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NATIONAL SUPPORT TEAM
Palmerston North

For a ministry and its workers to thrive, "administry" is a necessary part of the mission. Caring for those who labour in the harvest field amongst international students is an important mandate. Workers need to know that someone is there to support them whether it be through management, human resources, communications, or financial concerns.

At the ISMNZ National Office, the team works hard to meet these practical needs for our workers. But more than that our hearts are to care for and pray for all who serve (full time, part time, volunteers, alumni, interns). We echo this prayer of Paul as we serve ISMNZ:

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." Colossians 1:9-12
Allen Tie
National Director, Auckland

Allen joined ISMNZ as National Director in April 2017. His appointment follows a lengthy and rigorous recruitment process, with applications received from around the world. 

A Malaysian, Allen gave his life to Christ at 15. While at university in the 1980s, Allen received help from the Christchurch Asian Navigators for four years that developed his personal walk with Christ and provided a deep grounding for his 30 years of serving God in the market place. He is married to Goh Swee Lee and they have two adult children. Allen is fluent in both written and spoken English and Chinese. He holds a New Zealand permanent residence. 

The ISMNZ Board is impressed with Allen's deep faith and reliance on God. Allen has experience working with other Christian organisations and he understands the needs of returning students. Furthermore, Allen's expertise is in business operations, discipleship, mentoring and providing leadership. He successfully developed teams in start-ups and established new companies. While working in  senior management at multinational companies, Allen secured contracts with major companies such as Dow, ExxonMobil, Shell, Bayer, BASF, and other multinationals. Allen is working toward being a qualified coach. The Board believes Allen is the right person to lead the ministry at this time.

Of his appointment, Allen says, "The harvest is not the problem. The call is to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers. But I cannot pray for God's solution and not willing to be His solution! I recognised that the work is plenty and the rebuilding of the walls needs foundational leaders - the kind that dares to dream big and think generational, but yet have the security to start small with individuals, and having the discernment to know where to focus and build deep."

If you would like to financially support Allen Tie, please visit our donate page.
Janeen Mills
ISMNZ Worker (Overseas sabbatical leave)
In late 2003, the USA Navigators sent Janeen to serve in the National Office of ISMNZ, working as Personal Assistant to the National Director as well as being involved in project coordinating.
It didn't take long for the ministry opportunities amongst international students to abound for Janeen, and through her home she ministers to young international women. Over the years she has been 'homestay mum' to students from Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Samoa, China, Indonesia and Mexico as she reaches the nations from her doorstep. As her role developed, Janeen was a part of the team that developed and published curriculum for our current Ministry Internship Diploma. She acted as a supervisor and adjunct lecturer for students.
In 2016 Janeen was appointed by the Board of ISMNZ to step into the role as Acting National Director for one year. Following her time as Acting ND, she was assigned the role of National Support Team Leader in 2017 to assist during Allen's transition as National Director. In this role, she provided leadership to the National Support Team, supported staff workers and was involved in other related national projects including event planning. She continued her involvement in ministry amongst international students, returnee encouragement travel and mentoring. 
Janeen will be on sabbatical leave in Japan from September 2018 until early November 2019. That time will include a Japanese language and cultural training, undertaking a Japanese returnee research project, and engaging in ministry amongst ISMNZ’s returnees in Japan as well utilising her gifts and developing language skills in a local church, pastored by one of ISMNZ’s Ministry Internship graduates.
“Helping students to become life-long followers of Jesus Christ continues to be my #1 passion. Seeing them grow into maturing and following up with them after they transition into career and family life is a key part of growing in how we better serve students. My prayer and purpose for this sabbatical is to immerse in language, culture and life stages alongside our returnees in Japan to better serve them and ISMNZ into the future.”
If you would like to financially support Janeen Mills, please visit our donate page.
Sione Naulivou
Operations Manager, Hamilton

Sione Naulivou took up the role of Operations Manager for ISMNZ in June 2018. He grew up in Tonga and had earlier been in teaching and responsible positions in civil service / not for profit organisations, advising international students and co-leading the ISMNZ Hamilton team.
 
Sione is husband to Janice, father of Rachel, Timote and Tafa Rae, father-in-law to Raj and grandpa of lovely Lavender. 

When asked to serve in the operational side for ISMNZ, Sione said, "I have been prayerful (other people have been praying too). The thought that keeps on coming back is 'To whom much is given, much shall be required.' I will be on a steep learning curve but do know we are never alone. It does not matter whether I'm reading the Bible, going to church in Hamilton or elsewhere, it seems like all these are affirming obedience and I step out in faith. Even through familiar passages like Abraham in Genesis 22, the only sensible option is to obey the part that God has already made known. The rest of God's provision is God's to reveal and provide in His time."

Sione works from his home base in Hamilton. His role includes maintaining and developing the infrastructure to support the ISMNZ Society, ISMNZ leadership and staff workers. Sione will take the lead in finance, communications and manage the processes and personnel at ISMNZ. 

If you would like to financially support Sione Naulivou, please visit our donate page.
Paul Lalonde
Finance Manager, Palmerston North

An answer to prayer, Paul joined ISMNZ in 2015 as Finance Manager. He has over 40 years experience in business in Canada and New Zealand in various accounting, finance and administrative positions. 

Paul's main responsibility is regular reporting of ISMNZ's financial health and the funding levels of its staff workers to ISMNZ National Director, and the Board. His main tasks include finance and donor management, accounting records, banking, monthly GST and PAYE reporting as well as Annual Receipts to donors. In addition, Paul assists in coordinating the annual financial review and Annual Report with Chartered Accountant and ISMNZ Operations Manager, along with various ISMNZ ministry projects when required.  
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Paul is married to Dale and they have five adult children and five grandchildren who live in New Zealand and Canada. They love spending time with family and friends and being in fellowship at a local church.

Paul shares, "We have both served the Lord in New Zealand and Canada, Dale with youth groups and me with itinerant gospel and ministry preaching. Dale and I have been Christians for over 35 years loving and serving our Lord Jesus Christ in the various churches where we have been in fellowship. We are very blessed to be involved with the ministry of ISMNZ and hope to serve the Lord in this capacity as long as we can according to His will."  

If you would like to financially support Paul Lalonde, please visit our donate page.
Amanda Wang
Multimedia and Communication Manager, Auckland

Amanda comes from Singapore with a BFA in Digital Animation and a Diploma in Mass Communication, and joined the ISMNZ National Support Team in Auckland as Multimedia and Communication Manager in June 2019. There, she was involved with Cru and Singapore Youth for Christ as a student, and often volunteers ad hoc as a graphic designer at her local church.

She came to New Zealand on a Working Holiday Visa in late 2017, but was blessed to find full-time work shortly after arriving and stayed on. Her background is in Graphic Design, Communication, Illustration and Video Editing, and her main responsibilities are to support ISMNZ staff workers by managing internal and external communications, the Website, Prayer Calendar and Quarterly eNewsletter.

When considering her calling to serve as the Multimedia and Communications Manager in ISMNZ, God spoke to her from Esther 4:14, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”, convicting her that He had called her to New Zealand at this time, with the skills He had given her for this purpose to serve Him here.

If you would like to financially support Amanda Wang, please visit our donate page.
Yvette Koo Butcher
Volunteer (Communication), Tauranga

Yvette joined the National Support Team as Communication Manager from February 2016 to February 2019. She has over a decade of experience in the New Zealand tertiary sector, with a professional background in communication, writing and administration.

As a former ISMNZ ministry intern, Yvette shares, "Studying the Scripture, praying and learning exegesis with Bible college classmates enriched me. My journey as an ISMNZ intern deepened my walk with God and He continued to show me how trustworthy He truly is. The icing on the cake for me was working with God, cross-culturally with people from different countries and being equipped to serve international students. Coming from a multicultural society and having been an international student in Australia, it was especially helpful for me to learn about bi-culturalism in New Zealand. I will always cherish my first marae experience with classmates from Tonga, China, Japan, New Zealand, etc. An unforgettable experience for me as an alum was organising multiple worship teams for a Manawatu regional women's conference called 'Proclaim' in 2006 - playing music and worshipping with people from different nations, tongues and tribes".

Part of Yvette's main tasks is to manage regular internal, external communication to promote ISMNZ activities and maintain ISMNZ's profile including the official ISMNZ Facebook group. She supports ISMNZ staff workers within the communication sphere. Since March 2016, Yvette also has been serving as a minute-taker at ISMNZ Board meetings. She is also a member of the ISMNZ National Leadership Team. 

Yvette is based in Tauranga with her husband, Dr Andrew Butcher. If you are keen to pray with Yvette, sign up to ISMNZ's monthly prayer calendar.
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