Our Dedicated Trust Members
Our Passionate Members
Ann Mcleod
Founder & Chairperson of the Board
McLeod Cranes Ltd
Owner / Founder
McLeod Cranes Ltd | McLeod Hiabs Ltd | McLeod Transport Ltd
Program Founder and director Anne McLeod is passionate about providing practical water skills to keep children safe in our diverse aquatic environments. With more than 40 years of involvement in aquatics at local and national level, Anne also brings planning and business acumen as Owner/Founder of the McLeod Group.
Alison Wieringa
Board Member Operations Manager
Mount Manganui Lifeguard Service
Helping children, parents, teachers, and coaches gain life skills, knowledge and confidence is my passion. Coming from the world of netball, and health, the Aquatic Survival Skills programme arose out of dining table conversations with Anne McLeod (whom I've known for 30 years). Now working in surf lifesaving, I see first hand the results of our community who are not well equipped in and around the water. This programme is able to make a huge difference to water survival in the BOP and I'm delighted to be part of it.
Scott Mcleod
Board Member
McLeod Cranes Ltd
Managing Director
McLeod Cranes Ltd | McLeod Hiabs Ltd | McLeod Transport Ltd
I am deeply involved in the trust, reflecting a commitment that’s embedded in the McLeod family DNA. We’ve been supporting ‘learn to swim’ initiatives as far back as I can remember. In fact, I was exposed to swimming at a very young age - less than a year old - while my mother taught swimming lessons. As soon as I was old enough, I too began teaching swimming before swim training.
Chris Emmett
Board Member
Surf Lifesaving New Zealand
Chief Operations Officer
Surf Lifesaving New Zealand
Chris has over 25 years of experience working and recreating in the outdoors in both the mountain and aquatic environments. He specialises in the practical application of risk management, mitigation, and prevention strategies. He spent 15 years as Safety Services Manager for RAL and has spent the last 10 years working for SLSNZ, the last 3 of those years as Chief Operations Officer. Having 2 young children who are navigating their own journeys through risk and reward, Chris is passionate about giving back and reaching as many Tamariki and Rangatira to provide them with the skills to survive in and around the water.
Moss Burmeister
Board Member
Head of Product at Vantaset
Moss has experience as both an Olympian and extreme sportsman. He was the first New Zealander to win a World Championship title in Swimming. He is passionate about the water.
Kent Horner
Operation Manager
Head of Operations ASST
Ash Cockayne
Communications Manager
Zack Taylor
Educator
Sharlene Birchall
Educator
Farmer Autovillage
Since 1991, Farmer Autovillage has been the drive behind many initiatives and charities in the Bay of Plenty. When the Aquatic Survival Skills project was initiated, Farmer Autovillage jumped on board and supported it with a brand new Navara ute, equipped with a tow bar and decals, helping the Survival Skills team be mobile in the community as they visited numerous primary schools. The support has continued for 2023 / summer season.
McLeod Cranes Ltd
At McLeod Cranes, our commitment to giving back to the community is unwavering, and this is particularly evident in our contributions to water safety. We’ve proudly supported Surf Life Saving for over 26 years, and more recently, we’ve partnered with Deep Dive Divisions in their ‘Beyond the Surface’ initiative. This collaboration involves extracting cars from the Waikato River to restore the awa, further reinforcing our dedication to water safety and environmental preservation.
So the passion phrase is “Water safety, placing the community first is part of our family DNA.”
