BOARD / MANAGEMENT
BOARD MEMBERS
Board Chair - Deborah HartDeborah has been the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand chair since September 2019. As Second Generation and with extensive community involvement, she is passionate about growing HCNZ and intent on ensuring that every child learns about the Holocaust.
Deborah has been appointed a NZ expert delegate to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. A former lawyer, Deborah chairs the independent review of New Zealand’s electoral laws and she chairs the Consumer Advocacy Council which advocates for electricity consumers. She is a Panel Member of the Human Rights Review Tribunal and former executive director of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of NZ. Deborah is mum to 3 adult boys – Nathan, Jason, and Sam, grandmother to Hadar and Shalev, and lives in Auckland with her partner John. [email protected] |
Deputy Chair - Assoc Prof. Dr. Giacomo LichtnerGiacomo Lichtner is Associate Professor of History at Victoria University of Wellington, where he teaches courses on modern Europe, including the Holocaust. Giacomo has published widely on the representation of the Holocaust in cinema, and his research focuses on how public narratives of the Holocaust are constructed not only through the media, but also through official commemorations, museums, monuments, and school curricula.
Since 2003, Giacomo has consistently contributed to HCNZ and other groups, offering lectures, film screenings, continuing education courses, and historical consultancy around the history of the Holocaust, antisemitism and their contemporary relevance, about which he regularly writes in the New Zealand media. Between 2016 and 2020, Giacomo was a highly engaged member of HCNZ Board, working on strategy and a number of portfolios. |
Treasurer - Gil SalzGil Salz, born in Israel, is married to Inbal and is a father of three children. Gil dedicated five years as an IDF Armor Combat Officer and volunteered in various community settings. Gil holds an MBA in Finance and Accounting and has demonstrated his financial skills in diverse roles, including serving as the CFO of Hadassah Academic College (HAC), a prestigious educational institution in Jerusalem with thousands of students and staff. At HAC, Gil successfully handled and managed a budget of over 100M NIS. He was responsible for banks, cash flow, investments, students' fees and wages, and various other financial activities.
During his secondment in New Orleans, Gil designed and implemented a finance and donations structure for a non-profit organization. For the past seven years, Gil has been based in Wellington, where he founded and currently manages Coffix Wellington. |
Ben KepesA son of Holocaust survivors. Ben is a professional board member, a globally-recognized technology commentator, and an entrepreneur.
Ben has served on the boards of a number of non-profit, privately held and listed companies in New Zealand and the UK. He has won a number of accolades including being a recipient of the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award in 2016 and being recognised as a Chartered Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Directors in 2021. |
Nicole GreensidesI am a History and Social Studies teacher who was fortunate to attend the 2015 Yad Vashem Seminar. That experience enabled me to strengthen my Holocaust pedagogy and to use this to teach about antisemitism, racism, democracy, and human rights. I am very committed to Holocaust education and feel connected to the Holocaust Centre of NZ because of this experience.
A Board member since 2022, I bring a willingness to help set the direction and policies of the Centre so that it may continue its growth. My particular interests are around the expansion of Holocaust education with the refreshed curriculum and new NCEA standards. I am passionate about the Centre’s mission and committed to seeing its education, bearing witness, and advocacy work thrive. |
Rachel KorpusI have worked in the Jewish community for 30 years. Early on with Jewish youth, The Maon Trust, The Erman Trust, and was president of the Zionist Federation for 10 years. I live in Auckland with my husband Avi and our two children, Joshua and Sara. We own & operate a nationwide fashion apparel business.
I wish to continue to serve on the HCNZ board and broaden my commitment to Holocaust education with my business acumen and community networks. I want to continue the work the current HCNZ board has started in planning a Holocaust Education centre in Auckland in the new Jewish Community Centre. I believe my deep connection to the Auckland Jewish community combined with 30 years of community work can continue to add value to this project. |