Our People

Katy Quest

Through caring, supportive and reciprocal relationships at Awhi, tamariki are able to be themselves, develop confidence and resilience, allowing their essence to shine.

Flourish, as a collaborative space where parents, caregivers, families and service providers can come together really excites me! We are creating the village we need to raise our Tamariki.

Sophie Bunlee

Kia Ora! I am excited to be joining the Flourish team this year as programme co-ordinator, working alongside Katy and Sol to make, plan, and co-ordinate the beautiful offerings for our parenting community. As a mum of two I have had the first hand experience of being a “Flourish mama”, attending rants, Te Māmā and courses over the last 3 years so I know the importance of the work we do.

Sol

Kia Ora, Sol here back for another year at Flourish! I'm looking forward to being a part of this beautiful evolving community again. Providing a supportive space for families is key to helping our community thrive, and watching and contributing to the growth at Flourish is something I feel grateful and proud to be part of!

Lisa Smith

Kia Ora, I’m Lisa! I trained as a nurse in '99 at Taranaki base and then went to work overseas.
I am now back 3 years with partner and 2 young sons.
I am a librarian at Taranaki Toy Library and met the wonderful wahine at Flourish through this connection.
I volunteered for a year and, it’s been a wonderful meeting so many families.
I have come aboard this year at Flourish to co-lead the awhi space.
It’s an opportunity I’m proud to have, to care for children while their mamas/carers take the time they need to connect.
There was a time where I needed this connection and it wasn’t available so I understand the importance of reclaiming our village feel in our community.

Willow Smith

Kia ora! My name’s Willow and I’m super excited to be leading Awhi this year, alongside Lisa.
I have been volunteering in the awhi space as I have a huge passion for tamariki and their wellbeing, and I recognise that this starts with happy, healthy parents. I love caring for the little ones at Flourish and it brings me so much joy to be a part of their growth, as well as seeing māmā fill their cup each week. My love for children and passion for helping them flourish has led me to study child psychology. Having just completed my bachelors degree and currently working towards my PHD, I hope to implement my knowledge into the awhi space so that your tamariki can thrive with gentle, child-led play and connection. I can’t wait to connect with you and your tamaiti in 2025 and support you in your parenting journey!

Annalese Sharrock

I love a journey, and the fantastic people that you meet along the way! I’ve invested in the Flourish vision, and for me, getting involved was about assisting where I can and with my skills, to bring this journey to life!

After finishing school in Taranaki, I headed to Victoria University in Wellington and funded my studies in Law, HR, and Criminology by working in the hospitality sector, and then went on to spend 13 years with Inland Revenue as a Specialist Investigator where I added my accounting and forensic review skills. Always partial to having multiple jobs and roles on the go, I now lead the Macfarlane Hospitality Group and consulting firm, Strategy Collective with business interests across New Zealand.

I have a passion for people, leadership and transformational thought. Everything about business and community is fostered upon establishing and nurturing relationships. No one individual knows the answer to everything, and in working collaboratively, we can achieve more together, while always striving for a better outcome.

With 3 young children, and a shift-working husband, some would say a fairly crazy busy schedule. It’s all about organisation and being effective when you’re in something. When not at work, I try and manage a few games of squash each week, and love getting out and about on a hike be it in Taranaki, or further afield. Definitely partial to the odd gin, or espresso martini, you’ll definitely see me making the most of Taranaki’s festivities and great outdoors.

Carla Moore

Flourish is a culmination of everything that matters most to me: making a difference, and the holistic wellbeing of our community.
Flourish’s success depends on all of us. Whether that means showing up, bringing new people into the fold, sharing Flourish’s mahi with your community, or helping out behind the scenes—every little action matters. Together, we’ll make this vision a reality.

Simon Cayley

I’m looking forward to seeing our organisation thrive over the coming years making parenting a little bit easier for many parents across our region.

Helen Foreman