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Creative Bay of Plenty (CBOP) is excited to announce it has appointed two new staff members, to work alongside one current employee, as part of the substantial restructure the organisation is currently undergoing following the engagement of a new General Manager late last year.

“We are excited to announce Rachel Beange, a Mount Maunganui local, to take up our Administration & Marketing position from April 1,” General Manager Lena Kovac says. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Management majoring in Public Relations and Marketing and has worked in community mental health and administration (for a local dance school). “She has a fierce passion for all things creative, a great vision and the right skills to see CBOP move forward,” Ms Kovac says.

The second appointment, Meagan Davis, will join the small CBOP team in a couple of months’ time taking on the new Funding & Liaison position. Meagan will come to the Bay from Perth in Western Australia, where she has been working in the Strategy Team for Western Australia's largest regional bank, responsible for developing events and sponsorship programs to deliver cultural engagement initiatives. “We believe that Meagan will be a fantastic asset to our growing community,” Ms Kovac says. “These are two brand new roles, created to reflect our vision to better support the creative sector in a variety of ways.”

Ms Kovac says the organisation is also excited to announce that Parewhati Taikato, a current staff member at CBOP, will move into a role in Community Cultural Development. “Parewhati will act as a radar for the community’s needs in terms of professional development, mentoring and networking,” Ms Kovac says.

CBOP would like to acknowledge outgoing staff Christine Sadlier and Viv Quinn whose contracts expire at the end of March. “While I am excited about where the organisation is headed, I am also incredibly grateful for Christine and Viv’s hard work, dedication, loyalty and commitment in their time with the organisation,” Ms Kovac says.

CBOP’s new focus is on finding ways to better assist the creative communities of Tauranga and the Western Bay to develop their goals and become more self-sustainable, acting as a conduit between the two local Councils and the wider community in all creative sector matters. 

“We are currently supporting the development of an Arts & Culture Strategy for the sub-region, which will give CBOP clear direction on how to best move forward as a sector support agency.”