Elected Member | Moira Seddon

Moira brings an enduring passion and enthusiasm for the arts having been exposed to the creative community through her artistic family. It was during her time in London that drew a deeper connection to modern and contemporary art having visited some of the most illustrious galleries in the world. Originally from Tauranga Moana (Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāi Te Rangi), she completed her Political Science and Anthropology degrees in 2012 and has been actively involved with the Auckland Art Gallery and Auckland City Mission for a number of years. An accredited project manager by trade, Moira has worked for a multitude of corporate organisations and is currently a manager at PwC specialising in large-scale transformations within the public sector.

Elected Member | Susan Mann

Susan joined us in May 2024, bringing a diverse and robust skill set honed across the animation, design, and architecture industries. With extensive experience in leadership, operations management, and organisational development within the creative space, Susan holds a Diploma of Fine Arts, a Bachelor of Digital Design, and a Bachelor of Business. In addition to her professional career, Susan volunteers for numerous community-focused organisations. She is dedicated to inspiring and engaging young people, providing them with outlets for their talents, and fostering stronger, more vibrant communities. Susan strongly believes that NorthArt can achieve and maintain these goals through visual arts in the coming years, and she looks forward to being a part of the NorthArt family.

Elected Member | Gabrielle Prichard

Gabrielle Pritchard brings her deep appreciation of the arts along with extensive experience in marketing and business strategy to the committee, since May 2024. A design school drop-out Gabrielle has always loved art and design, film and music  -  a thread through her career and personal life. She has enjoyed 20 plus years experience building brands big and small across diverse industries, in Australia and New Zealand, both in creative agencies and client side. With a sculptor and designer partner, many friends in the arts, and having worked closely with creative people all her life, she believes life is richer with art in it, whether you practice, purchase or just appreciate other’s creations. As Keith Haring says 'Art is for everyone'. Gabrielle is committed to helping make art more accessible and supporting NorthArt in its mission to foster the Kaipātiki arts community; residents, artists, patrons, sponsors and members.

Elected Member | Shahzad Saleem

Shahzad has been a committee member at NorthArt since May 2024. He brings diverse leadership and governance experience to the organisation. Shahzad is a financial strategist who is appreciated for his bespoke approach, drawing from global experience in analysing and advising organisations of all sizes across different industries. He is a Chartered Accountant, holds a CFA designation, and recently completed an MBA from Otago Business School. Shahzad's inclusive approach fosters a culture of accountability and excellence. He believes in optimising rewards at all levels - personal, professional, and societal - and recognises art as a vital conduit and catalyst.

Elected Member | Alex Edmonds

Having joined the governance committee in May 2024, Alex grew up in the local North Shore area. He brings a range of skills to ensure we are meeting our goals, having previous volunteer board experience with Manawatu Life Education Trust. Having joined the Trust in 2018 he spent 2 years as a Trustee before becoming Chair - a role he retained until he moved to Auckland in 2023. He steered the Trust through the challenges posed by Covid - ensuring they maintained a healthy financial position to enable the continued delivery of its educational programmes in schools for the Manawatu region. On the Professional front, Alex has been working in IT for the past 15 years; having found his passion within Enterprise/IT Service Management, and the ITIL Practices. Alex looks forward to utilising his past experiences to ensure NorthArt continues going from strength to strength, whilst providing value to our community.

Elected Member | David Perano

Elected to the board in June 2022, David has nearly 20 years of experience in Sales and Business Development, focusing on raw materials for manufacturers in New Zealand. Previous governance experience in his work with the Surface Coatings Association of New Zealand (SCANZ) has prepared him for his position with NorthArt. In addition, David has a technical appreciation of materiality in visual arts. He is an avid consumer of art across the many spaces in Tāmaki Makaurau and Aotearoa.

Living locally in Birkenhead with his wife and young family, he is keen to further the practice and appreciation of visual arts in Kaipātiki.

Board Alumni: 

NORTHART is thankful to our previous board members for their time and dedication to the gallery.

Chairperson - Rudy Birzin, Leonard Bell

Treasurer - Roger Brown

Elected Members - Trish Northey, Leon Tan, Lindsay Waugh, Hannah Owen, Oliver Sutton, Grace Alty

Co-opted Members - Naomi Bell

For information regarding NORTHART's 2020 - 2025 Strategic Plan, including descriptions of the gallery's vision, mission, values, goals, and priorities, please click HERE.