Sue Whale
Chair
Sue Whale is the current chair of Arts Whakatāne. She has been a member since 1993 and has been chair before in the early 2000s. Sue has just resigned as art teacher at Whakatāne High School, a position she held since 2001, most of that time as Head of the Department. Sue has also had the responsibility of recruiting and looking after international students.
Sue studied Fine Arts and Education in her hometown Hamburg in Germany and came to live in NZ in 1979. Sue taught at several High Schools in NZ and was community arts officer in Blenheim for 18 months while living there in the mid 1980s. Sue loves all the arts and has been involved with choir singing, musicals, the National Youth Drama School, school productions and community arts event management. Sue enjoys being involved with local arts people and likes bringing arts events to the community.

Beryl Wilson
Secretary
Beryl is the Secretary for Arts Whakatāne. Beryl is the ‘dancer’ on the team. She teaches Israeli Dance and runs Beryl’s Pilates.
She’s been involved with Arts Whakatāne off and on for the past decade. She has helped run the Annual Dance Carnival since it commenced over ten years ago. She has over 40 years experience in the Travel Industry, and works as a Travel Broker.
Beryl and her family have lived in Whakatāne for over 20 years, and love the beautiful environment that we have on our doorstep. The beach, the bush and gardening are where she recharges her batteries. She is an advocate for living a healthy lifestyle with nutritional whole food, exercise and well being.

Tania Akehurst
Treasurer
Finance Committee

Tania Akehurst is a visual artist and community arts advocate based in Galatea, Aotearoa New Zealand. Born in Gloucestershire, England in 1967, she moved to New Zealand as a child and was raised in a creative family. Surrounded by makers—her father a master carver, her mother a fibre artist, and her brother a sculptor—Tania has always felt a deep connection to art and the land. Since 2016, Tania has pursued her art practice professionally, establishing Tulip Rose Gallery at her home in 2018. Alongside herstudio work, she is passionate about community engagement and collaboration. She led The Collaborative Whakatāne Project, bringing together 15 artists to co-create a large-scale painting of her hometown, with support from Creative Communities Whakatāne. In 2022, she co-produced Art That Moves You, an innovative exhibition combining her paintings with augmented reality animations. Tania’s work has been exhibited regionally and nationally, and she is a regular contributor to Light Up Whakatāne. She continues to balance life as an artist and farm business manager, drawing inspiration from the land, rivers, and native bush that surround her.

Lynette Fisher
Award Coordinator
Lynette is an artist, arts advocate and educator based in Te Puna, Tauranga. She comes to us with a background in arts administration and a lot of passion for the MMCA and supporting artists throughout the motu. Lynette has been on the team since 2021.

Heather Hourigan
Committee

Caroline Stewart
Committee

Elly Sharp
Committee
Elly is an artist who works from her studio on the shores of the Ōhiwa Harbour in Ōhope. After 18 years in the business world, she decided it was time for a change of pace, so in 2023 she started her journey towards becoming a full time artist.   New to the area and passionate about the arts, Elly joined the Arts Whakatāne team in 2025.



Amanda Melville ( Previous Treasurer)

Amanda has been volunteering for Arts Whakatāne since 2018, reporting to the committee on financial matters, applying for funding and sponsorship and helping out with all our various events.
She works as a full time Management Accountant. Before being an accountant she had a florist shop in Whakatāne for 5 years and specialised in wedding and event flowers.
She grew up in the Eastern Bay Of Plenty and comes from a creative family. In her free time she likes to sew and paint. She aims to help the creative community in the Eastern Bay Of Plenty thrive.

We thank Amanda for her many years of hard work and dedication to Arts Whakatāne and MMCA