Heidi Brace

Co-chair

Heidi is the current co-chair of Community Pets, having been part of establishing the founding board in July 2026. She has a long history of working with a variety of animals, having been a show jumper, trainer and instructor for many years, as well as an instructor and coach for Christchurch RDA and Special Olympics, and owning a variety of dogs, cats and farm animals along the way.

She joined the Hato Hone St John Therapy Pets programme in 2019 with her Golden Retriever Bella, an 8 year that had been rehomed to her, having realised how much Bella adored children. She and Bella had several years visiting Cholmondeley Children’s Centre before retiring Bella due to her arthritis. However, Heidi was able to stay involved with the programme by becoming a Hato Hone team leader in Christchurch, enabling her to continue to be involved in the animal assisted activities that she has always been passionate about.

Heidi lives with her husband on a lifestyle block in Selwyn. She is a registered Social Worker currently working part-time with a Christchurch-based NGO.

Jo Wager

Co-chair

Jo is the co-chair of Community Pets. Jo had been volunteering with Hato Hone St John for four years, three of those as a team leader, before joining the founding board of Community Pets in July 2026.

Jo and Cookie (an eight-year-old labradoodle) regularly volunteer each week at a hospital and a school. Jo especially enjoys seeing first-hand the comfort, joy and sense of calm Cookie brings to children, young people and adults alike.

In her spare time Jo enjoys long walks with Cookie on the tracks around her home, where Cookie's alter ego really comes to the fore as she races around following every scent she finds!

Fran is the Co-Secretary of Community Pets and joined the board after volunteering for over four years as a Therapy Pets Team Leader with St John, following the transition of the programme in July 2026.

In her day role, Fran works as an Operations Lead at the University of Otago, Christchurch and is also Co-Chair of the Social Events Committee. She enjoys combining these roles by bringing the benefits of animal-assisted therapy to staff and students, creating opportunities for connection, comfort and support when people need it most.

Fran also has her own Community Pet, Freya, a four-year-old Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff), who loves meeting new people - just watch your balance if she decides you need a 45kg cuddle!

Fran Barrett

Co-secretary

Jessica Parr

Co-secretary

Jessica is co-secretary of Community Pets and joined the board after being involved with Therapy Pets through Hato Hone St John for a number of years as both a staff member, and as a volunteer with her dog Bonnie.

Jessica works as a Recruitment Advisor, and has always had a passion for volunteering and the work community organisations do. She currently holds other volunteer roles with Good Bitches Baking and One Mother to Another.

After seeing firsthand the difference Bonnie made while visiting a rest home and dementia unit, she is excited to be part of Community Pets and help others experience the same joy our animal friends bring.

Pam Hall

Treasurer

Pam is the Treasurer of Community Pets. Pam was the Hato Hone St John Therapy Pet Manager from 2017-2026 and is excited to be able to continue supporting a therapy pet programme under the Community Pets Charitable Trust.

Pam has been involved in community activites all her life and was the Treasurer for a youth trust in Dunedin for over 20 years. She feels that being a volunteer is a great way to support her community.

She has experience with all types of farm animals and pets, having lived on a farm for two decades. She lives in Darfield and currently only has two cats, neither of whom would make good therapy pets but bring her a lot of joy and love. Family is important and she has two young grandchildren who she enjoys spending time with.

About Us

We are a group of passionate pet lovers who have all witnessed firsthand the incredible impact pets can provide in healthcare and well-being settings.
Building on the mahi of the pet therapy programme run by SPCA and Hato Hone St John since 2003, Community Pets was established in 2026 to continue this important work.
All of us on the Board had been involved in St John’s programme for many years and believe strongly in both the benefits that animals can bring to people in our community, and the need to do this safely, ethically and to a high standard.

We were thoughtful in how we developed our trust deed, and our values and philosophy shine through in the Purposes of the Trust, which can be read here.

Whilst we have teams across the country, we have a strong focus on involving and supporting our local communities. Additionally, we believe in fostering diversity and cultural inclusivity,maintaining
a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and respecting the dual heritage of Aotearoa.