About yia! > Meet the team
Meet the team
yia! is run by a passionate group of organisers, mentors, judges, sponsors, and partners.
Meet the team making the yia! programme happen.
Shane Stuart
Innovation Manager
Shane is Innovation Manager, Bay of Plenty, a joint role between Priority One and the University of Waikato. In this role he focusses on developing science and technology innovation and growing connections across the Tauranga and the Western Bay innovation ecosystem. Shane was born and raised in Opotiki and Tauranga, before spending time overseas and coming back to the Bay, having lived in the Mount since 2006. Innovation for Shane means “creating new ideas, products, or ways of doing things that deliver benefit or value – that can be of many different kinds, social, environmental, economic, cultural and others”
Be Barnes
Project Support
Be works with the Priority One team on a number of innovation and event activations.
Innovation to me is an exciting and continuously evolving process that requires you to push boundaries and think outside the realm of what's possible. You could be coming up with totally new ideas and solutions, or refining something that already exists. I believe we're all innovators and have the potential to do great things to enhance ourselves, our lives and the lives and environments of those around us through innovation..
Melissa Mae
Project Support - Comms
Innovation, to me, is about creating meaningful change from a heart-centred perspective, where every action is driven by choice and control. It's about harnessing creativity while aligning with compassion to make a positive impact. For me innovation isn't just about new or disruptive ideas, but about fostering connection, empowering others, and building a world where every individual has the freedom to thrive. This approach ensures that our innovations are deeply humane, reflecting the values of empathy, authenticity, and respect.
Saejung Oh-Walsh
Project Support - Social Media
Saejung Oh-Walsh is part of Priority One’s marketing and communications team, supporting the digital and brand management for Priority One. She has over 10 years of experience in digital marketing and social media management, from owning her own business.
As an ex-business owner, innovation holds a huge importance into who I am as a person. Innovation is about generating new ideas or improving existing ones to create value for your customers. This could be through new products, services, processes, or business models that meet their needs better than before.
Jill Beedie
Project Coordinator
Jill works across a range of projects within the Priority One team. She enjoys the variety and opportunity to be involved on many levels with the wider community in the growth of an innovative, vibrant city.
To Jill, in the words of one of our past YiA speakers Sir Ray Avery… Innovation is Observation!
Meg Davis
Project Manager
Meg serves as Project Manager at Priority One, overseeing two key portfolios: The Future of Work and the Young Innovator Awards. A passionate advocate for Design Thinking, Meg believes it's essential for empowering youth to develop the skills they need for the evolving job market. With experience leading Hackathons and participating in workshops, Meg thrives on generating creative solutions and fostering continuous improvement. To Meg, innovation is about finding inspiration in every challenge and using it to build a better future.