Meet the CPP Aotearoa Team:

Our team is small but steadily growing.

From 2021 - mid 2024 Kyle was mostly on his own.
The need to expand trauma awareness and education throughout Australasia brought together the core team.

As of January 2026, we have trained 57 facilitators across Australasia
(42 across 4 regions in Aotearoa and 15 across five states in Australia).

E koekoe te tūī, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū.

The tūī squawks, the kākā chatters, the kererū coos.

Kyle Van de Bittner, PhD
Founder & Chair

Black and white photo of a smiling man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, with long hair and a beard, holding a guitar.

Kyle emigrated from California to Aotearoa (New Zealand) on a Chemistry-based Fulbright scholarship in 2015. He came across the CPP in 2021 through the Step-Inside-the-Circle video. After coming to terms with the fact that his 20-year history of substance abuse and addictions were rooted in childhood trauma and living an inauthentic life. A call with CPP’s Founder, Fritzi Horstman, at the end of 2021 led him to his local prison.

He facilitated the first international Trauma Talks Pilot in February 2023. With the completion of 3 pilots during 2023 (2 in High-security remand and 1 in segregation) the demand for trauma awareness and education behind the wire and in the community drove him to create the CPP-Aotearoa Charitable Trust.

Connection with his authentic Self has freed him from the prison of his own mind and when he’s not busy being a stay-at-home dad, he dedicates his time to reconnecting others with their true nature.

Zara Kant
Trust Secretary

A young woman with long dark hair, smiling, resting her chin on her hand, sitting at a table in an urban setting at night, wearing a black top and a smartwatch.

Co-facilitates Trauma Talks alongside Kyle Van de Bittner in the Central North Island of New Zealand. She also serves as Trust Secretary on the Compassion Prison Project Board.

Zara holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Management and Information Systems, has completed postgraduate studies in Criminology, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Social Work to deepen her knowledge and impact in the field. Raised across Belgium, Singapore, and New Zealand, with a Fiji-Indian heritage, Zara brings a multicultural perspective, compassion, and cultural humility to her work.

As she continues to learn and grow, her passion for supporting and helping others drives her commitment to creating safe, trauma-informed spaces of healing and belonging where people feel seen, heard, and valued — both inside and beyond prison walls.

Katie Pedersen
Trustee

A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, smiling while taking a selfie against a gray textured background. She is wearing a beige blazer, a pink top, and a spiral-shaped necklace.

I joined the board of Compassion Prison Project Aotearoa 18 months ago because I believe in the power of connection, healing, and the opportunity for growth and transformation. My work in the nonprofit world has focused on rehabilitation and helping people find their way back to themselves and their communities. Being part of CPP has deepened my passion to create spaces where trauma is acknowledged and compassion leads the way. I'm honored to support this mission and to stand alongside so many incredible people working toward positive change.

Katie x

Garry Buckman
Trustee

Close-up of an older man with a bald head, light beard, and blue eyes, wearing a black hoodie, in a room with blue and yellow bunting and a framed picture on the wall.

I have been involved with prison work for the last 17 years. I have worked as a Fieldworker for PARS for 9 years and am also involved in an Accommodation service for people released from prison.

Previously, I have also worked as a Cultural Report writer for people about to be sentenced, outlining possible contributing factors to their offending and suggesting reintegration strategies.

Currently, as well as a Compassion Prison Project member, I work as a Restorative Justice facilitator. If I have spare time, I work on writing projects and love photography and gardening.