Estuary Arts Centre
214B Hibiscus Coast Highway
​09 4265570
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Michael Irwin, Trust Board Chair

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​Michael has been a teacher and educator of art for over 50 years. He has organised whole school art events and assisted children and teachers to create their own special art works. He specialised in art at Hamilton Teachers’ College where he first began sculpturing.
The last 20 years of his employment was as a Senior Lecturer at Massey University, where he was a programme coordinator for teacher training and lectured in the Arts and how to teach and develop Creativity with children.
He is a member of the Te Kupenga Stone Sculpture Society in New Plymouth, where he regular travels to carve stone.
He has taught night classes in pottery and painting, and is a tutor at Estuary Arts Centre.



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William Trotter, Trust Board Member
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Originally from Scotland immigrated to New Zealand in 2004 and settled in Kapiti where my wife family resided.
My background was originally in Engineering followed by the Fire Service. I joined Securicor in 1969 UK,s largest Security provider and in 1972 was selected to join the new overseas H.O. team to develop  the companies business overseas and  from then until 2004 when I retired. We lived and worked in many countries throughout the world.
Shortly after arriving in New Zealand I was approach to Run Chubb New Zealand Security Services on a 3 year contract from 2004 to 2007. 
Over the years I have served on many boards and committees details as follows:
  • Founder member & Chairman Kowloon RFC Hong Kong Board member Hong Kong RFU 1974 ,1980
  • Hong Kong 7's Committee.
  • Chairman British Community Council Istanbul Turkey 1990, 1994.
  • Vice chairman British Chamber of Commerce Turkey.
  • Secretary St Andrews Society Turkey.
  • Chairman Volunteer Kapiti.
  • Member Civil Defence Team Kapiti Coast.
  • Secretary Otahunga Boating Club Paraparaumu.
 
We moved to Auckland in 2013 now living in Manly with my wife Pauline who is an Active Artist at the Arts Centre.


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Yvonne Copland, Trust Board Member
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Yvonne has been self employed having run her own hairdressing salon in Henderson for 32 years. She served 15 years as a Councillor. Yvonne has a full history of serving as a volunteer on Trust Boards such as the
Henderson High School and Hilltop Private School BOT, West Auckland Community Arts and the Waitakere City Council. Yvonne is a trustee of the St Lazarus Charitable Trust, Council ambassador for Sister Cities Kakogowa Japan and was awarded freedom of the City. She is now enjoying being a mosaic student with her daughter here
at Estuary Arts.


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Philip Crow, Trust Board Treasurer
 
Founder member and treasurer of TAFI (The Arts Forum Inc.) who were instrumental in establishing the Estuary Arts Centre
 
Starting out in the UK as a building contractor's quantity surveyor and estimator he subsequently formed his own construction company involved in residential and commercial developments.  In 1975 he emigrated to Sydney, Australia where he worked for Rider Hunt and Partners, Quantity Surveyors, on multi-million dollar projects.  He then joined the Project Management Team for the construction of the  Westmead Hospital Project, (current value approximately $1.6b), as Administration Manager responsible for all matters contractual including calling and letting tenders and resolving disputes.  He formed his own Project Management company for the management and construction of various public buildings, retirement villages, nursing homes, shopping centres, commercial and residential developments.  In 1992 he moved to Auckland continuing his career in the Construction Industry and advancing his dispute resolution skills by obtaining a Massey University Diploma in Business Studies (Dispute Resolution) in Arbitration and Mediation followed by post graduate courses in Reasoning and Decision Making and Dispute Resolution Business Management.
 
After being involved at all levels in the construction and building industry throughout his career, Philip's credibility is well established.  He is comfortable working alone or within a team environment to achieve the best result for his clients.  Of recent times he has been involved with leaky homes investigation, remediation and litigation.
 
In Sydney, Philip re-found his early school days love of drawing including the painting of birds when he attended an art class.  At this time he reflected on the fact that constructing an architect’s concept of what a building should portray is an art form where the builder is the architect’s ‘brush and medium’.
 
Philip paints mostly landscapes with water as a way of portraying adventure and movement.  He also enjoys the drawing and painting of the figure – perhaps a follow on from the days of drawing and painting birds.  He still attends tutored classes looking to gain further knowledge and understanding of the skills of being an artist.
 
Philip exhibits his work in the Auckland region including the Estuary Arts centre.  He was a finalist in the national Adams Portraiture Award 2012 and the international Clifton Art Award.  


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Naomi Pears-Scown, Trust Board Member

​"I am a clinical Arts Therapist on the Hibiscus Coast and run a private practice in Orewa, working with all kinds of people looking to support their mental health through creativity. 
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I have been attending pottery classes at Estuary Arts this year and enjoy the creative community fostered there. I am honoured to join the board as their newest member and bring a background of working in NGO creative spaces for disability and mental health (in Auckland and Wellington), a strong belief in the healing power of the arts, a passion for sustainability in the arts, as well as a strong organisational and academic lens. Alongside my work, I am a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland's Medical and Health Science faculty, enquiring into creative arts therapists' professional identity and development pathways in Aotearoa. 

I love living and working on the Hibiscus Coast and am passionate about how arts connect people. As well as a therapist, I am a published academic writer and work in academia. I enjoy writing, administration, and coordination."

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