About Us - Meet the Team
Tracy Clelland — Project Director
Tracy Clelland is an adjunct lecturer in the Faculty of Health at the University of Canterbury. She is a trained Health and Physical Education teacher with over 30 years of experience. She has a Master’s Degree in Education (with distinction) and completed her doctoral thesis in April 2023, titled ‘Parents as sexuality educators: Negotiating uncertainty, risk and possibilities’.
In 2021 Tracy was awarded a UC teaching award for her commitment to enhancing the wellbeing of students. Tracy’s research interests focus on parental and whānau engagement in relationships and sexuality education (RSE) and how better to connect with rangatahi and their call for better RSE.
Tracy has collaborated with the NZ Classification Office and the Ministry of Education to develop RSE resources for Aotearoa.
Her role in the Te Puāwaitanga: Beyond the Birds and Bees project is project director and oversees content development. Tracy is the first contact point for the project.
The wider wonderful rangatahi and team members
This project has only come about by the mahi of many rangatahi and interns who have given up their time to work on this project for free. Thank you to all of the following people; The Rangatahi Advisory Collective (RACs), Mahinui Collective, Sam Shankland, Jessica McQuoid, Megan Alderson, Dr. Rachael Dixon, Abi O’Regan, Jessie Riley, Samantha Bergin, Aimee O’Hagan, May Gernhoefer, Hilde Hoven, Renee Dennis, Aaron Hall, and Sarah Mathews.
Special thanks goes to our IT/Tech team of Jack Patterson and Sam Miller.
Associate Professor Adrian Clark — Product Strategy & Administration
Adrian Clark is an Associate Professor and Director of Studies for the Applied Immersive Game Design (AIGD) program in the School of Product Design, which is part of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Canterbury.
Before returning to academia in 2019, Adrian founded the company QuiverVision, whose main product “Quiver” is a colourable augmented-reality application based around a technology he invented during his Computer Science PhD.
The app, which has been downloaded by tens of millions of users worldwide, enables users to point their device’s camera at a colouring page and bring that artwork to life in Interactive 3D Augmented Reality on the device’s screen.
Adrian’s role in the Te Puāwaitanga: Beyond the Birds and Bees project is to assist with the product strategy, including administration and product launch.
Dr. Fabian Gilson — Software Development Director
Fabian is a senior lecturer at the University of Canterbury in the Computer Science and Software Engineering department (Aotearoa New Zealand). He’s also a member and Industry Liaison officer for Software Innovation NZ, a network of academics in computer science and software engineering.
He graduated with a Masters Degree in Computer Science at the University of Namur (Belgium) in 2005, spent a couple of years in the industry as a software developer, then finished his PhD studies in 2015. He participated to the development of the WebDeb platform (https://webdeb.be), an education tool for public debates and argumentation. He was appointed lecturer at the University of Canterbury in 2017 and teaches about software engineering, teamwork, and security.
His role in Te Puāwaitanga: Beyond the Birds and Bees project is to overlook the mobile app and software development aspects.
Cate Mentink - Original ideas team and ongoing team member
Cate Mentink is a Research Manager at Define Strategy and Insights in London, UK. With a background in research, social impact, and social innovation, Cate has gained extensive experience in these areas. Prior to moving to the UK in 2022, Cate held the role of Insights and Impact Lead at a prominent Māori health and social service provider in Auckland, New Zealand. Additionally, she volunteered as a counsellor at a youth-focused helpline, providing valuable support to young people.
Cate graduated with a Bachelor of Health Sciences in Public Health and Health Education from the University of Canterbury in 2015. She obtained a Graduate Diploma in Arts (distinction), majoring in Māori and Indigenous Studies in 2016 from the University of Canterbury. In 2021, Cate completed a Masters in Technological Futures from Tech Futures Lab (now known as AcademyEX).
Cate played a role in the establishment and initial design and development of Te Puāwaitanga: Beyond the Birds and Bees, a project closely tied to her Master’s research.
Abbey Mackie - Social Media Strategist & Project Manager
Abbey is a student at University of Canterbury studying a Bachelor of Science with a major in Psychology.
She has worked with The Collaborative Trust co-facilitating workshops on social media use for parents and teachers. Her personal interest and background in technology law and social media use in rangatahi has supported her interest in this work.
Her role in Te Puāwaitanga: Beyond the Birds and Bees project is to create and maintain our social media presence as well as manage the day-to-day of the project.
Beyond at a Glance
Mission Statement
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Our Core Values
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Our Philosophy
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