Della Webby – Community Led Development (CLD) Connector.
In January, Della Webby transitioned to the Tapawera Community Led Development team as a Community Connector, after previously serving as the secretary. She also holds the role of Fundraising Coordinator for the new Community Hub. Della left her position as a Project Coordinator at Health New Zealand to dedicate herself to her new responsibilities.
Della, who has four grown children and two grandsons, has been a resident of Tapawera for about 13 years, having moved from Wakefield. She is an enthusiastic tramper, often found exploring the top of the south, particularly the Kahurangi National Park. With her grandparents having grown up in Stanley Brook and a family bach in the Baton Valley, Della feels deeply connected to the surrounding valleys.
Passionate about fostering community connections, Della aims to bring people together to share ideas and visions, believing in the strength of teamwork and social interaction. Her goals include realizing a new purpose-built community hub, supporting additional health services for the community, and promoting Tapawera as a wonderful place to live or visit.
Al MacKinnon – Operations Manager
Al likes to work with proactive people who care about their community and enjoys learning from people with different backgrounds, histories, and perspectives.
He grew up in Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty, Fiji, and then Gisborne where he finished high school. Al then joined the army and was sent to interesting places to work with interesting people. He later spent time with a charity supporting military communities around the Asia-Pacific and moved to Wakefield with his wife in May 2024. Al says he is already seeing why people gravitate to the region and why some people have never seen the need to leave.
Al sees community as a place where we have the opportunity to build unlikely alliances that support us day to day. This also means that help will come in times of trouble. He hopes to see unlikely alliances appear in the district as the community becomes more connected, and he also hopes to find someone who will help him become a better hunter!
Mark Soper – Community Led Development (CLD) Connector
Mark joined the team as a part-time CLD Connector in March 2025.
He has filled voluntary roles with the Wangapeka Whio Predator Trapping Group, Tapawera School Junior Bicycle Maintenance, the Shedwood Bush Regeneration Project, and is a Great Taste Cycle Trail representative.
Mark has biked and backpacked throughout Asia, Canada, and the UK, and jumped at the chance to help regenerate and strengthen the health and prosperity of the greater Tapawera community.
He believes that the natural landscape, the resilient nature of local people, and a strong, compassionate CLD team are key factors that will drive this regeneration. Past experience with community art and garden groups in Nelson has also taught him the value of patiently growing a sustainable community project base.
Kelly Russell – Secretary and Administrative Support
Kelly joined the Community Led Development team in February this year.
She has resided in Tapawera for 27 years and lives in Kiwi with her partner Kieren and 14-year-old son Lachlan. She has two other children, Shanna and Tyler, who also live in the area.
If you have children at school, you may have seen her in the school library where she works four days a week.
Kelly has loved living in Tapawera and believes there is so much value in raising a family and growing up in a small rural town. “Tapawera can be such a warm, welcoming, vibrant community. We just need to get involved and make things happen,” says Kelly, which is why she has joined Tapawera Connect.
Kelly looks forward to seeing and helping with the amazing initiatives to come.
