About us
Meet the team
Woody
Chief Morale OfficerWoody is Hyphen’s resident dog, morale officer and occasional meeting attendee.
His responsibilities include greeting people when they arrive, supervising lunch, providing strategic breaks from difficult work, and generally making sure nobody takes themselves too seriously.
Woody has a particular talent for knowing when someone needs a pat, a walk, or simply a dog sitting quietly nearby.
Holly Gooch
Holly’s done a bit of everything: comedian, children’s book writer, researcher, school dean, playwright and educational psychologist. It’s a slightly unusual combination, but it’s also given her a pretty good understanding of how people learn, what makes them tick, and why there’s rarely one right way to do things.
Holly is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading voices in twice-exceptionality — and, more importantly, she just really gets young people.
At Hyphen, Holly leads the programme and works closely with each young person to understand where they are, identify what matters to them, and help turn their interests and strengths into a pathway forward.
Founder & Programme DirectorBarney Groom
Barney works alongside our young people day-to-day, helping them turn ideas into projects, build practical skills and discover what they’re capable of.
With a background in music production and a passion for making things, Barney brings a hands-on, creative approach to learning. Whether a young person is producing music, building something in the workshop, working through a technology project or figuring out what they want to try next, Barney is there to help them get started and keep going.
His approach is practical, encouraging and low-pressure - giving young people the space to take ownership while knowing someone is there when they get stuck.
Programme LeadOperations LeadKatie Posner
Katie keeps the things behind the scenes moving, while also being part of the day-to-day life of Hyphen.
With a background in education and psychology, Katie brings an understanding of both the practical and personal sides of young people’s learning. She supports programme organisation, marketing, fundraising, communication with families, and the wider development of The Hyphen Project.
You’ll often find Katie helping with a project, documenting progress, organising what’s happening next, or making sure the many moving parts of Hyphen fit together.
Meet the board
Hyphen is a by-family, for-family organisation, and that extends to our Board.
Our Board members are volunteers who each have a personal connection to the mahi we do and a genuine understanding of the young people and families we work alongside. They bring different experiences, perspectives and areas of expertise, but are united by a shared belief that exceptional young people deserve better options when mainstream education isn’t working for them.
Our Board stays closely connected to the organisation and its work — helping us make thoughtful decisions, stay true to our purpose, and build a sustainable future for Hyphen and the families we serve.
We’re proud to be a family-led organisation, where the people around the table aren’t just invested in what we do - they understand why it matters.
Jay Tai
Jay first connected with Hyphen as a parent of a gifted child, frustrated by the lack of educational options and keen to support our mahi. During our pilot, she delivered a branding workshop to our rangatahi, giving her first-hand experience of the Hyphen approach.
Jay became Board Chair in mid-2026, bringing her professional experience and personal connection to the work. Her journey from parent, to supporter, to Chair reflects what Hyphen is all about: a by-family, for-family organisation.
Chair
Simon Gooch
Simon joined the board in 2025 as a temporary stop-gap, but his impact was so significant that it quickly became a permanent arrangement. As Holly’s husband, he’s played a key role since the organisation’s inception, offering both strategic insight and significant financial support. As a parent of a twice-exceptional teen, he brings lived experience and a deep understanding of the kaupapa.
Trustee
TrusteeIsobel Bremner
When Izzy heard about The Hyphen Project, she recognised the need for a talented, neurodivergent youth voice. She also saw a chance to turn her own challenging experiences in navigating the mainstream education system into something positive for other young people in the situation she had been in. Izzy joined as a Trustee in 2024. Izzy exemplifies the brilliance of twice-exceptional people.