Our Team

I was born in England and whilst exploring NZ met and married Murray 31 years ago. We have 3  adult children all living in Christchurch. We own a lifestyle sheep and beef farm on the outskirts of  Riversdale, a fencing business and I work casually at Riversdale Meats. I enjoy all activity that  involves being outdoors and connecting with friends and family. I love this community, its people, its  loyalty, its passion, and its motivation. I admire greatly what locals built in their townships in the  past 50 years. An example of what can be accomplished with commitment, hard work and a vision. 

I have been involved with the Waikaia Forest Trails project from the concept stage via my position  on the Ardlussa Community Board. I am Chair of the Trust and the direct connection to ACB and SDC. I believe we have a diverse Trust; each member brings individual skills and experience. It is a  privilege to be part of this project to learn from the processes, challenges and relationships that will  be formed along the way. 

The Trust and Jann (Administrator) do not operate in isolation. Cr Rob Scott (SDC), Kelly Tagg (SDC  Community Partnership Leader) and the entire SDC team support this project. I believe the greatest help, support, and team we will depend on is the ‘Community Team’ which surrounds us. The people  in the whole Ardlussa area will be the backbone to the success of this project. As a Trust we are looking forward to immersing ourselves within that ‘community team’ and going on the journey  together.

Hi, I'm Colleen Morton (Corcoran), a local resident from Waikaia and a biking enthusiast. Although I am not known for my adventure riding I certainly enjoy a casual ride around the districts and tracks throughout Southland and Otago. My background is in the beauty industry and education. My current occupation involves online business, marketing, and selling personal development programs, courses, and live events globally "Turning-Dreams-Into-Realities". My husband Russell has owned and operated his contracting business "Russcoll Excavating" for many years and I help out there occasionally too. We have two adult children who are well and truly independent. We love all things outdoors, especially boating. The beauty and nature of this district are what attracted us here in the first place, to have the opportunity to enhance that beauty for families and individuals excites me. Building on the tourism population for the local economy is essential to maintain and sustain the fabulous facilities this district has to offer. Community and helping others is part of who we are and it is an honor to be part of such a professional board here at the "Waikaia Trails Trust" Your project is in very good hands with the variety of people and skills they bring to the table. I appreciate the opportunity to be involved and will apply myself to the best of my ability. We have many fun and exciting socialising events on the calendar for your involvement and can't wait for the summer fun to begin, bring it on!

After hearing the story behind the trail proposal at a local meeting and the scale and standard of the proposed trail, I voiced my interest in helping in some way.

I felt a pull to contribute at a more local level. So after being asked if I’d like to join the Waikaia Trails Trust, it was a relatively easy decision for me. It will be a challenge to develop something of this scale and standard, however the potential rewards for the local and wider community I believe will be aspirational and well worth the effort.

I have contributed to community and industry in numerous ways over the years. School and regional rugby governance, kids sport with coaching and mentoring, and served on various committees.

My wife and I operate our own farming business and also founded and run a Business, Life and Leadership course. Health, fitness and wellbeing are more important than ever today I believe. Besides the economic benefits, this will be motivation in itself to help see this project to fruition.

Hi, I'm Sam Ruddenklau. I live at Otama now and am Southland born and bred. I'm an accountant by trade, as a part owner of Rural Business Solutions in Gore. Married to Jo and have 2 kids aged 9 and 11. I really enjoy getting out into the fresh air after spending my weekdays in an office. For me it's about decompressing but also spending time with family and friends. Mountain biking is great for this!

Initially it was an individual past time for me but in recent years its been great to involve my family. While there's plenty of great spots around for mountain biking it's always good to have more options. I'm involved in mountain biking not only as a rider but as a trustee on the Hokonui Trails Trust and also as a shareholder and director of Bike Glendhu Ltd. Particularly since being part of the Bike Glendhu project I've come to realise that there's a huge interest building in outdoor recreation, so was really excited to see the Waikaia project coming to life. It's exciting (for me) to be involved in something that's going to be great for Waikaia but also awesome for families and progression of the sport.

I'm looking forward to seeing the trail network come to life and also people discovering what an awesome place Waikaia is!