New Federation co-ordinator, Johnathan Dietz made quite an impression at his first major Grey Power event – the annual general meeting in Wellington.
With little working knowledge of the organisation, he stepped up to the mark with microphone duties across the floor and assisted delegates from the many associations represented.
Appointed to his role as Federation co-ordinator in June, Johnathan originally hails from Houston, Texas but moved to New Zealand with his wife, Alexis, eight years ago. They have two children, Jasper (20 months) and Freya Luna (five months), both born at Auckland Hospital.
Growing up in a military family, he studied chemistry and started his career in oil and gas but quickly decided his calling wasn’t in the laboratory but, rather, the office.
“Most of my career was spent working for a retirement planning office in Texas and this background was what the Federation felt would be advantageous to Grey Power.”
Migration to New Zealand came just after meeting Alexis. They eloped and had a Justice of the Peace officiate their union in a courthouse to prove to Immigration New Zealand that they had a genuine relationship.
“We both agreed that we wanted to experience life in another country. As I had been to New Zealand before and she was keen to explore the country too, this is where we headed. We have stayed ever since putting down roots in Pukekohe.”
Attending Grey Power’s AGM was a learning curve for Johnathan. “It was great,” he says. “I met lots of interesting people, engaged with different personalities, was warmly welcomed and saw the nitty gritty of democracy in action.”
And, of course, Grey Power delegates were keen to say ‘hello’ to Johnathan. In particular, Carolyn Bates from Rangitikei association writes:
“As a newcomer to the AGM, I expected to meet friendly people as well as a few ‘interesting’ characters.
Arriving at the hotel, the first person to catch my attention was a young man with a distinctive American accent. I assumed he was a tourist but soon discovered he was there for work – Grey Power work!
“To my surprise, this convivial American appeared in the conference room on Tuesday morning and turned out to be Johnathan Dietz, the new Federation co-ordinator.
“When I finally managed to speak with him, our conversation quickly took a surprising turn. I introduced myself with, ‘Hi, I’m Carolyn from the Rangitikei’; he replied, ‘Yes, but are you from Marton?’ I said I was and was taken aback when he said, ‘I’ve been there!’
“Johnathan told me he and his wife had visited Marton while looking for a place to settle. Ultimately, they chose Pukekohe because they had friends there. While Marton may have missed out on having them as residents in our lovely town, clearly Grey Power has gained an asset. Johnathan has landed in the right place at the right time to take on this new position.”
With the AGM long over, Johnathan has since settled into his Federation role and is working closely with the Board on a variety of projects.
You can reach him by leaving a message with the office staff at 09 299 2113 or by emailing coordinator@greypower.co.nz
