Official Ambassador

Jim Kayes


Jim Kayes is a father of two teenage girls who ensure he is busy, broke and often confused.  He's worked as a reporter, broadcaster and sports commentator for 25 years across newspapers, radio and television.  Perhaps best known for his role as the sports anchor on the Paul Henry show on TV, he is also a regular on Sky Sport and Radio Sport.  He also works as an MC, is the Brand Ambassador for All Blacks Tours and writes a blog about raising amazing daughters.
THE BURN SUPPORT GROUP are extremely fortunate to welcome on board Jim Kayes as our Ambassador.

Jim and his wife, Hiria, have supported the Charity for the past two years, which has lead to this wonderful opportunity between the two parties...  with his boundless energy, devilish smile and huge understanding and empathy Jim will be an asset to the Burn Community.

Founder and Patrons
Delwyn Breslau
Founder and Board Member
Alan Breslau
Founder and Patron

Staff

The Burn Support Group Charitable Trust staff are committed individuals who really care about the charity and upholding its values. 
Michele Henry - Office Administration/Events Manager
My background is originally hairdressing and still today I enjoy picking up scissors and tending to the locks of friends and family.  Hairdressing is what led to my passion for people, communication and general wellbeing.

For the past 7 years I have been associated with a non-profit organisation, working closely with the elderly community in East and South Auckland as a Field Officer, networking with supporting agencies, health workers and family members. A role which at times could be challenging, extremely rewarding and personally very fulfilling.  From this experience I am very proud to be one of three which has opened ‘The Buddy Club Manurewa’, a centre set up for the elderly and disabled community members, weekly, to mix, mingle and form friendships.

I have a 21 year old daughter and an 18 year old son and live in Dannemora and my general interests are travelling, sports, fishing, shopping!!, family and friends.

Trustees and Board Members

Nick Nielson - President
I moved to New Zealand in 2015, but prior to that resided in Dallas, Texas which is where I first started volunteering time with children who have been victims of burn events.

For 5 years, I participated in a Summer Camp which is tailored specifically to children who have/had been hospitalized with burn injuries called Camp I-Thonka-Chi. This Camp as well as giving support for burn survivors is a huge part of my life, and I look forward to continuing this in New Zealand.

I am honoured to be part of the Burn Support Group Charitable Trust, and look forward to contributing to this wonderful organisation, a subject which is very near to my heart.
Suzanne Le - Vice President
My name is Suz and I work as one of the occupational therapist for burns patients at the National Burns Centre and Kidz First ward. I came into contact with the Burn Support Group through working with burn survivors and became involved shortly afterwards.
 
I am from Nova Scotia Canada and have travelled and worked in many countries but have found myself unable to leave NZ.
 
I am very honoured to be part of this amazing group and look forward to working with our amazing team!.
Richard Younger - Trustee/Treasurer
.Kia Ora and welcome to the Burns Support Charitable Trust, as a newly elected Board Member I would like to offer my support to you and your family.
 
Having travelled the path of being a burns survivor I understand that it is important to offer other survivors [young and old] the much-needed support in their journey to a speedy recovery.
 
My story began in August 2002 when I was involved in an incident that left me with full thickness burns to 50% of my body, truly a life changing experience. I spent several months in Waikato Hospital, countless hours of surgery and skin grafts, 12 months of prescribed skin lotions, pressure garments, hours of physio and a time with “specialists” on mental wellbeing. Aided by teams of skilled and caring health care professionals, including paramedics, surgical & nursing staff, no end of gratitude and thanks can be afforded to these exceptional people in my overall recovery.
 
However, it has been the continued love and support of my partner, Desley, our children Liam and Abbie and extended family and friends that I have managed to continue on with life involving my many business interests [here in Cambridge] in the building and retail sectors along with 12 years on School Boards of Trustees.
 
As part of my recovery I took to competing in road cycling [100k flyer] events, Lake Taupo cycle challenges but now enjoy riding the open road on another love, my cruiser motorbike, along with sharing time with family.
 
I am extremely grateful and thankful for the time that I continue to have despite all that I have been through and the sacrifices that others have made for me over the past 18 years.
 
It is for this reason I now welcome the opportunity to be elected as a Board Member of the Burns Support Charitable Trust to be able to work with like-minded and caring people for the betterment of others who have suffered “man’s worst injury” and who are about to travel the road to their own recovery.
 
Nga Mihi 
Sam Barnes - Board Member
I was staying in a motel in Gisborne on a working trip in July 2017. At 3 o'clock in the morning I heard, "Sam! Sam! Sam!", from my friend who was sleeping in the adjoining room, with the three single beds. I opened the door to find the bed beside his bed on fire and the room filling with toxic smoke.

Had he not woken up he would be dead today and I may not have been too far behind him as who is likely to see the smoke at 3 o'clock in the morning?

Soon after this. a friend of mine who lives in Hawaii rang me and said I had to go to Dallas Texas and check out this company as they make the best fire detection in the world and the meeting was on my birthday. I felt somebody was telling me something, so I went.

I immediately decided to join the company and start marketing their products in New Zealand.  We started trading in January 2018 and decided to donate a small amount from each customer who purchased to the  Burns Survivor's charity.

The more I learnt about the Burns Survivor's charity the more I felt I needed to contribute and was recently asked to join the board, and hope I can do justice to the position.
Dr Julian Lofts - Board Member
I am very honoured to become a part of the Burn Support Group community and to serve on the Board.

When I was 12 years old I read the biography of Sir Archibald McIndoe by Leonard Mosley. It was titled, “Faces from the Fire”, and told the story of a famous NZ plastic surgeon who treated many of the burned RAF airmen who fought in the Battle of Britain. His achievements inspired me to become a plastic surgeon.

Part way through my training I did two years of research at the Auckland Medical School in keratinocyte (skin) culture and cryopreserved skin banking. I was able to use these techniques to treat severely burned patients and patients with leg ulcers.

The Burn Support Group, under Delwyn’s capable direction, raised over $30,000 to fund the purchase of a controlled temperature freezer to store skin grafts.

I then spent two years overseas training to be a burns surgeon. I worked at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton, London, where renowned NZ plastic surgeon Sir Harold Gillies had set up the unit in 1925.

I had been awarded a Travelling Fellowship by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and so I visited burns centres in  the UK, Holland, Boston and Seattle, before returning to NZ in 1994.

I have worked as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in private practice since then and have a particular interest in scar revision.

After attending Alan Breslau’s moving funeral service late 2020 I established the Alan and Delwyn Breslau Scholarship Fund, under the auspices of the Burn Support Group, to enable burn survivors and medical personnel to attend burn meetings and to further research and education. For me it was the most appropriate way to pay forward the generosity of the Burn Support Group when they supported my research project in the 1990's.

On a personal level, I have two delightful grandchildren, I enjoy listening to jazz trumpet music, doing anagrams and watching foreign films on Netflix with my partner, Nirmala.

I look forward to learning more about the NZ burn support community and I thank fellow board members for their support and encouragement.
Vaughan Feisst - Board Member
I was born and raised in Cambridge, New Zealand, before I moved to Auckland to study Science.

I completed a PhD in cellular and molecular biology at the University of Auckland. 
 
When I completed my PhD an opportunity arose for me to begin a research project in skin engineering, growing skin in the laboratory that could be used to treat burn wounds.  This seemed like the perfect opportunity for me because I wanted to be able to do research that would improve health outcomes for people.
 
I travelled to the United Kingdom and spent time in a world leading laboratory learning skin engineering techniques.  Since this experience in 2010 my research has focused on improving the methods for growing skin in the laboratory, and importantly adapting these methods to how they could be used to treat patients.
 
All of the people involved in the Burn Support Group have been wonderfully open and welcoming and I am excited to be part of the team.