After nearly eight years at the helm, and having guided Cholmondeley Children’s Centre through the Christchurch
earthquakes and subsequent rebuild programme, Chief Executive Shane Murdoch is moving on.
He has accepted the position of General Manager of Residential Services for the Laura Ferguson Trust.
“It has been a privilege to have been able to guide Cholmondeley through the most challenging period in its history. It
is an organisation with a great legacy and our aim has always been to build on that legacy.
“For much of my time at Cholmondeley we have been changing our approach to being truly child-centred and understanding
the purpose of a service like Cholmondeley and the role it plays in reducing vulnerability. It is not that previous
approaches were wrong, it is just that times continue to change and it was important that Cholmondeley establish a new
leading edge for how the concept of “residential care” can be used.
“Barriers to access have been removed and we have introduced greater flexibility in our thinking around how the child
and family can be supported in order to achieve positive outcomes for them. What the earthquakes did was allow us to
replace a 90-year-old facility with one designed to mirror the new style and approach of Cholmondeley,” he said.
Cholmondeley has a unique spot in the provision of social services in that, as an organisation that provides care, it is
open to any family in the community who needs help. Last year it helped 499 individual children from over 300 families
totaling nearly 5000 bed nights.
“Cholmondeley is supported by an amazing collaborative effort, from our staff and board to the wider community. In total
contributions are more than $1.3m annually towards our operating costs. Not only have we changed the focus on the way we
deliver our services, we are working towards achieving greater financial sustainability for the future having reached
relative stability despite the numerous challenges,” he said.
Kerry Dellaca, President of Cholmondeley Children’s Centre, said that Murdoch’s passion for the needs of the children
was instrumental in the evolution of the child-centred approach that is Cholmondeley today.
“The emphasis on early intervention will have benefits down the track and give children more opportunities to lead a
positive and fulfilling life, as has occurred with many of the 25,000 children that Cholmondeley has cared for since
1925. Cholmondeley is in a much stronger position today than it was eight years ago and Shane’s vision and leadership
has been significant in that,” he said.
Murdoch takes up his new position on July 24.