Team

Everyone involved in Trail Fund NZ is an unpaid volunteer and the Trail Fund NZ Committee are appointed each year by voting of our members at the Trail Fund NZ Annual General Meeting (AGM). Anyone can become a member of Trail Fund NZ and everyone (member or not) is welcome to attend our AGM although only current members may vote.

For efficiency reasons our Committee, who are responsible for the day to day operation of Trail Fund NZ, are currently all based in Wellington while the Advisory Board provides us with NZ-wide representation for funding decisions (which projects get what funding).

That said, we’re always keen to hear from folks who have skills and time to put towards supporting volunteer-led sustainable trails so please get in touch if you are keen to be involved, no matter where you live!

The current Trail Fund NZ Committee is:

John Humphrey - Co-chair

John is our Co-Chair and joined Trail Fund in 2024. A born and bred Wellingtonian, he is the unofficial biggest fan of Wellington’s Waimapihi (Polhill) and Te Kopahou trail network and (because bike parts aren’t free) is a Civil Engineer, leading high profile and complex infrastructure projects for both government and private clients. 

John brings his breadth of knowledge including analytics, operational and commercial management, leadership and governance skillsets to Trail Fund and, has a particular interest in facilitating the best practise in trail maintenance and construction across the motu.

Chris Foggin - Co-Chair

Chris (Foggie) emigrated from the UK 18 plus years ago leaving his job as a serving police officer to join New Zealand Police. He has had an extensive law enforcement, local government and cycle sport career having also worked for Manawatu District Council, Central Otago District Council. 

He was with Cycling New Zealand as Education Manager for 10 years, and then General Manager at Cycling Southland.

In the governance arena he has been a school board trustee (BOT), is a Trustee on the Around the Mountains Cycle Trail Trust, and a Director of the Central Otago Clutha Trails Ltd (COCTL), a company that governs & manages trail maintenance on the Roxburgh Gorge & Clutha Gold Trails.

In Dec 2022 he founded and is director of the Up-Cycles Charitable Trust (CC61680). The charity refurbishes donated bikes to then give those in need a hand up, and provides cycle education programmes to individuals & community groups.

And through this platform Chris is developing an education programme to enhance the safety and elevate the user experiences around the NZ cycle trail network….’COBA Community Of Bike Ambassadors Trail’. 

Blake Luff - Secretary

Once upon a time, a long time ago, Blake was a competitive multisport athlete, but now in a new phase of life, Blake is more often seen with kids on a shotgun seat or in the trailer behind the mountain bike. Having spent his formative years growing up in Alexandra, Central Otago followed by the mandatory move to the University of Otago he eventually managed to walk across the stage with an expensive piece of paper from the School of Physical Education quickly followed by another year as a scarfie for another piece of paper from the College of Education. Blake is a believer of getting outside and getting amongst, no matter what the age and stage of life and sees Trail Fund as a crucial partner to continuing to develop more trails across the country to get more and more people out there doing it!

Meagan Robertson - Communications

Meagan is the head scribe for Trail Fund NZ. She joined the team in 2013 to help get more stories written about Trail Fund NZ and all things trail building around NZ. Meagan is also president of the Wellington-based Revolve Woman’s Cycling Club, helps coach the next generation of MTBers through the Wellington Off-Road Department (WORD) programme and a Juliana ambassador! Her day job is as a communications and PR expert for Trail Fund NZ sponsor, Wellington-based Dinniss Communications. Meagan is a transplanted Canadian and prior to moving to Wellington lived in the “Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada”, Squamish, BC. 

Jimmy Young - Advocacy

Having joined the Trail Fund team in 2020, Jimmy brings 20 years' experience in parks, recreation and tourism in New Zealand and Canada, and is looking to add some value to Trail Fund's advocacy efforts. While working in British Columbia, he co-founded Bike Parks BC marketing group and the BC Mountain Bike Tourism Association. A keen mountain biker based in the Hutt Valley, he rides frequently in the Central North Island and explores all of Wellington as part of his day job as a Principal Park Ranger for Greater Wellington Regional Council. His experience as a planner working for land managers, and now on the other side of the fence as a land manager, will assist Trail Fund in growing its advocacy nationally.

Hamish Gordon - Grants

Having joined Trail Fund in 2019, Hamish is the Grants Officer and has been mountain biking since suspension fork travel was 65mm and cantilever brakes were pretty ineffective stoppers (mid-90s). In the past he was involved in mountain bike clubs in Christchurch and has long been involved in advocating for mountain bike access. When not occupied with riding or tweaking bikes, he is a consultant geophysicist in the oil and gas exploration industry and he resides in Wellington with his partner and their cats.

Phil Etheridge - Treasurer

• Approx 10 years trail building experience, 1 year professional (contracting to NZ Trail Solutions, Wairoa Gorge)

• Approx 20 years membership of Mt Bike Club executive, including trail advocacy, fund-raising, development (Manawatu Mt Bike Club, Arapuke Mt Bike Park.)

• Attended 3 Trail Fund conferences

• 15 years in Cycle trade as shop owner and lead mechanic, wide industry contacts. Now semi retired and a part time mechanic and bike tour shuttle driver.

• Approx 20 years cycle advocacy (active member of CAN and affiliated local groups

• Over 30 years Mt Biking, cycle touring, bike packing, life member Karapoti Classic

• Environmental advocacy - member F&B, FMC, Green Party

Adam Errington - Design

Adam has been involved with Trail Fund NZ since before it was a real thing and has, along with his team of design maestros at re:brand, contributed countless hours of professional branding and design work, all at no cost to Trail Fund NZ. He's a dab hand at strategy too and has helped guide the project in that regard since 2012. Adam continues to be responsible for all our awesome designs and is a welcome voice of sanity and pragmatism at our committee meetings. When not illustrating, designing or branding stuff Adam can be seen ripping around the local trails as a key member of the local bike gang known as “The Biking Oddity” and he lives in Wellington with his wife and kids. While he is no longer "officially" on the committee, he still offers his design skills to the cause.

Advisory Members

While the Committee is ultimately responsible for managing the operations and finances of Trail Fund NZ, in order to maintain a New Zealand wide perspective we have the Trail Fund NZ Advisory Board. The Advisory Board has delegated to it responsibility for recommending which projects should get funded, and which should not. It is appointed each year, or as required, by the Trail Fund NZ Committee. Currently the Advisory Board has members from Dunedin in the South to Auckland in the North and many points in between. If you would like to be involved get in touch, we’re always keen to hear from folks who would like to make a contribution.

Our current Advisory Board members are (listed geographically South to North):

Gareth Hargreaves – Based in Dunedin, Gareth has been enthusiastically building trails in the area for the past 12 years as part of the local club Mountain Biking Otago. That passion for trail building, the lack of tools to suit his needs, and his own background in product design led to Gareth designing the very popular “Weapon of Mass Creation”. In his day job Gareth works as a Product Development Engineer at iconic New Zealand company Fisher & Paykel.

Laurence Mote – Based in Christchurch, Laurence is an accomplished mountain bike racer, now retired. He represented New Zealand as a competitive rider for a number of years and was also well known as part of the team at Ground Effect Cycle Clothing. He recently completed the 2016 edition of The Pioneer, a 500km mountain bike stage race in the South Island of New Zealand, a remarkable feat considering Laurence is now legally blind. Having battled back from the effects of an allergic reaction to a bee sting that almost cost him his life and his sight these days Laurence rides his bike every day, is throwing himself into trail projects in Canterbury, and helping out Trail Fund NZ as part of our Advisory Board.

Adam Walker – Adam is a passionate mountain biker who loves the challenge and the opportunity for adventure that riding bikes provides. For him mountain biking goes well past the bike and in addition to his role with Trail Fund NZ Adam is also currently the president of the Buller Cycling Club and Trustee for the Mokihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust which governs the Old Ghost Road. Adam currently lives on the West Coast of the South Island.

Pete Mora – Pete leads our Advisory Board and is based in Wellington. Over the past few years Pete has somewhat drifted into road and track cycling but we’re managing to keep him in touch with his dirt heritage through Trail Fund NZ. Pete was previously the treasurer and chairperson of the Otago University Mountain Bike Club and a former the treasurer of the Makara Peak Mountain Bike Supporters. When not covered in lycra and chamois cream riding his road bike Pete is a Senior Audit Manager at KPMG working with a number of mid-size large corporates, public sector and not-for-profits.

Graeme Lindup – An active volunteer in the cycling community, Graeme is based in the Taranaki. In addition to his role with Trail Fund NZ, Graeme is the membership administrator for New Plymouth Mountain Bikers and has been involved with the management committee in various roles since 2005. With a keen interest in cycling of all forms Graeme also volunteers his time on the national committee of the Cycling Action Network. Cheerfully admits to being a very average mountain biker. When not doing bike advocacy, does the odd bit of structural engineering.

Ric Balfour – Ric is based in Thames at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula. A long time supporter of sustainable trails Ric helped lead that portfolio for Mountain Bike New Zealand for a number of years in the past. He has worked as a mountain bike guide, a trail building advisor, park manager and business executive. Ric is passionate about trail building the right way and has been so since being a founding member of the IMBA Trail Care Crew in the US and was a founding member of the Trail Fund NZ Committee. He professes to be old school but rides a carbon Santa Cruz Nomad.