Introducing the PRINZ Southern Division Committee
We are so grateful for the time and dedication of our regional sub-committees as they contribute to enhancing the local offering to our members and support the growth of PRINZ. We are delighted to introduce the Southern team and thank them for their mahi. If you would like to join them just contact us at office@prinz.org.nz and we will connect you with these great folk.
Co-Chair – Pip Rowe, APR
A communications leader with over two decades of experience in New Zealand and the UK, Pip specialises in external communications, engagement, corporate affairs, media relations, and brand. In recent roles, she has led teams, developed communications, engagement and brand strategies, managed budgets and agency relationships, and advised senior executives.
In her current role as Stakeholder Engagement Lead at Orion, Pip builds strategic relationships with key external groups and leads the organisation’s sponsorship activity. She has held senior roles at Ryman Healthcare, Barclays Bank and American Express.
Pip has served on the PRINZ Committee since 2024 and stepped into the Co-Chair role in 2026. She completed her Accreditation in Public Relations in 2023 and was honoured to receive the Joseph Peart Award for achieving the top score in her cohort.
Co‑Chair – Dan Walraven, APR, FPRINZ
Dan is Manager Communications at the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (formerly EQC), based in Ōtautahi Christchurch. With experience across both agency consulting and senior in‑house roles, he has advised organisations in the insurance, tech, manufacturing, food and agriculture sectors to navigate complex issues and build enduring relationships with their stakeholders.
Dan rejoined the Southern Division Committee in 2023 to contribute to professional development for practitioners, especially in Christchurch. Dan champions the impact that strong communication and engagement can have on leadership, decision‑making, trust and performance. Beyond work, Dan recently returned from parental leave and enjoys balancing family life with the final stages of an MBA.
Committee member – Jessica Sherman
She is currently a Go-to-Market Manager at Meridian Energy where she leads the communications and marketing for Zero, Meridian’s national EV charging network. Prior to that she spent five years at Convergence Communications, Te Waipounamu/the South Island’s pre-eminent communications and public relations consultancy.
A highlight of her career was developing and implementing a community relations and engagement strategy for the Canterbury Museum redevelopment project – a meaningful and successful campaign that was awarded a 2021 PRINZ Award. Jess joined the Southern Region Committee in February 2023, was Co-Chair in 2024 and 2025, and now remains on the committee creating events for Canterbury members.
Committee member – Matt Wood, APR
Matt is a communications and marketing leader with more than two decades of experience across higher education, the public sector, and media. He specialises in strategic communications, reputation management, issues and crisis communications, stakeholder engagement, and brand storytelling, with a strong focus on making complex issues clear, accessible, and relevant.
A former newspaper reporter, Matt brings a newsroom mindset to his work and has led integrated communications teams responsible for media relations, digital strategy, marketing campaigns, and executive communications. He has held senior roles in Canada and brings an international perspective shaped by working across different institutional and cultural contexts.
Matt is a dual citizen of New Zealand and Canada. Before returning to New Zealand late last year, he was a long-serving and deeply committed member of the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS), He contributed at both the local and national level, including serving as a National Board member for six years. Matt earned his Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) in 2019 and has been recognised by CPRS with multiple awards for excellence and service to the profession.
We’d like to acknowledge and thank Kathryn Ruge, who stepped down from her Co-Chair role at the end of 2025 after first joining the Committee in early 2016! Her nearly 10 years of service included 3 as Chair, 2 on National Council, and most recently 2 as Co-Chair. Her contributions have been integral to the greater success of PRINZ by making sure that our Canterbury-based members have connection, learnings and community. Please join us in thanking her for her time and energy as Chair of the Southern Division Committee.
