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Helen Bichan
ONZM, MBChB, FRANZCP, FNZCPHM

Helen Bichan has been involved in many areas of support to New Zealanders mostly through the health sector. She was medical superintendent of Porirua Hospital and chief medical officer of the Wellington Area Health Board. In 1990 she was appointed to the Commonwealth Secretariat as Assistant Director of their Health Division. Currently she serves on the Inter-church Bioethics Council and the standing committee of the Uniting Churches of Aotearoa New Zealand. She is a life member of the Public Health Association. She is the mother of five and grandmother of nine.

Mr Peter Thomas
B Ed (Hons) BD, MTH

Peter is the Director of Capernwray Bible School and Conference Centre based in Cambridge New Zealand. He is also the Pacific Region representative on the International Board of Torchbearer Trust. His training is in education and he taught English and Religious Studies in England. Peter is married with two children.

Mr. Phil McCreery

Mr Phil McCreery was educated at Victoria University and Christchurch College of Education. He began teaching at Tararua College and was promoted to Head of Department at Nelson College for Girls. In 1995 he was appointed to Deputy Principal of Waihi College before returning to Tararua College where he was Principal for 8 years. He is currently principal at Cambridge High School in the Waikato. He is married with 3 children.

Mr. Murray Smith

Is the Pastor of Bridges church based in Cambridge He has run several successful business operations in both Auckland and the Waikato. Murray is an accomplished artist. As a pastor Murray has a real affinity with people and connects with community groups and organizations to help journey with those less privileged. Murray has recently visited Mozambique and knows first hand the issues that can pertain to working in Africa. He is also involved in running large scale events, his latest being "Christmas at the Lake" that was gifted to the people of Cambridge. Murray and his wife Michelle also ran the "Piece of New Zealand" promotion that gave away a million dollar house. They have 6 children.

Glenys Bichan

Glenys currently works as a Library Administrator at Cambridge High. Previously she has specialised in giving support to special needs children as a teacher aide. She has been on school Board of Trustees for 11 years at both a primary and secondary school level, specialising in the areas of policy, personnel and curriculum. Being a Board of Trustee has given her a good insight into strategic planning for educational outcomes. Glenys was involved in the establishment of RATA Teacher Support, an organisation that is working in Cape Town to “teach untrained teachers to teach”. It is her desire to develop the work of RATA into other areas of Africa and Asia as the need arises. As a founder of RATA she has been actively involved in establishing a pool of highly qualified New Zealand teachers, linking with host schools in Africa and India and organising the previous RATA missions. Glenys is married to Peter and they have three kids and one dog. She is an aging hockey player and supports Canterbury in any sport.

Anney Collin
BA. Diploma of Teaching, Diploma of Early Childhood Education

Anney is Education Services Manager / Principal of the school at Chomondeley Children's Home in Governors Bay, Christchurch. Anney has been involved in all Rata trips to Cape Town and is looking forward to the party to celebrate the completion of a five year partnership. Her teaching experience has been in a variety of schools in the Christchurch area, She has enjoyed working with a vast range of children and their families including refugee families and those with children with special needs. She has worked as a classroom teacher and also with individuals and small groups of children who have needed specialist English for Speakers of Other Languages or Reading support. She has mentored a large number of trainee teachers and has been Tutor Teacher to those entering the profession. She loves in Christchurch with her family. She and her husband Garry have 4 children. 3 of whom have left school and pursuing their own careers and one who is year 10 at High School. When she has the opportunity Anney enjoys escaping to go fishing on Banks Peninsula.

Steve Horne
Bachelor of Teaching

Steve is currently Associate Principal of Silverdale Normal School in Hamilton. He has a varied work career in forestry, tertiary education and primary education. He has been a Principal of a number of small rural schools. Steve enjoys presenting workshops on story-drama, boy’s education and the ‘art of teaching’. In his spare time Steve participates in multi-sport events (kayaking) and loves spending time with his wife, his family and extended family. Steve believes that the work of RATA shows that caring is doing and that caring is going back too. He gets immense satisfaction in seeing childrens lives changed as New Zealand teachers share their amazing talents with teachers in the third world. Steve takes a certain amount of pride in writing the shortest e-mail and text replies in the western world.