Our Staff
We have two workers at the Canterbury Men’s Centre. Donald Pettitt is the Manager currently working four days per week and Simon Gurnsey is our Office Manager on two days.
Donald Pettitt has been central in developing the Canterbury Men’s Centre. He initially called for expressions of interest and support in the New Zealand Men’s Summit of August 2005 and a working party formed at that time.
Donald has been working in the social sector for 11 years after acquiring a Masters of Applied Social Work through Massey University in 2000. He has been actively supporting the development of services for men through his roles on the following boards;
- Father and Child Trust: Board member for 5 years, currently Treasurer/Secretary
- Partnership Health Board Canterbury: Board Member, Community Representative
- Christchurch Council of Social Service: Men’s Sector
- CDHB Consumer panel: Men’s Sector
He has been working closely with other services for men in particular; MensLine, the Men’s Advocacy Network, and ManKind Project, with the intention of bolstering the good work they do.
Donald previously worked as a Service Coordinator at the Deaf Association of New Zealand (four years), Community Worker with Alzheimers Canterbury (3 years) and with Child Youth and Family Services youth care team in Papanui (2 years).
Simon Gurnsey manages the office systems.
He is well known in the community sector for the men’s psychodrama weekends he runs with Simon Jones under the MensTrust banner, and his involvement with the Christchurch Playback Theatre Company.
He is studying for a postgraduate diploma in not-for-profit management through UNITEC. He will be completing his training in psychodrama through the CITP as a Sociometrist.
