About Us
Our Purpose
Providing Aid
Our primary purpose is to provide life-saving aid, such as shelter materials, education supplies, water food and medical supplies to families in conflict zones and those affected by natural disasters who otherwise wouldn’t receive any assistance.
Access
Accessing conflict-affected countries including Syria, Ukraine, Gaza and Afghanistan – in areas where few aid agencies are able or willing to operate.
Advocacy
Speaking out for men, women and children in conflict-affected regions – ensuring their voices are heard even when crisis silences them.
Local
Working directly with trusted local teams on the ground, giving us the connections and networks needed to respond quickly and effectively.
Education
Supporting children’s education in conflict-affected communities – helping restore learning, stability and hope for a generation facing uncertainty.
Mentoring
Mentoring the next generation of humanitarian workers – equipping future leaders to serve effectively in conflict-affected regions around the world.
Why Conflict Zones?
Our Board
Mike Seawright
Founder and Executive Director
Since leaving the corporate world behind 17+ years ago, Mike Seawright has been delivering humanitarian assistance to families living in the world’s conflict zones. He has provided medical aid in Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan and Pakistan, economic development and energy projects in Afghanistan and most recently emergency humanitarian aid, leading multiple interventions in Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Adam Clark
Board Chair
Adam is one of the leading tech entrepreneurs in New Zealand. He was co-founder and CEO of mobile banking software provider M-Com which was acquired by Fiserv in 2011 and now serves over 3,000 banks around the world.
Joanne Hill
Board Member
Joanne is a financial and operational specialist having worked in New Zealand and abroad. She is driven to make a difference for families who, faced with war’s not of their making, have nowhere else to turn.
Simon Foote
Board Member & Legal Advisor
Simon is a barrister practising international commercial and investment treaty arbitration and domestic commercial litigation and arbitration at Bankside Chambers, Auckland and Singapore.
Simon Quirke
Board Member
Simon is committed to creating meaningful impact through collaboration and strategic relationship management. With substantial experience working with not-for-profits, including a decade in senior leadership at UNICEF New Zealand, Simon believes in the power of stakeholder capitalism – helping to connect businesses, communities and charities to drive lasting change. Simon’s current role at Pathfinder is dedicated to driving change by helping businesses and individuals align their financial investments with their ethical values. He holds an Executive MBA from Massey University.
Anne Bulley
Board Member
Anne’s background is in organisational development in the UK and NZ, in addition to projects in East Africa, Lesotho and Australia.
Peter Cafaro
General Director – ReliefAid Canada
Peter Cafaro leads ReliefAid’s Canadian operations from our Montreal office, driving North American fundraising efforts and playing a pivotal role in expanding ReliefAid’s global reach and impact.
Patron & Ambassadors
Rt Hon Helen Clark
Patron
Helen Clark is a respected global leader on sustainable development, gender equality, and international co-operation. She served three successive terms as Prime Minister of New Zealand between 1999 and 2008. While in government, she led policy debate on a wide range of economic, social, environmental and cultural issues.
Aidee Walker
Ambassador
Aidee is an acclaimed film & television actress and director, known for her roles on screen as well as her work behind the camera.
Our Staff
Ainsley Duyvestyn-Smith
Communications & Advocacy Manager
Ainsley is a photographer, writer, and Womens health advocate with more than a decade of experience running an international creative business. Her work has taken her across New Zealand and overseas, where she has developed expertise in visual storytelling, communications, marketing, and community engagement. Through her photography and writing, she is passionate about sharing human stories that inspire connection, understanding, and positive change. Alongside her professional work, Ainsley is involved in advocacy initiatives focused on improving health outcomes and amplifying underrepresented voices. Her combination of business experience, cross-cultural perspective, and commitment to meaningful impact makes her a strong supporter of ReliefAid’s humanitarian mission.
India-Mae Osborne
Operations Manager
India-Mae has more than seven years of experience working across the non-profit humanitarian sector, with a background in fundraising, digital communications, and supporter engagement. Her work is guided by a deep commitment to ensuring communities living in conflict-affected and often hard-to-reach places are not forgotten, particularly when media attention fades and the world’s focus moves elsewhere, and by a belief in the importance of maintaining awareness and connection so those affected by crisis continue to be seen, heard, and meaningfully supported. She first joined ReliefAid as an intern in 2018 and is now proud to have returned to the organisation in an operations capacity. She values the hands-on, practical nature of operational work, and finds it deeply rewarding to be part of the process from start to finish, and seeing that work ultimately translate into support reaching the people who need it most.
Michael Luke
Finance Manger
Michael moved to New Zealand from the USA in 2009 and is a dual citizen. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from College of the Ozarks, majoring in Business Administration and Data Processing. Retired now, he spent his career in executive and consulting roles, primarily working with management to help them uncover access to data and to understand the value of data usage to their organisations. Michael served as a board member of Tautoko Mai Sexual Harm Support, he has volunteered as the Tauranga Intermediate School Math Team Coach, as a mentor in the SociaLink Mentoring Program for Rao O Te Huia and One Unique Mind and is the former Board Chair for Kidz Need Dads Bay of Plenty. In the USA, Michael volunteered for several charitable organisations including as a board member of the Manatee County Boys and Girls Club.
Staff
Ainsley Duyvestyn-Smith
Communications & Advocacy Manager
Ainsley is a photographer, writer, and Womens health advocate with more than a decade of experience running an international creative business. Her work has taken her across New Zealand and overseas, where she has developed expertise in visual storytelling, communications, marketing, and community engagement. Through her photography and writing, she is passionate about sharing human stories that inspire connection, understanding, and positive change. Alongside her professional work, Ainsley is involved in advocacy initiatives focused on improving health outcomes and amplifying underrepresented voices. Her combination of business experience, cross-cultural perspective, and commitment to meaningful impact makes her a strong supporter of ReliefAid’s humanitarian mission.
India-Mae Osborne
Operations Manager
India-Mae has more than seven years of experience working across the non-profit humanitarian sector, with a background in fundraising, digital communications, and supporter engagement. Her work is guided by a deep commitment to ensuring communities living in conflict-affected and often hard-to-reach places are not forgotten, particularly when media attention fades and the world’s focus moves elsewhere, and by a belief in the importance of maintaining awareness and connection so those affected by crisis continue to be seen, heard, and meaningfully supported. She first joined ReliefAid as an intern in 2018 and is now proud to have returned to the organisation in an operations capacity. She values the hands-on, practical nature of operational work, and finds it deeply rewarding to be part of the process from start to finish, and seeing that work ultimately translate into support reaching the people who need it most.
Michael Luke
Finance Manger
Michael moved to New Zealand from the USA in 2009 and is a dual citizen. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from College of the Ozarks, majoring in Business Administration and Data Processing. Retired now, he spent his career in executive and consulting roles, primarily working with management to help them uncover access to data and to understand the value of data usage to their organisations. Michael served as a board member of Tautoko Mai Sexual Harm Support, he has volunteered as the Tauranga Intermediate School Math Team Coach, as a mentor in the SociaLink Mentoring Program for Rao O Te Huia and One Unique Mind and is the former Board Chair for Kidz Need Dads Bay of Plenty. In the USA, Michael volunteered for several charitable organisations including as a board member of the Manatee County Boys and Girls Club.
