Network & Connect: adaptation in action

Christopher is our Network Engagement Manager. Prior to joining SBN, Christopher championed the environment for the last couple of decades with Greenpeace and SolarZero, working in fundraising, sales and customer care. A dual citizen of Canada and Luxembourg, Christopher’s international perspective gives him a deep appreciation of diversity in all its forms. In 2012, a sailing trip to the Arctic Circle solidified his determination to tackle the climate emergency.

Dr Parin Rafiei-Thompson is the Head of Sustainable and Resilient Business in the Economic Development team of Auckland Council.

With over 20 years of experience, she has held senior roles spanning the public, private, and international development sectors, leading climate strategy and innovation and working internationally on climate finance projects with partners such as the World Bank and Standard Bank of Africa.

Parin holds a PhD in Engineering and brings deep expertise in climate governance, systems thinking, and sustainable development.

Phoebe Tinning is the New Zealand Program Manager for Syrinx Environmental, based in Rotorua. She brings together a multi-disciplinary background in nature-based solutions, business development, community engagement, and ecological restoration. Her work is defined by a "ground-up" approach and a focus on fostering meaningful partnerships, ensuring that Syrinx’s solutions are both tailor-made and operationally efficient for her clients.

As an experienced project manager, Phoebe possesses a sharp understanding of the full project lifecycle, from initial development and site-level planning through to implementation, roll-out, and regulatory compliance. She has spent years working alongside community and mana whenua to implement environmental projects rooted in local resilience and capability building. This collaborative foundation is paired with her prior experience in land and nutrient management within local government, giving her a comprehensive perspective on both the private and public sectors.

Phoebe is dedicated to moving beyond abstract theory to deliver practical, nature-based infrastructure that provides tangible resilience for organisations across Aotearoa. In addition to managing all of Syrinx’s Aotearoa and Tasmania projects, she leads marketing and business development for the international Syrinx EnPhytoBox team.

Andrew is a climate adaptation scientist and the Technical Director of Climate and Resilience at Urban Intelligence. He brings a proven history of leading and delivering complex projects including risk assessment, adaptation plan development and implementation, and resilience-building for critical infrastructure.

Through his work with Urban Intelligence and previously at NIWA, he has collaborated with local and central government and infrastructure providers to develop quantitative tools that help decision-makers identify and adapt to risks across all value domains. He has a PhD in complex systems modelling from the University of Auckland.

38-year veteran of the industry, holding senior roles across all aspects of the insurance system.  Now consulting for Watersmart relating to how property owners, insurers and brokers can be educated on flood mitigation and water sustainability solutions that are now available in New Zealand which will support resilience and climate change adaptation.

Klaudia specialises in sustainable civil infrastructure at WaterSmart, helping bring Porous Lane permeable paving to market. With a background in biotechnology, she brings a systems-based perspective to infrastructure and is interested in applying sponge city principles and circular economy thinking to deliver more resilient, sustainable urban water and stormwater solutions.

Sheree Tibble is a senior insurance and operations leader working across Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific. Her expertise spans operations, corporate affairs, human resources, risk and strategy, with a strong focus on sustainability, resilience and customer‑led solutions. She brings a practical, systems‑focused perspective on place, people and responsible operations, and how long‑term thinking can deliver better outcomes for customers and communities in a changing climate.