The Attitude Trust are pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to its board, Grace Stratton, Loren Savage and Justine Munro. The charitable trust champion the integration of people with disabilities into every aspect of New Zealand political, social, economic and cultural life.
Attitude Trust chairperson Dan Buckingham commented, “With our annual Attitude Awards going from strength to strength, The Attitude Trust is now in a position where it is ready for growth and fresh perspectives. Grace, Loren and Justine each bring strong and diverse skillsets to complement the current Board of Trustees, including each of them having their own personal lived experience of disability. As well as continuing to deliver the Attitude Awards we're looking forward to giving back even more to the disability community, as well as continuing to provide scholarships for people who live with disability.”
Winner of the 2020 Attitude ACC Supreme Award, Grace Stratton’s achievements are extensive, including co-founding All is for All, an accessible communications, media and talent agency. Grace was a Young New Zealander of the Year finalist in 2018, was named InStyle’s ’50 Badass Women for 2019’ and is a full-time student at AUT, studying a double degree in law and communications.
Of the appointment Grace commented: “I feel deeply privileged and excited to be appointed. Over the last couple of years as I have formed All is for All, I’ve been incredibly grateful for the work Attitude has done as it sets out to elevate and amplify disabled people in Aotearoa. They have been trail blazers, who’ve set a path that made it a little bit easier for me to create space for our community in my own work. I recognise the responsibility and importance of this role and I look forward to learning, advocating and supporting the Trust as it sets out to transform for the better perceptions of disability."
Loren Savage, a communications specialist, was born with achondroplasia, but prefers the term Little Person. Loren combines her lived experience of disability with both her career and volunteer work. She has been part of the Attitude whānau for over 10 years, featuring in a number of their series. She explained:
“From Attitude following my journey to University, to my wedding day, to being a recipient and judge of the Attitude Awards, being able to support the kaupapa of Attitude as a trustee will be a great honour. Attitude provides a trusted and well-known platform for us disabled people to build pride in our community, and it will be an honour to continue to support their mahi.”
Justine Munro is Director of the 21C Skills Lab, and in April, will join New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education as CEO. Justine’s previous roles include the Director of Champions for Change - a group of 50 New Zealand CEOs and Chairs from the private and public sectors committed to developing a new cohort of diverse leaders, as well as CEO of the NZ Centre for Social Innovation. Justine is passionate about ensuring that all Kiwis are able to achieve their full potential.
“I am very proud to be joining the Attitude Trust Board to serve alongside such amazing changemakers. As a parent of children with neurological differences, I honour the resilience, determination and pride with which people with differences and their whanau live and contribute, and I believe we can and should make that path a much smoother one. We have so much to learn and share,” commented Justine Munro.
The Attitude Awards are a nationally televised event celebrating the achievements of Kiwis in the disability sector. The 2021 Attitude Awards will take place at the Cordis Hotel in Auckland on December 1 with more information to follow in May, including how to put forward a nomination.
The Attitude Trust funds scholarships for disabled youth to attend tertiary education and shines a light on achievements within the disabled community. Grace Stratton, Justine Munro and Loren Savage join five existing board members, Hon. Ruth Dyson, David Rutherford, Stacey Roache, Robyn Scott-Vincent MNZM and Dan Buckingham.
