People Inspired By Purpose - Purposely Podcast Mark Longbottom

Welcoming Denise Cosgrove, CEO of Selwyn Foundation, to Purposely where she shares her organisation's mission to help vulnerable older people as well as her career and life journey.

Denise was thrown into leadership roles from a young age. At the same time, while navigating a successful career, she flourished as a young single mother of two daughters. One of seven children, Denise was the only one of her siblings to study at University. Heading to Otago University at the bottom of New Zealand's South Island, Denise talks about her love for acting and debating and how the confidence gained from the performing arts prepared her for life as a leader in business. Denise also loves exercise and works out twice a day, she does not drink alcohol and she is a clean eater committed to health and wellness.

Denise's career has spanned corporate, public and charitable sectors with roles in New Zealand and Australia. In October 2022, Denise was hired to lead The Selwyn Foundation, a long-standing provider of retirement villages and aged care services in New Zealand. Under her leadership, the Foundation announced a major shift in its operational model to better support vulnerable elderly populations across the country.

The cornerstone of this transformation is the proposed sale of half of the Foundation's retirement village capacity to Metlifecare. This deal encompasses six villages and a commercial laundry, with the transfer expected to occur in early 2022. The proceeds from this sale will be ethically invested to create an endowment fund, enabling the Foundation to significantly increase its charitable giving. Denise, her Board and her team have set an ambitious target of $100 million in charitable contributions over the next decade.

They have identified a pressing need to expand support for vulnerable seniors beyond the confines of their retirement villages and into the wider community. Under the new model, the Selwyn Foundation will focus on addressing critical issues affecting older people, including loneliness, social isolation, financial hardship, and lack of affordable housing. The organization is committed to incorporating Tikanga Māori, Tikanga Pasifika, and Tikanga Pakeha principles in its approach to ensure culturally appropriate support.

While divesting a portion of its retirement village operations, the Foundation will retain ownership of its historic Selwyn Village in Auckland and Hansen Close in Birkenhead. These sites will continue to provide innovative and affordable housing solutions for seniors.

Looking ahead, the Selwyn Foundation plans to establish new partnerships targeting high-risk communities, including Māori and Pasifika populations. The organization also aims to leverage its expertise to influence policy decisions and advocate for issues crucial to older people's wellbeing.

Denise has a leadership career spanning more than 30 years with significant CEO experience leading large, complex operational businesses focused on social and commercial outcomes in the government and not-for-profit sectors in both New Zealand and Australia. Most recently, as CEO of Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN) for five years, Denise was responsible for the provision of social and health and disability services in the upper North Island under the brands of Lifeline, Shine, Family Works and Enliven.

Her earlier career has included roles as Chief Executive of the Victorian Work Cover Authority in Australia, General Manager (Claims Management and People & Business Services) at ACC, Assistant Auditor General (Strategy) at the Office of the Auditor-General and General Manager (Organisational Development and Communications) at Housing New Zealand Limited.

In addition to serving as a Board member with a number of NGO and social enterprise organisations, Denise supports New Zealand's contemporary art and design sector, especially new and emerging talent.








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Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.



This weeks episode features Ezekiel Raui Head of One New Zealand Foundation discussing purpose.




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Welcoming Yann Roux, CEO of Disability Sport
Auckland (DSA), to Purposely, where he shares his organisation's mission and his remarkable life journey, from France to New Zealand, and from a fitness
coach to leading a charity and the disability sport network.

Yann is also the Manager of the Wheel Blacks, New
Zealand's wheelchair rugby team, and Chair of the national disability sport network.


Hailing from northern (French Alps)France near the Swiss border, Yann dreamed of becoming an astronaut or a fighter pilot when he was young. In fact, he applied for pilot school. Growing up, Yann developed a passion for sports, firstly Karate, then Table Tennis then American Football American Football, which is a minority
sport in his native France, and then Judo. He soon discovered CrossFit, a high-intensity fitness regime that also encourages lifestyle changes. It was a perfect fit for Yann, aligning with the technical elements he loved to apply himself to, and his clean-living habits. Yann is happy to suffer and work hard, which is evident in his impressive physique, fuelled by the two CrossFit sessions he does daily.
The charity he leads daily, Disability Sport
Auckland, provides sport, recreation, and play opportunities for people living with disabilities in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. They offer access to
a range of different sports, from traditional athletics and swimming to wheelchair rugby and basketball, as well as rock climbing, table tennis, and Boccia, a ball sport like pétanque and bowls.

What began as the Auckland Paraplegic and
Physically Disabled Association in 1966 had a simple yet profound goal: to foster games, sports, and recreation for paraplegics and individuals with
disabilities, while catering to their general welfare. That very year, the Association sponsored and organized a national team of wheelchair athletes to
compete at the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Jamaica, showcasing their pioneering spirit.

Two years later, the Auckland Association joined
forces with fellow organisations, sending a team to the Paraplegic Games in Israel. This collaborative effort paved the way for the formation of the New Zealand Association, now known as Paralympics New Zealand.

At a time when sports for individuals with physical disabilities, especially those in wheelchairs, were considered
radical, high-profile athletes like Pompey Heremaia worked tirelessly to overcome stereotypes and serve as role models for younger athletes. A milestone moment in the organization's history was the construction of the recreation Gym at the Otara Spinal Unit in 1977. This not only provided a permanent home for
our athletes and teams but also proved to be a catalyst for disabled sports, as patients in the unit were often recruited to join the activities taking place.

Yann is a purpose drive leader that is passionate
about sport and the power participation in sports has to transform lives and help people reach their full potential.




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Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.



This weeks episode features Wayne Howett CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities sharing how he approaches his organisations mission and how he draws on his own lived experience.




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Welcoming Fiona Luth to Purposely, where she shares her founder story and charitable mission to transform literacy in Fiji. We discuss her motivations for starting and scaling the charity as well as plans for the future.

Fiona Luth founded Fiji Book Drive in 2012, following the loss of her second parent. While in Kadavu, Fiji, she experienced a moment of clarity, realising her desire to create as much positivity in the world as possible. Inspired by Peter and Margaret Long, who run the charity 'Children of Fiji', and conversations with her friend Lavenia Tamani about the lack of books in schools, Fiona became acutely aware of the challenges faced by Fijian students. With English being the compulsory language of instruction in Fiji, Fiona saw an opportunity to make a significant impact.

Upon returning to Australia, Fiona shared her vision of a book drive with her friend Laura Hahn. Laura embraced the idea, offering crucial support through her family's freight forwarding business for the first five years of the initiative.

Since its inception in 2012, Fiji Book Drive has made a remarkable impact, donating over 300,000 books to 194 schools and kindergartens across Fiji. The charity's mission is rooted in the belief that education empowers students and communities, with access to proper resources being key to a quality education. Recognising the abundance of educational materials in Australia, Fiji Book Drive aims to redirect these resources to under-resourced schools in Fiji.

The organisation's primary goal is to improve educational outcomes and life opportunities for Fijian students by increasing access to educational resources, with a focus on literacy. They strive to repurpose books, computers, and other educational materials, transferring them from those who no longer need them to those who do. Additionally, Fiji Book Drive is committed to operating sustainably, keeping resources out of landfills and prioritizing the distribution of durable goods.

Fiji Book Drive is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.






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Welcome to Purposely SHORT, a weekly episode, featuring one of our friends or past guests and their expertise on a certain topic.



This weeks episode features Emma Brown CEO of Duke of Edinburgh's International Award New Zealand.



Emma talks about her leadership journey and how she values resilience over everything else when it comes to thriving as a CEO. Emma was diagnosed with breast cancer and decided to keep on working through treatment.






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