Our Team

The Green Lab is a small organisation with a big heart. Our team is comprised of part-time staff and a whānau of skilled contractors. We are a registered charity with a governance board.

Operations Team

Bridget Allen

she/her, Tangata Tiriti
Director

Bridget has a background in contemporary fine art, with a Bachelor’s in Fine Art, majoring in sculpture, from Canterbury University in 2002. Her practice as an multi-media environmental artist has lead her to researching various forms of green sculpture, horticulture, landscape design, community development projects, and conservation efforts. Most recently, she has trained as a landscape architect at Lincoln University. She has lived for the majority of her life in Ōtautahi and has raised her tamariki there. She co-founded the New Brighton Stitch-O-Mat Charitable Trust, a community sewing room that sews projects for the local community.

When she has free time Bridget enjoys riding one of her many bikes, discovering new music and connecting with people and the community.

Katie Hallam

she/her, Tangata Tiriti
Communications Manager

Katie joined The Green Lab in 2021. She was involved with community and environmental activism before completing a BA Hons in Film and English Literature in 2007. She has skills in PR, website admin, social media coordination and graphic design, and has used them 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 for Oxford Gallery and serves as a Volunteer Firefighter.

Our Board

Anna O'Sullivan

She/Her
Chair

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.

Karen Lyon

she/her
Treasurer

Karen Long
she/her
Chair

Karen joined The Green Lab in 2021 and was Chair 2022-2023. 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.