About us
We started Advocacy Answers New Zealand in 2018 to solve complex social issues and create measurable change.
We wanted to share our knowledge to create a exceptional offering that helps build capacity in the community sector, ensuring it is valued and recognised for the vital role that it plays in our society.
We have run and significantly developed not-for-profits and have a deep understanding of the challenges and pressures that they face. This experience makes us uniquely placed to deliver realistic implementable strategic advice. This includes building sustainable revenue streams and advocacy campaigns. We have created and delivered some of New Zealand’s largest fundraising events including Shave for a Cure and the Firefighter Sky Tower Stair Challenge and the Corporate Sky Tower Stair Challenge.
We have established long-term charity partnerships with some of New Zealand’s biggest businesses including Auckland Airport, Bell Gully, Bridgestone, Farmers, Fidelity Life, Holden, SkyCity, PwC and Suzuki. We are excited about working with businesses and community organisations to build long-term mutually beneficial partnerships that can be measured and reported on.
Pru Etcheverry ONZM (Director)
Pru is a leader in the for-purpose sector and has been honoured for her work as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM). She brings skills in strategy, governance, leadership, non-profit management, and advocacy. Pru uses her expertise with local and international clients to successfully develop and implement innovative strategic solutions that create measurable impact.
Pru is passionate about the social category in ESG and CSR and seeing the magic that is unleashed by building strong, authentic partnerships between the business and community sectors.
While CEO of Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand (LBC), Pru grew it from a fledgling organisation to a high-profile NGO generating $70 million of sustainable revenue. Prior to working in the NGO sector Pru had a corporate career with multinational healthcare companies.
In governance roles Pru is chair of Te Ira Kāwai, the Auckland Regional Biobank, chair of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren a trustee of SkyCity Community Trust (Auckland) and chair of the ISPOR Patient Representatives Roundtable Asia Pacific.
Georgie Hackett (Director)
Georgie is a community engagement expert. She has led on high-level stakeholder engagement and consultation programmes both in New Zealand and overseas.
She is skilled in bringing the community and wider stakeholders together to work through complex issues to achieve successful outcomes.
She is passionate about communications and is a trained journalist. She believes in harnessing the power of effective storytelling to highlight social issues and connect people. Georgie has held a number of senior management roles in New Zealand and overseas across a range of sectors including media, health, at-risk youth, social and urban regeneration and property. Prior to establishing Advocacy Answers New Zealand she was General Manager at Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand.
Georgie uses her experience in developing strategy to create change to benefit Advocacy Answer’s clients. She develops and implements high-level revenue raising, corporate, stakeholder engagement, communications, advocacy, digital and government relations initiatives.
Donald McIntosh (Researcher/Writer)
Donald undertakes research for the Advocacy Answers team. He works across a range of projects analysing and collating data and compiling reports.
Donald is currently a student at the University of Otago studying towards a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
He is passionate about social and community leadership and is interested in advocacy, governance and socially responsible business. Donald was the Student Representative on his High School Board and is now a Trustee of TradeAid Ōtepoti and Chair of Employment Advice NZ.
In his spare time Donald enjoys volunteering as a bike mechanic and working as a reserve sailor in the Royal New Zealand Navy.