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 create a charity brought together the core team. We are now looking at building a core working group to help expand the mahi across the motu.

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

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

Dr Kyle Van de Bittner
Founder & CEO

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 as part of a Paradigms of Healing and Wholeness MS-level online course with his Compassion teacher, Fran Grace. A video call with Fritzi at the end of 2021 led him to his local Manawatū Prison.

While leading the product development at a Biotech company, he was able to dedicate half of a weekday to the CPP mahi (work) and started the first international Trauma Talks Pilot in February 2023. With the completion of 3 pilots during 2023 (2 in remand and 1 in segregation) he is now spearheading the establishment of the CPP-Aotearoa Charity Trust alongside additional pilots across Australasia.

Zara Kant
Trust Secretary & Facilitator

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.

Jude Mannion
Chair

International Senior Business executive & Social Entrepreneur

Special Projects Manager Lawaid International

Partnering with the legal firm who enabled legislative changes to address fighting human Slavery at Sea, Rescue Scammed Mules and assistance for New Zealand prisoners to reintegrate their lives

Co -Founder The Mekong Club Hong Kong

Anti human slavery in business: China; Thailand; Loas; Cambodia; Thailand and Myanmar pro bono - was my bucket list for 2 years - it’s still successfully making a difference today! https://themekongclub.org/

Co-Founder & CEO The Robin Hood Foundation NZ then Asia 

Partnered dozens of companies with aligned charities

Regular guest speaker across Asia at Corporate Social Responsibility CSR forums

Guest speaker APEC - (IIST) Japan 

Asian Development Bank on Corporate Social Responsibility Trends

Awarded NZ Marketer of the Year, then persuaded two Prime Ministers to join The Social Heroes Business Awards

Member The Institute for Strategic Leadership Program NZ

Facilitated the Food Industry Accord with Ministry of Health NZ and major food manufacturer

CSR Consultant to New Zealand’s largest company and the world’s largest dairy exporter – Fonterra (US$9 Billion); and Les Mills Gym’s International (75 countries)

Founder CEO Robin Hood Foundation NZ / Asia

Jase Williams Trustee

Jase Williams (Ngāti Tamaterā)  is a dynamic TEDx and keynote speaker, educator, and thought leader recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading voices in relational neuroscience and trauma-informed practice.

With over 25 years in education, leadership, and community wellbeing, his work is grounded in the science of human connection and the belief that healing begins in relationships.

A former principal whose pioneering leadership earned national recognition, Jase now speaks and facilitates internationally.

As a partner, father of three, and grandfather of three, he brings authenticity and lived wisdom, showing that real change happens when people feel safe, seen, and supported.

TEDx talk here

Jasewilliams.nz