The Y Central South Island Celebrates Historic Governance Milestones and Purpose-Driven Regional Growth at AGM

At its Annual General Meeting last night, the Board of the Y Central South Island Inc. proudly bestowed Life Membership upon immediate past Chairperson Stacey Scott. This prestigious honour recognises Scott’s ten years of exceptional voluntary service and transformative leadership.

Life Membership is the highest honour the organisation can grant, reserved exclusively for individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service. In the Y’s illustrious 109-year history, this distinction has been awarded to only five other individuals. Scott becomes the sixth Life Member overall and the very first female along with being the first to receive the honour under the current organisation name, The Y Central South Island Inc.

Scott joined the Board in 2016, dedicating a decade of voluntary service to the organisation, including five pivotal years as Chairperson. Her retirement from the Board concludes at this AGM, leaving behind a legacy of growth and strategic evolution.

During her tenure, Scott spearheaded the Y’s transition and expansion from YMCA South & Mid Canterbury to the current Y Central South Island. Under her leadership, the organisation experienced a remarkable period of growth, reflecting a major incremental increase in community programmes, services, and regional representation across the Central South Island.

“Stacey’s leadership is deeply rooted in service, humility, and connection,” Jonathan Pow, current Chairperson of the Board said in a statement. “She is a person we have come to know as highly dependable, strongly committed, and genuinely respected. Her desire to actively contribute and leave things in a better place has fundamentally shaped who we are today.”

Beyond her governance role, Scott is a well-known figure throughout the region, currently serving as a Timaru District Councillor and contributing to numerous community organisations. Her dedication to the Y has been both operational and philanthropic, having personally supported various Y fundraisers over many years. The Board’s unanimous decision to approve Scott’s Life Membership celebrates a leader whose “unrelenting purpose-driven mantra” has left an indelible mark on the region. The Y Central South Island extends its deepest gratitude to Stacey Scott for her immense contribution and wishes her the absolute best in her future endeavours.

The AGM also saw the end of Malcolm Eadie’s tenure on the Board after 6 years and the nomination and acceptance of two new Board Members to better represent the wide regional nature of the organisation. Welcomed to the Board was Steve Backe-Hansen, the General Manager of Marketing, Brand and Communications at ChristchurchNZ. He leads strategic marketing, communications and brand activity focused on economic development, city profile and community impact, bringing senior leadership experience across local government, digital transformation, and stakeholder engagement. Steve is passionate about leadership, organisational culture and supporting initiatives that create positive outcomes for young people and communities.

Joining him is Madison Walker, a purpose-driven governance professional and Director of UN Women Aotearoa NZ. An Institute of Directors award recipient, Madison has extensive experience in strategic leadership, financial stewardship, and community-centred governance, specialising in strengthening systems that advance regional equity, safety, and wellbeing. In addition to these new appointments, Andrea Leslie was co-opted once again in March 2026, bringing valuable continuity after serving on the Board previously, with her permanent election to the Board, for a three-year term, being confirmed at last night’s AGM.

The Board also acknowledged that the past financial year has been challenging, with an expectation of this to continue for the year ahead. Despite the challenges, the organisation has pursued growth and further invested in opportunities that they believe serve our taiohi (young people), whanau (families) and hapori (community) well and empower future personal development, resilience, and prosperity. The Christchurch Education, Driving and Employment Hub was opened in late January of this year establishing Y-Drive, Driver Licencing and Support and there has been further investment in the Twizel and Oamaru areas. This commitment to our youth in Christchurch, Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru and Twizel has seen staff numbers increased from 48 in 2025 to 62 at the current time. Keith Shaw, Chief Executive stated: “It is best described as a year where purpose over profitability has been the winner”.