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Our Team
The Green Lab is a small organisation with a big heart. Our team is comprised of four part-time permanent staff and a whānau of skilled contractors. We are a registered charity with a governance board.
Operations Team
Khye Hitchcock
they/them, Tangata Tiriti
Director
Khye joined The Green Lab in late 2018, and has been at the helm since early 2020. Khye’s facilitation, project management, and strategic skills have been honed over a decade in creative and community focussed non-profits. They have a Masters in Fine Art, (University of Auckland 2012) and have held various curatorial roles including at Artspace Aotearoa, SCAPE Public Art, and Toi Moroki CoCA. They are interested in generosity, and collaborative and experimental modes of practice which prioritise community and wellbeing over profit. From time to time, Khye also works with Te Pūtahi – Centre for Architecture and Citymaking, with Creative New Zealand, and as an independent producer/curator.
Khye was raised between Whanganui and the UK, has lived in Osaka and Auckland, and has called Ōtautahi home since 2015. You can read more about their motivation here. Khye lives with their partner Kahu, son Jamie, bestie, Audrey, and their needy cat, Pusspuss. They love being outdoors, cooking, and time with whānau.
Katie Hallam
she/her, Tangata Tiriti
Communications Manager
When Katie joined The Green Lab in 2021, Khye suggested to her that, ‘It really is the perfect job for you’. Katie was involved with community and environmental activism before completing a BA Hons in Film and English Literature in 2007. She has a conscientious approach to communications and has used these skills exclusively for non-profits, including The Conservation Volunteers (a charity working to connect people and green spaces), a child health charity and the magnificent YSP. In 2015, she came to Aotearoa with her whānau, became Communications Manager for CoCA Toi Moroki and opened her heart and mind to the creative and cultural landscape of a new country. Katie took a break in 2018-2021 to work as a gardener, develop a creative practice and take care of her young tamariki. Katie also works part time for her local Oxford Gallery and serves as a Volunteer Firefighter.
Faga Fa'avae
she/her/they/them, Tauiwi
Project Manager
Asofaga, who is known as Faga (Wha-nga) is a proud hybrid Samoan + Pākeha who grew up in Whakatū Nelson, moving to Õtautahi in 2005 with her sister for work and study.
Faga brings organisational and managerial skills through her study in business and project management as well as experience in owning and running a whānau small business importing raw cacao from Samoa and doing delicious things with it.
When they’re not in The Green Lab mode she enjoys being the cool aunty who games with their nieces and nephews around the motu, listening to and indulging in obscure music trivia.
Kaela Metz
she/her, Tangata Tiriti
Accounts and Funding Coordinator
Kaela joined The Green Lab in early 2021 to contribute her skills and experience in finances and fundraising for non-profit organisations. Having worked and volunteered in community based groups like Youthline, The Women’s Centre and Project Lyttelton over the last 15 years, she has a real passion for wellbeing and ensuring that everyone has a voice and place within their community. Kaela was born and raised in sunny Tauranga, spent time living and working in Australia and has now called Ōtautahi home for 15 years. Aside from her mahi at The Green Lab, Kaela immerses herself in a creative practice of fine arts, finding joy and peace in designing and creating sustainable, colourful collage pieces.
Rik Livermore
they/them, Tangata Tiriti
Wednesday Writers, Queer Games Night, and Understorey Host
RikTheMost (they/ them) is a vegan, queer, non-binary, polyamorous spoken word artist and producer, who spends most of their spare time making homophobes feel uncomfortable. Originally from the UK – Rik has been commissioned by the BBC; toured internationally as a poet; represented Australia and Aotearoa on the world slam stage; is New Zealand Poetry Society’s Vice President and currently resides here on the prestigious “Exceptional Talent In The Arts Visa” where they run the biweekly online spoken word event and community “Your Place Events”
Outside of performing and creating shows – Rik can be found at understorey (usually by the kettle!), facilitating all manner of beautiful community workshops and gatherings, including our regular Wednesday Writers group and Queer Games Night.
George Sapsford
they/them; Tangata Tiriti
Community, Design & Build
George joined The Green Lab in 2022 as a build hand for the Mairehau community garden project, and is looking forward to evolving their new role towards facilitating the relationship between materials and environment and developing community conscious design and connection for Ōtautahi spaces in 2023. After acting in the Aro Valley Community Council during their studies in Pōneke, George hopes to combine their operational and practical skills to empower tactile and accessible resilience mātauranga which can in turn nourish our lands and communities. Outside of their construction and industrial design mahi, George also works as a tattoo artist and event organiser, enjoying time spent between cities and connecting with new communities.
Our Board
Karen Long
she/her
Chair
Karen joined The Green Lab in March 2021 and has been Chair since November 2021. She brings her extensive experience as a Chartered Accountant and is a plant enthusiast. This is Karen’s third governance role and she is excited to lead and grow the important mahi and kaupapa of the Board and The Green Lab. Originally from England, Karen has lived in Ōtautahi for the last decade with her husband and two small dogs. She enjoys relaxing with her family and friends when she isn’t working.
Liam O'Shea
he/him
Treasurer
Liam joined the Green Lab in 2021 as a board member and brings his 10 years of experience as a Chartered Accountant. Liam currently works as Business Advisor with Kendons where he works closely with small and medium sized business, advising and working with clients to achieve their goals. Liam is originally from Invercargill but comes to Christchurch via Dunedin and Sydney. Outside of involvement with the Green Lab and work, Liam loves getting out into the hills of Canterbury to go tramping and hanging out with his partner, Briar and Pug, Fergus.
Tamara Polglase
she/her
Secretary
Tamara joined the Green Lab in early 2022. This is her first governance role, and she is excited to learn and grow alongside the Green Lab. Tamara has six years’ experience working in public policy areas including climate change, local government, and the community and voluntary sector. She is passionate about working to centre community wellbeing within these spaces. In her spare time, Tamara loves to spend time with whānau and friends, go exploring, and is currently learning to surf.
Kitty (Layling) Stanbury
she/her
Board Member
Layling joined TGL in 2021 to, in her words, “tell everyone to plant more native trees”! Born and raised in Ōtautahi, she has a BSc in Zoology, which fueled a passion for restoring native ecosystems. She is a committee member of Greening the Red Zone, and when she’s not doing it voluntarily, has the privilege of getting paid to plant native trees and kill invasive weeds. In her spare time she makes terrariums in bottles, which are for sale in understorey. Layling also supports Queer Games Nights every month. She is the most liberal feminist Christian she’s ever met, and is passionate about human rights for all minorities, especially her fellow queer peeps.
Anna O'Sullivan
She/Her
Board Member
Anna joined The Green Lab at the end of 2022 and this is her first governance role. Anna hopes that her skills as a landscape architect with almost 20 years worth of experience working within or along side the horticultural industry and general love of plants will be of use in this role. Currently Anna is a tutor at Lincoln University for the School of Landscape Architecture were she teaches into a number of courses with a focus on planting design.
Sarah Barasch
She/Her
Board Member
Sarah Barasch is an activist, poet, documentary filmmaker, and community builder. She was a founding core team member of Jews Against White Nationalism (an umbrella org for organizing Jews against American fascism and white nationalism) in 2018 and was one of the founding leaders of IfNotNow in Philadelphia in 2015. When she lived in Israel/Palestine, Sarah was active with All That’s Left and other Palestinian-partnered co-resistance groups. She was involved in the Ferguson Movement since August 2014 and done substantial grassroots fundraising for Ferguson and the larger Movement for Black Lives. She was the Founder of the Fargesn Media Project, a documentary examining the intersections of Blackness and Judaism in the Ferguson Movement, and toured and spoke with the film series around the USA. Sarah also worked for two years as the rabbinic intern for T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, where she helped craft and launch their campaign against mass incarceration and staffed two rabbinic delegations to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida.
Since immigrating to Aotearoa in 2021, Sarah has worked as a Library Assistant all around the Christchurch City Libraries. She serves as a workplace delegate to the Public Service Association and chairs delegate recruitment for the Library Delegate Team.
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