Our Speakers

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Ed Brown

National Engagement Manager

After a long career in sales and general management  roles, Ed joined Tearfund with a passion to combine his leadership experience, relationships skills, his deep love for Christ, and a desire to see all of God’s people experience unconditional love and a promise of a better tomorrow.

His natural warmth and caring attitude, along with his genuine love for people, shine through to provide a naturally comfortable, conversational presentation style. His sense of humour, friendly disposition and relaxed approach make for an engaging speaking experience.

"Ed is a friendly, outgoing person, who enjoys engaging with people from all walks of life. With years of experience in the Church, he brings leadership skills that enhance and embrace contexts that suit any audience. Ed speaks with conviction on social justice, with warmth and compassion."

Chris Barnard – St. Columba Church 

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Ian McInnes

CEO Tearfund New Zealand

As CEO of Tearfund, Ian believes it is an immense privilege to connect people to the issues of global poverty and its solutions. Ian has 16 years of experience in international aid and development, and prior to his present role, ran the operations of aid agencies in disaster relief around the world. 

Ian is now a go-to commentator on aid and development for New Zealand’s media and will bring this life experience to the fore, sharing personal stories from the front lines of humanitarian responses, in an authentic way.
 

“The challenge of speaking to us from Auckland via zoom was one that Ian was up for! He excelled in incorporating engaging and relevant stories from his extensive overseas experience. His talk was supported by excellent visuals, and he would be a great person to speak to your group.”

John Hornblow – All Saints Palmerston North

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Victoria Hanna

North Island Engagement Manager

Victoria never settles for surface answers, she loves to question and wrestle with scripture then look for ways to apply it in her life. When Victoria speaks, her messages are full of real-life application which encourages you to examine your own faith and the way it is expressed to the world. 

Victoria has a great sense of humour and informal style that immediately puts people at ease and draws them into the message. She longs to see the transformative impact of a relationship with Jesus bring hope to the worlds’ most vulnerable.

"Victoria is passionate in her work to bring justice for the poor. She can articulate clearly and confidently the gospel challenge for us to take responsibility for those who are caught trapped in slavery and poverty. She is engaging and thought-provoking without being confrontational."

Tim Handley – All Saints Church, Hataitai
 

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Fiona Sawers

South Island Engagement Manager

Originally from England, Fiona moved to Aotearoa in 2005. For over a decade, she has worked and volunteered in the humanitarian sector in New Zealand. Fiona’s heart is to encourage people in their walk with Jesus, helping them have a greater understanding of His heart for the poor and most vulnerable around the world. 
 
Ultimately, Fiona loves to encourage people on their journey. She brings life, joy and energy to examine challenging humanitarian issues and brings a sense of the gospel of hope to how we can all engage in a practical, down-to-earth way.

“Fi is a natural storyteller, who engages her audience in the lives of people who are affected by injustice and oppression. She masterfully weaves these stories with passion, conviction and the challenge of the gospel. She enlightens and empowers each individual and community to become part of the solution."

Amy Page-Whiting - Cashmere New Life Church 
 

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Kelly Burgess

North Island Engagement Manager

Kelly is a passionate advocate for the world’s most vulnerable. She remains amazed at how beautiful and crucial the Church’s role is in helping people thrive and be restored through the love of Jesus. Meeting a sponsored child in 2004 who became a pastor and community leader, had a profound impact on her. 

Kelly believes that at the very heart of the gospel is a story of good news for the poor. She strives to communicate this story in creative ways that are challenging, engaging, authentic and meaningful.

 

“Kelly is a gifted storyteller, passionate about social justice. She speaks with authenticity and brings the big-sister vibes! Her message of hope and truth has always felt like a bridge between members in the audience; across different age-groups, life-experiences, faith backgrounds and circumstances.”

Rae Randall – Families Pastor, Eastgate Christian Centre 
 

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Dale Campbell

Education Specialist, Education & Advocacy

Dale brings his mixture of pastoral experience and theological passion to the Education and Advocacy team at Tearfund. His Master’s Thesis in Applied Theology from Carey Baptist College explored Baptist Worship. He is passionate about integrating personal faith with deeds of service to the worlds’ most vulnerable. 

He applies his artistic interests in music, woodworking and photography to communicate the message of Scripture in a creative and compelling manner. Trips to Brazil and India have shaped his desire to inspire followers of Jesus to love as they have been loved.

"I highly recommend Dale Campbell as a speaker for any event. Dale is passionate about the craft and works diligently to hone whatever he speaks about so it enriches the environment he is in. You can be sure he will do his utmost to serve your context well and offer an engaging presentation."

Reverend Francis (Frank) Ritchie
 

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FAQ's

Is there a minimum number of people required to request a speaker?

For every request we have to weigh-up several factors – audience size is one of them. However, we don’t have a size limit as such. If you have flexibility with your date, we may be able to accommodate your request when travelling on regional visits.

What is required of me if I book a speaker?

This depends on the type of event taking place. If it is a regular church service, we simply require you to meet with us 30 minutes before the service to pray and run through any technical requirements (a data projector is appreciated). We will provide a PowerPoint slide for you to advertise in your church notices a week or two before the date – your endorsement and encouragement are appreciated.

If it is a community event, we can provide flyers for advertising and Eventbrite registration. We are happy to support you any way we can to make the event a success.

Can I specify the theme or topic of the talk?

Yes – we are happy to tailor a message to fit with a series or theme. We also have prepared some excellent messages that we can adapt to your specific context.

Will it cost anything to have a speaker travel to my church, organisation or group?

The short answer is no – however, Tearfund is a charity and if you would like to cover any accommodation or travel costs this will keep our costs to a minimum. This would be a donation to Tearfund not the speaker.

I am supportive of child sponsorship but do not want my church service to be a 30 min infomercial. What is your format?

We are deeply respectful of the sacredness of this space and our messages for a church service are aimed at ultimately inspiring and challenging people to put their faith in action. Sponsoring a child is one way they could do this. Our messages are generally a combination of a selected scripture, personal stories and examples that weave through the message.

Can I request a speaker to speak on a topic that does not involve child sponsorship?

Yes – Tearfund has amazing partners around the world undertaking a variety of international aid and development. If there is a particular issue you are passionate about, we are happy to work with you on that.

Our church sponsors children from a certain country can we ask that children available to be sponsored also come from this country?

Yes, you can, all you need to do is let us know the country you would like us to focus on and we can make sure the children available for sponsorship come from that location.

Can I request a speaker that is not in my region?

We always like to accommodate people’s requests if it is at all possible. If you are able to assist with the costs involved to bring the speaker to you, that would help. If not, it would have to depend on the size of and type of event and our speaker’s availability.

Are your speakers theologically trained?

At Tearfund, we are blessed to have an in-house theologian to assist us in the development of our messages. One of our team members (Dale Campbell) also has a master’s degree from Carey Baptist College in Auckland. As a team, we work collaboratively sharing our messages and receive regular training.

Do we need to provide an honorarium to the speaker?

No, however, you can make a donation to Tearfund to minimise our costs.

Are your speakers Christians?

Yes – everyone in the church team has a deep faith and love of Jesus. We see our work for Tearfund as an expression of our faith and love to encourage others. All our church team are also members of a local church and attend regularly.

My Selected Speaker

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Victoria Hanna

North Island Relationship Manager

Tearfund partners with Compassion and we are passionate about releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name. While our messages focus on a variety of themes, we hope you will support our efforts to see children sponsored, providing a hope more powerful than poverty.