Sandra
Grey

President

Sandra was elected NZCTU President in 2025.

Sandra has been active in unions for over 30 years of which two decades has centred on leadership roles in Te Hautū Kahurangi New Zealand Tertiary Education Union.

Sandra began her working life as a radio journalist with Independent Radio News, a career she left at 25 to go to the University of Auckland. After gaining a PhD from the Australian National University she returned home to teach at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington.

While lecturing in social policy and sociology, Sandra became the Women’s Committee Chair of the AUS, then a vice president and president of the TEU. Sandra was appointed to the role of National Secretary of TEU in 2021.

Sandra’s career includes being the President of ANU’s Postgraduate And Research Student Association, the spokesperson for the Campaign for MMP, a board member of the Living Wage Movement Aotearoa, and includes appointment to a range of boards/councils in the tertiary education sector.

Melissa 
Ansell-Bridges

Secretary

Melissa Ansell-Bridges was elected CTU Secretary in October 2019.

She was previously the Director of Equity New Zealand where she had worked since 2016. She has a particular interest in the rights of contractors and has been a member of the Better Protections for Contractors Tripartite Working Group and the Film Industry Working Group where she has successfully advocated to secure the right for contractors in the screen industry to be able to collectively bargain for minimum terms and conditions.

She is also keenly interested in progressing Gender and Ethnic Pay Equity and is a member of the National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women to the Minister for Women. She is a trustee of UnionAID, member of the International Trade Union Confederation – Asia Pacific General Council, honorary executive member of the Pacific Island Council of Trade Unions and holds a BA/LLB(Hons) with majors in Politics and Sociology.

Aubrey Wilkinson

Vice-President Māori

Aubrey was elected Vice President Maori in October 2025.

Ko Te Arawa te Waka
Ko Pukemaire te Maunga
Ko Te Awa Kari a Ngatoro i rangi te Awa
Ko Ngati Whakaue te Iwi
Ko Whakaue Kaipapa te Whare Tupuna
Ko Rangiuru te Whare Kai
Ka moe a Whakaue Kaipapa i a Rangiuru.
Ko ahau he uri o rāua.
Ināianei, e noho ana ahau ki Maketū
Ko Aubrey Wilkinson tōku ingoa.
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Aubrey’s union journey began with the Meat Workers Union in Rangiuru, followed by the Electrical Workers Union in Tauranga, the PSA at Huntly Power Station, and finally the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) at the Port of Tauranga, where he has worked as a container crane driver since 1987. Aubrey has served as RMTU National President from 2012 and has contribute to a number of leadership and advisory roles, including Maritime NZ’s Port Health & Safety Leadership Group, UnionAID, Otama Marere, and the ACC Futures Coalition.

Rachel Mackintosh

Vice-President

Rachel was elected Vice-President of the CTU in October 2015 and re-elected in 2019. She is the National Secretary at E tū, the largest private sector union in the country.

Rachel’s involvement in the union movement began when she was working as a copy-editor in the publishing industry and became site delegate for the EPMU. She started as an EPMU official in 2003. As an organiser, she worked across media and manufacturing industries. She coordinated the EPMUs plastics industry strategy for several years, before moving into union leadership.

As Vice-President of the CTU, Rachel works with members of Te Runanga and members of the National Affiliates Council, to foster te Tiriti relationships across the union movement. She has worked with the largest public sector unions to negotiate Gender Pay Principles for the broad public service. She was a key worker representative at the International Labour Organisation for the negotiation of a major international convention, the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No190). Rachel works with the CTU President as a member of the tripartite Future of Work Forum.

Craig Renney
Policy Director | Economist

Gayaal Iddamalgoda
Legal Advisor

Cory Bourne
Policy Team Lead

Morgan James-Tresidder
Pay Equity Lead

Jack Foster
Policy Analyst

Ross Teppett
Director Union Development

Jeremiah Boniface
Digital Lead

Jack McDonald
Communications and Campaigns Advisor

Stella Whitfield
Communications Assistant

Latayvia Tautai
Gender Justice Campaign Coordinator

Belinda Heffron
Operations Manager

Sue Windsor
Operations Manager | Finance

Taiesha Szymkowiak
Operations Coordinator

Nive Kennach
Executive Assistant | Administration