Mary-Jane Rivers

Mary-Jane's deep interest in resilient communities started with her work in local government.  The importance of communities was reinforced in senior management roles in central government, especially leading social impact assessment work in the late 1980s.  Mary-Jane has been CEO of the NZ Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux and has run her own business.  She feels privileged to have been involved with international development work in several Pacific countries and in Eastern Europe for the World Bank, UNDP and NZAID.  She has seen the lasting and far-reaching impact of many community development initiatives based on community leadership working hand-in-hand with government, business, NGOs and funders.