Our Guest Speaker - Toni-Maree Carnie

National Director, Mercy Ships New Zealand

Transforming lives in Africa

Mercy Ships operates the largest civilian hospital ships in the world, delivering free surgery to people with little access to safe medical care. Its two-ship fleet, the Global Mercy and the Africa Mercy, is crewed each year by more than 2,500 volunteers from over 60 countries. In 2025 alone, Mercy Ships performed more than 3,060 surgeries for over 2,850 patients. The ships also train local health professionals, so that care continues long after they sail and leaves a legacy in the countries we serve in. New Zealand has a proud place in this story: Kiwi donors provided the intensive care unit on the purpose-built Global Mercy. This year, the Africa Mercy has been serving in Madagascar and the Global Mercy in Ghana.

Toni-Maree Carnie has been National Director of Mercy Ships New Zealand for the past three years. She leads the organisation’s fundraising, communications, marketing and volunteer recruitment strategy, connecting everyday Kiwis with a mission that changes lives half a world away and helping people find where they fit in it, whether as a volunteer, a donor or an advocate.

Before joining Mercy Ships, Toni-Maree was Chief Executive of Volleyball New Zealand and Harbour Sport, where she led organisations focused on growing participation and opportunity in sport. Across both worlds her passion is the same: working with organisations that value making an impact and enabling people to be the very best they can be.