Our Team
Get to know the faces behind the scenes at The ACFB Fund! We work with an incredibly talented group of people from all walks of life helping us to ensure we are able to keep providing the services you rely on most.
Our Executive Team
Our strength lies in our talented team of professionals, each driven by a shared passion for innovation and excellence. Get to know the faces behind our success as an organisation.
Ashley Cairns
Director/ CEO
The ACFB Fund is the brain-child of our Director, Ashley Cairns who became fed up with the systems currently in place. Ashley has been working in the mental health field in various roles since 2005. She is a Full Member of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC). Ashley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with Honours and a Masters of Science in Mental Health Counselling with Honours from Univiersities in New York. Ashley immigrated to New Zealand in 2012.
Dr. Natalie Peart
Co-Clinical Director/ Executive Board Member
Natalie holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Auckland. She has many years of experience working with ADHD and autism in the community and private organisation, working across all age ranges. Natalie is also a member of the Board of Directors, representing the Clinical Team.
Marg Gerken
Fundraising Coordinator/ Executive Board Member
Marg has a lifetime of experience running small businesses including in the farming and automotive industries. Now retired, Marg spends a great deal of her time volunteering for different organisations including The ACFB Fund.
Joe Cairns
Director/ CTO
Joe has a long history of working in tech, most recently working with Visa as a Cyber Security Specialist. He, along with Ashley and Amy, helped start A Change for Better and The ACFB Fund. Joe has over 25 years experience in the IT industry
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He is responsible for anything technology and website for ACFB. Currently, he is working on exciting projects that will help reduce our admin time and streamline our application processes for our various existing platforms.
He heads up a small team who are working on introducing new programs to augment our offerings for our clients. They will result in faster processing times for applications and more efficient use of our professionals.
Louisa Moss
Executive Board Member
Louisa originally hails from England, speaks fluent French and conversational Spanish. Mum to an energetic 9 year old boy, Louisa is passionate about improving access to mental health services.
Dr. Amy Marschall, Psy.D.
Co-Clinical Director
Amy is a doctorate-level Clinical Psychologist located in South Dakota, USA. Amy is registered by the Psychology Board of NZ. In addition to her work as with ACFB Fund, Amy is an accomplished author and produces trainings for mental health professionals on topics related to neurodiversity. Amy owns Resiliency Mental Health and provides assessments and therapy throughout the US and NZ. Amy has been the heart and soul of the ADHD/ Autism assessment program.
Jamie Rose-Peacock
Executive Board Member
With over two decades of experience across various industries in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, Jaime has a passion for anything to do with Employment Law and Human Resources.
Jaime holds a Bachelor of Business in Human Resource Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is currently completing a Master of Arts with a focus on Organisational Psychology. Her commitment to professional excellence is demonstrated through her active memberships with the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ), the Employment Law Institute of New Zealand (ELINZ), and The Association of Workplace Investigators (AAWI).
Volunteering on charitable and not-for-profit boards is an important part of Jaime's life. She enjoys engaging with diverse communities and contributing to small, grassroots organisations that leave lasting legacies for future generations.
Psychological Assessment Team
Dr. Natalie Peart
Co-Clinical Director
Natalie holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Auckland. She has many years of experience working with ADHD and autism in the community and private organisation, working across all age ranges. Natalie is also a member of the Board of Directors, representing the Clinical Team.
Kate Nitschke
Educational Psychologist
Kate has nearly ten years experience as an Educational Psychologist working with the Ministry of Education and within a girls’ secondary school. Kate holds a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Education), a Postgraduate Diploma in Child and Family Psychology, a Masters in Educational Psychology, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Psychology Practice.
Kiia Naidoo
Educational Psychologist
Kiia comes with a wealth of experience running ADHD and autism assessments at her role with the Ministry of Education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Psych), Masters of Applied Social Work, Post Graduate Certificate in Educational and Developmental Psychology, and Post Graduate Diploma in Educational and Developmental Psychology.
Sarah Harrison
Psychologist/ Clinical Support Lead
Sarah has 4 years experience in special education, providing behaviour support and psychological services to children and youth with existing diagnoses. Sarah is also the Clinical Support Lead, having helped to build the program into what you see today.
Clinical Support Team
Donelle Dewar
Occupational Therapist/ Clinical Support
Donelle is a registered Occupational Therapist on a mission to promote acceptance of neurodivergent differences, and to help her clients participate in their daily activities more easily. She has a special interest in helping people thrive in work or study, and consults to workplaces on how to best support their staff. Donelle will be helping the team across various programs including helping with functional assessments, assisting psychs at in-person clinics, and in the role of Clinical Support. Donelle lives in Hamilton with her young family, loves reading, and listens to U2 albums on repeat.
Denise Van Der Vlis
Clinical Support/ Counsellor
Denise completed her counselling degree at Bethlehem Tertiary Institute (BTI). She is trained in Person-Centred Therapy, CBT and Narrative Therapy and as part of her internship has completed additional training in Gottman Method and Presence Orientated Relationship Therapy (PORT). Denise is passionate about helping people. Her approach is inclusive and compassionate towards people from marginalised communities. She has a background of many years working in Human Relations for large companies and brings this expertise to working with clients in sessions. Denise is optimistic and enthusiastic person, who believes experimenting and changing your behaviour and attitudes through kindness, gratitude practices and being present in nature can bring enhanced joy and power into your life.
Dr. Jacqueline Du
Clinical Support
Jacqueline holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Otago and recently completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Hong Kong. Originally from China, Jacqueline has spent over 12 years studying and living in the United States and New Zealand, which has deepened her cultural competence and understanding of diverse perspectives. She brings extensive experience in supporting young people with complex learning needs, socio-emotional challenges, and behavioral difficulties. Her expertise in child development, social understanding, and evidence-based psychological interventions is anchored in a commitment to equitable, inclusive practices that empower and enhance outcomes for ākonga.
Administrative Team
Without the team below, we wouldn't be able to provide such a fast, efficient process for our clients. These are the faces of those who put in countless hours keeping things running.
Ian Lemuel Milanay
Administrative Assistant
Originally from the Philippines, Ian is persuing his graduate studies while helping out at The ACFB Fund. Ian is respsonsible for assisting with all the applications that come in and the various other admin tasks that come his way.
Marg Gerken
Local Fundraising Coordinator
Marg has a lifetime of experience running small businesses including in the farming and automotive industries. Now retired, Marg spends a great deal of her time volunteering for different organisations including The ACFB Fund.
The ACFB Fund
Born out of a deep frustration in the current mental health system, The ACFB Fund is A Change for Better’s (ACFB) answer to providing support to those who need it most.
How often is it that the government refuses to step in? Too often. What happens to lower income families who scrape by but by no means can afford to spend an additional $140+ per week getting the mental health help they so desperately need? They go without.
Not anymore. Enough is enough.
The main purpose of ACFB is to bring together a community of like-minded people all wanting the same change. Using a feature rich website design suited to assist private practice therapists, ACFB uses a portion of sales on all memberships and products. As ACFB grows, so does The ACFB Fund.
