Yondi Foundation Members
Chiara Anderson
Founder | Director
I was born in Rome, Italy in 1984 and have been living in New Zealand since I was four. I’ve enjoyed different job roles, from project manager to art director for a kids TV show, to being a communications advisor which is the role I am currently in now.
I’m married to Hamish, and we are proud parents to two great girls Minnie and Agnes. We strive to keep bi-culturalism alive in our home so that our girls stay closely connected to their cousins and our family in Italy. There’s nothing we love more than travelling as a family and making memories together.
My great Aunty Audrey was a strong, caring woman with a real zest for life and people. She had one of those wicked laughs that brought a smile to your face and that you could hear from a mile away! She loved telling stories about her and Earl’s adventures, and we all absolutely loved listening to her and the incredible tales she told.
Aunty Audrey loved any excuse to dress up and throw a themed party for her friends and family, no matter where she was in the world – something that I love doing, too.
In her final months, when she knew she wouldn’t be able to travel again, she created a bucket list of international cuisines and each week we would share a meal from a different country- from Italian, Japanese, Chinese to Moroccan! I’m honoured to be continuing Aunty Audrey’s legacy through the Yondi Foundation.
Geoffrey Robinson
Founder | Director
I was born in New Zealand in 1962, and I’m the godson of Audrey and Earl Kyle. After a long and challenging career as a boatbuilder, I recently retired. I’ve been married to my soulmate Toni for 32 years, and we have two wonderful, caring, and loving grown-up sons who share our passion for animals and people.
My family and I absolutely love spending time in the great outdoors, going boating, camping, and exploring. We value our family time above all else, and we love to see new parts of the world whenever we can.
I feel incredibly privileged and proud to be able to continue Aunty Audrey and Earl’s legacy through the Yondi Foundation, alongside my fellow trustees. While our contributions may seem small in the context of worldwide issues, I’m grateful that we can make a positive impact on humanity and animal welfare.
Maria Fresia
Trustee
Originally from Rome, Italy, I arrived in Christchurch in 1988 with my then Kiwi husband. It was then that I met Earl and Aunty Audrey, and we formed a close bond that lasted over 30 years.
As I don’t have my extended family here in New Zealand, I deeply appreciated the love, friendship, kindness, and generosity that Aunty Audrey and Earl offered not just to me, but also to my children. Their presence enriched my life in countless ways.
I’m truly honoured to have been asked by my daughter Chiara to become a trustee of the Yondi Foundation, and to help carry on the legacy that Audrey and Earl began so many years ago.
Matthew Robinson
Trustee
I was born in Christchurch in 1995, and my father is Geoff Robinson, co-director of Yondi. To me, Audrey and Earl were like a great aunt and uncle, and I idolised them from a young age, especially because of the stories they told of their travels and adventures.
I run a sign-writing business with my brother. I’m also a SCUBA diving instructor, teaching others to become instructors themselves. My partner and I share a love for SCUBA diving and everything under the ocean, as well as a passion for the outdoors and all creatures that inhabit our world.
Audrey and Earl’s tales of their travels and adventures, and the way they lived their lives, inspired my love for nature and the environment. I feel incredibly privileged to carry on their legacy through the Yondi Foundation and to contribute to the welfare of animals and humanity in their name.