Honouring Naomi

30 May 2025

Sometimes in life you meet people of great heart who exemplify the very nature of community spirit. They are quietly confident in their capabilities. They step up and lead. They support others to lead. They are collaborative. They are humble. They care.

In my experience, that is why they are so inspirational and such great people to be around. Naomi Cowan MNZM is one of those people for me and someone I have had the good fortune of knowing, and working with, for over twenty years. Naomi is all of these things but she is also great fun, and in that sense she is serious minded about the mahi but she doesn’t take herself too seriously.

So to be honest I have mixed feelings about recruiting to the Chief Executive role for Equip, echoing the sentiment of the Equip Board who expressed it as a mix of sadness and gratitude, given Naomi has led the organisation with vision and grace for 22 years.

However given the regard we all hold Naomi in it also a privilege to be part of this appointment process, ensuring we do right by her, her team and the people they serve. Luckily, Naomi in typical form is going to ensure she plays her part in the next Chief Executive having a brilliant onboarding. This will be vital given Equips profile in the greater Auckland region and role nationally in contributing to the broader aims of the mental health and addiction sector.

To find more information about this exceptional Chief Executive leadership role or to apply, visit our job board page here.

About the Author

PAUL INGLE

Chief Executive Officer

Paul Ingle is the Chief Executive of HG Australia and HG New Zealand.

In addition to his leadership responsibilities at HG, he conducts HG’s most senior recruitment assignments and facilitates Chief Executive Learning Sets. He has a 30 year career in health and human services in New Zealand, the UK and Australia, twenty of those at chief executive level.