About the Trust

JP MPP, FEIANZ, CEnvP (I/A Specialist)

Di spent her working life as a social and environmental impact assessor and researcher on projects throughout New Zealand and the Pacific.  For 20 years she was managing director of Corydon Consultants Ltd based in Wellington.  At the beginning of 2000 she and her husband purchased a property in Otaki and moved to Otaki permanently in 2010.

 

When she semi-retired in 2015, Di began to research the history of the Otaki Children’s Health Camp. This resulted in the publication of a book on the health camp called Sun, Sea and Sustenance.  Through her research she fell in love with the rotunda building and the memories it contained for thousands of children and staff all over New Zealand.

 

When Stand Children’s Services decided to close the camp Di was determined to save this building which, as a unique structure in the first permanent children’s health camp, came to represent the health camp movement throughout New Zealand. She was joined by others who felt the same way and so was born Friends of the Otaki Rotunda.

 

Di is an active participant in the environmental protection movement and has established a trust, DB Environmental Trust to support land-use changes that improve sustainability. She is also a Trustee of Energise Otaki, a fanatical gardener and an enthusiastic grandmother.

Jock Phillips is a New Zealand historian who is passionate about preserving and protecting knowledge of our past.

His professional career began teaching American History at Victoria University of Wellington.  He then became the nation’s Chief Historian.  At the same time he led the team developing the history exhibitions for Te Papa.

In 2002 he became the General Editor of Te Ara, the online Encyclopedia of New Zealand which was the most exciting project of his life and taught him a huge amount about all aspects of New Zealand ecology, society, culture and history.

Jock has published a dozen books on New Zealand history, of which the most recent is his memoir, Making History: a New Zealand Story.

Jock and his family have a bach in Ōtaki and he spends several days there every fortnight.
 

Anthony grew up in Balclutha, South Otago. Before retirement, he was a teacher of history, geography and social studies. Living in Horowhenua, Wellington and Kapiti since 1973, Anthony Dreaver became fascinated by the region’s past and wanted to share its story. 

He helped to set up Horowhenua Historical Society and wrote centennial histories of Horowhenua County (1985) and of Levin (2006). This interest led to a biography of Levin farmer and scientist Leslie Adkin (1997). 

He edited Otaki Historical Society’s Historical Journal for many years and has been Chair of Paekakariki Station Museum Trust. Since 2009 he has been active in Kapiti US Marines Trust. He has frequently given talks or field trips about Kapiti’s history. 

He has admired The Otaki Health Camp Rotunda for many years and is enthusiastic to see it restored and re-used. 

Marilyn was born and bred the youngest of 4 in Lower Hutt.  Her business life has mainly been in business management, she worked for several years in the management of early childhood education, then moved on to help her husband Wayne in their family business which was a construction and engineering equipment import/sales & service.  They then moved into motel management. Her last job before retirement was Field Officer for the Cancer Society. 

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Marilyn joined Rotary in 1993 and has served on District Committees ever since. She has enjoyed hosting in excess of 30 international exchange students over time. She was the first woman in our district to lead a Group Study Exchange Team overseas and her experience took her to Sweden.  She has also enjoyed being a part of Friendship Exchanges. She is now serving as District Governor for Rotary covering an area from Taranaki across to Dannevirke and down to Wellington. 

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In her local community she has served 3 trienniums on the Otaki Community Board, as Chair the Otaki Community Network Forum and as Deputy Chair of the Foodbank. She is also a committee member of the Otaki Health & Wellbeing Advisory Group.

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She joined the Friends of the Ōtaki Rotunda Trust in 2021, replacing Warren Irving as the rotary representative on the Trust Board. Since the very early days of the Health Camp, Rotary has played a significant support role, helping to raise funds and also providing equipment and  facilities including the Camp swimming pool.

Christine Papps is the Chair of the Otaki Community Board.  This is her second term as a member of the Board.

 

She has lived in Kapiti and the Otaki District for the past 30 years. She is involved with various Otaki community groups and is working on a variety of projects aimed at developing the resilience of Otaki as the expressways and other developments open opportunities for the district.

 

Christine sees the Children’s Health Camp and the rotunda as a significant element of the history of Otaki. Preservation and maintenance of that history is important to how we see ourselves, she says.

Lynne Corkin is the Trust's treasurer.

 

Lynne was born and educated in Whangarei and has also lived in Australia and the United Kingdom before moving to the Kapiti Coast in 2006. She moved to Otaki in 2012.

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Her business  experience has been mainly in administration. During her working life she has owned and run two successful businesses.

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Currently she holds three Treasurer positions for different organisations in Otaki as well as being on the organising committees for the annual Otaki Kite Festival and the Annual Festival of Pots and Garden Art.

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She has always been interested in history and genealogy and strongly believes in what FOR is trying to achieve. She beleves that the Rotunda is an important historical building and is enjoying being part of getting it back to a useful state so that it and the whole Health Camp site can be once again, a community asset.