Trustees

Jonathan Mason joined the Dilworth Trust Board in 2019. He serves on the Board of Zespri, is a trustee of WWF-NZ and the University of Auckland Endowment Fund, a Member of the University Council for the University of Auckland and is Chair of the NZUS Council. He has recently held Board positions on major New Zealand companies Vector, Westpac New Zealand, and Air New Zealand. He was previously Chief Financial Officer for Fonterra and, prior to that, Carter Holt Harvey. Jonathan is also an adjunct Professor of Management at the University of Auckland and helps to recruit New Zealand students to attend Yale University in the United States.

Jonathan’s interests include watching cricket and US football,  tramping, birdwatching, and reading about NZ and US history.  

Peter Alexander is a property and investment expert who joined the Dilworth Trust Board in 2017 and is currently Deputy Chair. Peter is married and father to two adult sons. He is a keen sportsman with a passion for watersports. Peter has an interest in youth development, water safety, social housing initiatives and the disabilities sector. He is also an active volunteer in his local Pest Free initiative.

Peter is an independent property investment and development advisor and a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. He has previously held senior executive roles at a number of publicly listed companies including Auckland International Airport, Stride Property Group (Chief Executive), Goodman, Property for Industry, and SkyCity Entertainment (Chief Property Officer). He is a past Chairman of community housing provider Homes of Choice Limited and a past Director of HLC Limited (formerly Hobsonville Land Co Limited).

Leo Foliaki was formerly a senior partner at PwC and joined the Dilworth Trust Board in 2022. His governance experience includes Board membership of New Zealand Opera, The Cause Collective Trust, Auckland University of Technology Council, and TupuToa Trust. He has also been an independent member of the audit committees for Oranga Tamariki and Counties Manukau DHB. Mentoring and developing young people is important to Leo. He is the co-Chair of TupuToa Trust, which aims to grow Māori and Pasifika people’s representation in corporate leadership. Since its foundation, it has successfully placed almost 1,000 Māori and Pasifika interns into organisations in NZ.

John Morris ONZM was appointed to the Dilworth Trust Board in 2023 and brings significant experience in secondary school education and governance. He is a former Headmaster of Takapuna Grammar School (1990-93), Auckland Grammar School (1993-2012), and more recently, Executive Principal of Crimson Global Academy (2019-23), a global online high school. John has sat on a number of educational boards including as an Independent Director of Academic Colleges Group, Tertiary Education Commission, Education NZ, and the NZ Partnership Schools’ Board, and has chaired the Education Council of Aotearoa NZ Transition Board. In the sporting arena John was Chairman of NZ Football and a member of the FIFA Technical Committee. John and his wife Jan have three adult children, two of whom are lawyers and one who is in the executive search profession. Jan was a teacher but now works in the law practice of one of their children.

A qualified lawyer in both New Zealand and Australia, Aaron Hockly moved into executive leadership in 2009.  He has 15 years’ experience leading large property groups in New Zealand and Australia, comprising over five years leading NZX-listed Vital Healthcare Property Trust and nearly 10 years as Chief Operating Officer of ASX-200 property group Growthpoint Properties Australia.

Aaron has held a variety of governance roles and is currently on the board of Eke Panuku Development Auckland, Auckland Council’s urban regeneration organisation, as well as being a member of the Auckland Urban Design Panel, an independent advisory body that reviews significant projects across Auckland.  Previous non-executive director roles include for hospice and aged-care provider Mercy Healthcare (Auckland), the Ponsonby Community Centre, and Melbourne’s Midsumma Festival.

He is a Fellow – Governance New Zealand, a Fellow – Financial Services Institute of Australasia, a Chartered Member – Institute of Directors (New Zealand), and a member of INFINZ.  He has a Master of Applied Finance and a Graduate Diploma in Corporate Governance among other qualifications.

Ngaire Ashmore is a distinguished educational leader with a career spanning three decades, marked by a deep commitment to student success and community engagement. She began her journey at Tamaki College before serving 20 years at Tangaroa College, 11 of which as Principal. At Tangaroa College, she significantly elevated student achievement, particularly in University Entrance rates, and crucially, fostered parental involvement. Her expertise was recognised with a secondment to the University of Auckland, where she contributed to programmes on culturally responsive leadership and community engagement.

As Principal of Auckland Girls’ Grammar School, Ngaire has continued to drive notable improvements in student achievement and curriculum design. She is a proponent of using inquiry to enhance teaching practices and has led key developments, including establishing a Health Science Academy in partnership with Counties Manukau District Health Board. Ngaire's extensive governance experience includes roles on the Secondary Principals' Association of New Zealand, Polyfest Trust, and Spirit of Adventure Trust, underscoring her broad impact on the educational landscape.