Coming Soon
Tony Sumner
Ellie Whitaker
Ellie serves as the National Coordinator for NZCBR. Her role involves representing NZCBR publicly, coordinating training and activism events across NZ, and mentoring the volunteer team.
Ellie became passionate about the pro-life cause early on in her teen years, and got involved in a variety of pro-life organizations, including Voice for Life, March for Life, 40 Days for Life, Activ8, and various pregnancy centers. While at university completing a degree in Speech and Language Pathology, a highlight of her time was helping run a pro-life club on campus. Following graduation, she made the leap and went to Canada to complete a 4-month pro-life internship with the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. Once back in New Zealand, that led to volunteering full time to help set up NZCBR, and the rest, as they say, is history!
While radically different to her initial plans, Ellie is thrilled to be able to work where her passion lies. A highlight of her role is seeing seeds of truth being planted in people’s minds during outreach conversations, and watching other pro-lifers grow in their confidence to speak on the topic of abortion.
Outside of pro-life endeavors, Ellie loves learning theology and apologetics, keeping up with politics, reading books of all kinds, quilting, and drinking copious quantities of tea.
BJ Whitaker
Brian (known as “BJ” to his friends) has a 38-year involvement in the pro-life movement.
His shift from that of a casual observer, to a committed pro-lifer was triggered by the film “The Silent Scream” narrated by the legendary Bernard Nathanson. Thereafter, he served as both President for the Wellington branch of “The Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child” (SPUC), and set up a further branch on the Kapiti Coast, now known as “Kapiti Voice for Life” He oversaw various local pro-life initiatives including prayer gatherings at Parkview abortion clinic, various regional training days hosted in Kapiti, the nationwide “Life Chain” event, Sandcastle Sunday (the construction of 10,000 sandcastles on the local beach commemorating the abortion toll for that year), the annual Christmas tree fundraising event, multiple local radio advertisements including that of a 12 week unborn baby’s heartbeat with voice over, and other advertisements promoting adoption as an alternative to abortion. He has spoken at multiple church venues and youth groups across all denominations. He was the co-founder of “Staying Alive” a live in 5-day abortion apologetics training event hosted in Kapiti. (This subsequently morphed into Activ8, and continues to run annually) More recently he was one of the foundation members of the Wellington National March for Life Executive.
In light of the abortion legislation of 2020 and motivated by the maxim, “If we always do what we’ve always done, we will always get what we’ve always got,” he sees the need for innovative edgy change. Having witnessed the success of the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform, in particular its street activism and the use of Abortion Victim Photography, combined with its apologetics training, he is convinced more than ever, that we ignore such techniques at our peril.
BJ resides on the Kapiti Coast, and is a self-employed Property Valuer. He is husband to Christine, and is blessed with 2 sons and 5 daughters, 2 of which were adopted from the Philippines, and now 6 grandchildren. He has travelled extensively, predominantly to third world countries.
His other interests include church involvement, politics, fighting injustice, and soccer (although creaky knees are bringing an end to that joy).
Marty Brown
“My role with NZCBR is to support the organization, as part of the leadership team.
I have been privileged to be a part of an awesome team setting up NZCBR.
God’s hand has been upon us every step of the way, and this motivates me to be a part of the fight for life here in NZ, to end the killing of our pre-born children.
Jesus Christ and the power of His gospel will be the engine room for all our activism.
I have been married to Fiona for 37 years and we have two children, three grandchildren, and one on the way! We live in the beautiful Bay of Plenty, Rotorua.
When not doing voluntary work for NZCBR, there is my day job responsible for sales in a lubricants and services business.
Outside of work, I assist Church Without Walls as Pastor and love to take a break mountain biking or fly fishing.
Unfortunately, NZ has some of the most oppressive abortion laws globally.
But our God will not be mocked, and the foundation of his throne will forever be righteousness and justice.
With the fantastic support of Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, we are learning to be effective activists in the pro-life movement.
I want to be on the front line of this battle for righteousness and justice, to end the killing in NZ.