotearoa to support kaupapa that reconnects people with place, and she’s passionate about creating spaces where all voices are heard and valued.