Explore the profiles of our diverse collective and lend your support to their circular entrepreneurship journey.
Adriana McKeown - The Pallet Kingdom
Adriana, was raised in Bogota, Columbia with NZ roots, champions the transformative power of good governance. Her journey from local governance in Waitemata to social entrepreneurship at The Pallet Kingdom reflects her dedication to community development and social impact. She is a woman of amazing woodworking and design thinking skills.
Anis Khan - Dare 2 Design
Meet Anis Khan, an Indian immigrant turned passionate upcycling entrepreneur in New Zealand, offering custom designs and empowering her community through teaching and sewing. Contact Anis directly for bespoke upcycled fabric products tailored to your needs. Desire 2 Design
Bea Lorimer - Heke Design
Heke Design, led by Waiheke artist and designer Bea Lorimer, transforms textile waste into vibrant, one-of-a-kind fashion statements, all locally manufactured on Waiheke Island from vintage and reclaimed textiles.
Find out more about Heke Design
Buffie Mawhinney
Born and raised in West Auckland, Buffie is an award-winning garden designer renowned for her multifaceted work, which merges permaculture with upcycling, including crafted indoor/outdoor décor, deconstruction and refurbishments, and teaching services for managing construction projects. She is an outstanding woodworker and permaculturist.
Carissa Hine - This Little Day
Carissia, a multi-talented individual excelling in graphic design, yoga instruction, and photography, operates the photography venture "This Little Day," while contributing her expertise to The ReCreators as an upcycling tutor, marketing assistant, and photographer, notably capturing some of our finest moments, including the cover of our RE: MAKER SPACE.
Find out more about This Little Day
Carla Bonnici
Carla is a proud mother of three and a devoted wife was born and raised in West Auckland. She prioritises family and community in everything she does and is passionate about active involvement, whether through volunteering, lending a hand, or spending quality time with loved ones. Amidst her busy family and community life, Carla works from home assisting with admin tasks, demonstrating her commitment to balancing various responsibilities.
Esther Gathambo - Sawubona
Originally from Kenya, Esther is now residing in New Zealand. She founded Sawubona, a social enterprise aimed at enhancing the well-being of African artisans by selling handmade homewares. Mentored by Ger, she now serves as our Waikato Operations Manager and lead facilitator, bringing her passion for sustainability and repurposing to Hamilton while pursuing her Master of Management in Sustainability at Massey University to further support initiatives like The ReCreators.
Find out more about Sawubona
Geraldine (Ger) Tew
Ger Tew, originally from Dublin, Ireland, draws upon her diverse background in property economics, business process auditing, environmental compliance, and refugee & human rights to establish The ReCreators, a venture dedicated to social and environmental justice.
Green Jon Morgan
Nicknamed 'Green Jon', Jon Morgan is committed to fostering local zero-waste champions and utilises his woodworking skills to support The ReCreators' resource center, prioritising nature conservation in all endeavors. He has helped with the establishment of many Community Resource Centres (CRC's) across Tamaki Makaurau.
Hanna Eastfold Edwins
Originally from the US, Hanna is an engineer and green entrepreneur dedicated to scaling entrepreneurial endeavors that promote practical climate action. She has recently partnered with The ReCreators to contribute her expertise in engineering and business development to their new resource reclaim center.
Hiral Shah
Hiral, a devoted mother and environmental advocate, champions upcycling as a solution to preserve nature by repurposing resources, having transitioned to an administrative and content writing role with The ReCreators remotely from Melbourne since 2022, driven by a passion for her daughters' future and the planet.
Jaco van der Merwe
Jaco is originally from South Africa and is passionate about makerspaces. He has assisted numerous establishments in their inception. His expertise spans various domains, from laser and CNC technologies to the art of woodworking, reflecting his deep affinity for all things geeky and makerspace-oriented in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Juliette Jones - White Cloud Skincare
Juliette was was born in France, but moved to the UK when she was 4. She moved to New Zealand completely on a whim about 12 years ago and met her husband here, they have two primary school aged daughters.
Juliette started creating natural skin care as her family suffered from a rare skin disorder. She has an accredited diploma in Natural Skincare and has formed her own business formulating natural skincare, White Cloud Skincare. The range is sustainably and ethically sourced and one of the most special things about her business is that Juliette offers refills.
Find out more about White Cloud Skincare
Kals Kugadas - The Little K's
Originally from Sri Lanka and now settled in New Zealand after a stint in the UK, Kals, a mother and owner of The Little K's terrarium business, is passionate about The ReCreators' environmental and social philosophy, actively contributing to classes for children while honing her woodworking skills through their 10-week circular woodworking program.
Find out more about The Little K's
Khizran Ashar
Khizran is an educator, arts advocate, and sustainability enthusiast originally from Pakistan, with 22 years of diverse experience. Viewing the world through a creative lens, she finds beauty in overlooked items, transforming waste into art. This passion for sustainability drives her mission to turn discarded materials into valuable resources, promoting reusability and protecting our planet. Since moving to New Zealand, she has fully embraced her passion, designing workshops that inspire creativity, sustainability, and community connection.
Magda Smolira
Michelle (Yang) Zhao
Michelle Zhao, a leather and macrame crafter from China, now resides in New Zealand, where she teaches a variety of courses for The ReCreators, embracing her passion for handcrafted items and upcycling while enjoying the community of makers in West Auckland. She also has become our laser cutting specialist and tag testers for appliances.
Tasha Gray
Tasha, the engine behind The ReCreators, who organises all our workshop logistics, brings her passion for yoga, surfing, and fermented foods to her role, drawing from her background in television production to create engaging content for The ReCreators, all while embracing a sustainable lifestyle. Her play centre mum past is relived through the creative essence engulfed in of social and environmental justice.
Victoria Azaro - La Creative Mama
Victoria Martinez Azaro founded LA CREATIVE MAMA as a haven for craft enthusiasts, offering detailed tutorials for DIY sewing projects, upcycled fabric crafts, natural dyeing, eco printing, and DIY fashion, ensuring everyone can achieve stunning results regardless of their experience level.
Find out more about Heke Design
Yalini Krishna
Yalini, originally from Sri Lanka and now residing in New Zealand, channels her passions for cake decorating, crafting, gardening, and nature walks into teaching creative upcycling skills through workshops for adults and children with The ReCreators, while also facilitating workshops for new migrant and refugee communities, aiding in their settlement and fostering cultural exchange through upcycling projects, alongside her work as a research assistant and interpreter focusing on women's wellbeing and refugee issues.
