Te Kāhui RangatiraOur Executive Team

Our Executive Team

Our Executive Team run the day-to-day tasks of managing Mary Potter Hospice.

Tony Paine – Chief Executive

Tony comes most recently from Life Unlimited Charitable Trust, a national disability service provider, where he was Deputy Chief Executive. He took up this role after leading the AccessAbility Group into a merger with Life Unlimited in 2021. He has over 30 years experience in not-for-profit leadership and management working in the health, social service, and cultural sectors.

Tony’s career includes work with the NZ AIDS Foundation, the Christchurch Methodist Mission, and in CEO roles at Comcare Trust, the Christchurch Arts Centre, Victim Support, New Zealand Red Cross, Philanthropy New Zealand and the AccessAbility Group. 

Tony served on the Board of Housing New Zealand for five years, has a Masters in Management, is Chair of the Silver Noodle Soup Trust that runs drama and film making with young disabled people, and lives in Wellington with his partner Bernadette and their two daughters, Sally and Maggie-Rose.

Dr Astrid Adams – Medical Director

Astrid trained as a Doctor in London where she undertook most of her Junior Doctor posts. She trained in Palliative Medicine in the Oxford region. She has been working as a Consultant in Palliative Medicine since 2010. She worked for five years at Sir Michael Sobell House Hospice in Oxford before emigrating with her family to New Zealand. She has been involved in management projects and service development as well as clinical work.

She has a particular interest in education and was the Course Director for the Palliative Medicine Medical Student Course in Oxford. She now works closely with the clinical team developing the education and research programme at Mary Potter Hospice, as well as undertaking clinical work and her leadership role.

Astrid qualified from UCL in 1998 with an MBBS and a BSc Hons in Anatomy and Developmental Biology. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (UK), has an MSc in Palliative Medicine from Cardiff University and a Diploma in Undergraduate Education from Oxford University.

Donna Gray – Director Clinical Services

Donna is qualified as both a Registered General Nurse and a Registered Sick Children’s Nurse, with post-graduate certificates in Palliative Care, High Dependency Nursing and Teaching and Assessing, as well as a post graduate Diploma in Professional Practice, with a focus on clinical leadership and research in the field of palliative care. She has worked in a number of management and leadership roles in the UK and New Zealand across inpatient and community settings and contributes to regional and national work.

Donna has been with the Hospice for over 15 years and is committed to the provision of high quality, equitable palliative care for those in our community.  As well as leading the clinical management team, Donna also leads the Quality and Education team, supporting the implementation of the Hospice Strategy, Our Place in Palliative Care.  Donna is a member of Nurse Executives Aotearoa.

Peter Sewell – Director Retail

Peter joined Mary Potter Hospice in May 2021 to lead the retail operations. He brings a wealth of experience guiding the performance of retail and hospitality businesses, and leading sales and service teams to deliver a great customer experience. 

Peter is looking forward to further developing operational practices and working with the team to provide value to local communities through our charity shops and important revenue for the hospice service.

Julie Watson – Director Support Services

Julie started her career as a nurse. She has worked in support services in government departments and comes to us with 15 years’ experience at Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of New Zealand; first as Business Services Manager and then, as the organisation grew, moving into a GM Corporate Services role where she was responsible for HR, Health & Safety, ICT, finance, assets, and volunteering, with a strong focus on HR.

Julie is looking forward to working with the team to provide the best possible services to support the wellbeing of our palliative care patients.

Ross McLeod – Director Fundraising, Marketing & Communications

Ross joined the Mary Potter Hospice from Operation Mobilisation, a provider of relief services and international volunteer opportunities, where he was National Director.

Leading the development of fundraising, philanthropic, and marketing activities for more than 20 years, he has worked extensively with both local and international not-for-profits. An accomplished leader and manager, Ross has worked in the corporate and charitable sectors with organisations such as Standard Corporate Merchant Bank, World Vision, and Blind Low Vision NZ.

Born in South Africa, he is committed to seeing lives positively impacted, is an advocate for philanthropy and a keen sailor. Ross lives with his wife and two children in Wellington.