H4Y Team

We are privileged to have such an outstanding group of Trustees on our H4Y team. Click on their names for more information and why they choose to be on our board. As well as that – our list of professional and core volunteers grows weekly. If you would like to become a core volunteer or mentor at H4Y, please contact us.

Click on names for more info.

Trustees & Board members

Ross McCook (Founding Director & Trustee)

Former business owner (20 years) Youth communicator/trained youth mentor / youth worker (ACA Trust board 6 years) NZ Certified Tennis Coach and Marriage Celebrant. Married to wife Susan, biological child Briana. 50 – 70 non biological ! Passionate about H4Y and the difference its making already in our communities and the phenomenal potential to be unleashed over the next 5 years in Auckland and beyond.

Susan McCook (Founding Co – Director, Trustee and Treasurer)

Keeping the business end of the trust in tact as well as being a “mum to many”, Sue is co-founder of H4Y. Sue is a long serving senior government employee. Sue is actively involved in caring for special needs young adults and also passionate about the need for role models and mentors in our community.

Tony Grant (Chairman)

Tony was one of first trustees on board as he jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this trust and believes, “Anyone keen and willing to positively influence young people in our communities is worth supporting at every level”. Tony is a senior manager at Chelsea Sugar, married to wife Mary and a father of two adult daughters and grandfather of four.

Brooke Zondane (Board Secretary & Trustee)

Brooke’s experience and passion for youth spans over 15 years. Brooke started in youth leadership at her local church at age 15 and quickly went on to mentor many adolescent girls in her community. Brooke went on to became a Youth Horizons Mentor through the Ka Awatea mentoring programme. That was just the start for Brooke – following on from university and becoming a top HR manager for ANZ, Brooke left the shores of NZ to serve as a volunteer in an aids orphanage in Mozambique spanning two years. There Brooke oversaw a whole dormitory of teen boys and became known as “Mama Brooke”. Now residing back in NZ with her husband Valdemar (also from Mozambique!), Brooke is working back in HR management and is the secretary to the H4Y board.

Philip Aldridge (Trustee)

Phil is one of our hands on Trustees and is always eager to be in the front line of camps and youth events. Originally from the UK where he worked as a social worker with troubled teens, Phil has become a true “#8 Fence wire” Kiwi. Phil specialises in camping and bush craft and is our “go to guy” in all things practical. Phil is a father of two and married to Jane – also a H4Y volunteer. Phil is currently employed as an IRD officer.

Jacolize Becker (Trustee)

We’re so privileged to have Jacolize on our team. Jacolize is currently working as the Children and Families Ministry Facilitator for the Anglican Diocese of Auckland. Jacolize specialises in care and protection of our young people and is trained in creating safety action plans for our many events.

“I'm passionate about encouraging others and in particular youth, to reach and fulfill their potential. That’s why I eagerly took up the role of being an active board member with H4Y and are also now a trained mentor/ facilitator with the team” - Jacolize

Counseling Team

We are currently building what we believe will be an outstanding counseling team for H4Y. Our team members are handpicked to cover the holistic needs of young male and females and their family and Whanau. Counseling needs are always varied for any person and sometimes more so for youth and young adults. We are aiming to cover most aspects of the struggles young people face in NZ From some of the basics of identity and family strife - through to the more complex issues of depression, eating disorders, self harm and addiction. We are also committed to helping teens with the other “invisible illnesses” such as Autism, Dyspraxia and Aspergers syndrome.

We partner with our counselors in that they will volunteer their professional services to H4Y youth and the trust will then in some circumstances subsidise their fees in some cases where funding is no longer available from main stream funders. We are currently working to add a family/Whanau specialist counselor as well as a specialist grief and trauma counselor.

Our current counselor’s on board are as follows:

Dave McMillan (Counselor)

Counselor/ Coach
Aspergers, Adolescents and Addictions
BA, MCounselling(Hons), PGDipEd (Counselling), Dip.Tchg, GradDip Psych.Studies (Psychotherapy).
Provisional Member NZAC, Reg. Teacher

Dave is highly experienced in his various specialised areas of counseling and as well as having his own part time practice – Dave is employed by Avondale college as a school counselor. We are extremely grateful for Dave being on our team and for having such a focus and passion to help our special needs teens.

You can contact Dave directly – davemcounselling@hotmail.com

Victoria Stewart (Counselor)

BA double major psychology and English
MA English
Grad dip in psychotherapy
MA psychotherapy
Pbanz registered psychotherapist

Victoria was at Segar House for two years as part of her training focusing specifically in DBT (dialectical behaviour therapy). As part of that, Victoria ran DBT skills workshops. Victoria has specialised in borderline personality disorder, and working with teenagers who have suicidal thinking and self harm. She is trained in psychodynamic psychotherapy which aims to help people understand the underlying causes to symptoms such as anxiety and depression, mood disorders and eating disorders. H4Y is extremely grateful to have Victoria as one of our team counselors and especially the work she is doing with our girls.

You can contact Victoria directly – nz.vstewart@gmail.com

We have included their contact details so please feel free to contact them directly. Please note however, if you are looking for funding support, please contact us prior at info@heartforyouth.org.nz.