MEET US
Sapientia Associates is Sue and Chris.
At Sapientia, our work is always people facing; creating systems so that you can serve your clients better. We focus on helping people perform well in their roles, providing the tools and systems for organisational learning and capability development and ensure we deliver measurable results, through targeted process and bespoke solutions.
We combine our considerable expertise and experience, with our expertise in the design of training to bring you the best possible options to both grow your organisation and empower your workforce to serve your clients better.
With years of experience in education , training, risk tourism and recreation, in over 20 countries across the Middle East, South East Asia, The Pacific and New Zealand,we have some great projects to show for it.
To see our project portfolio please go to our
web site on a tablet or computer.
SUE GEMMELL
Sue has worked extensively in Learning Design and Training Resource Development for New Zealand’s central government industry training organisation for sport, exercise, fitness, snowsport, outdoor and community recreation. Specialising in developing standards and qualifications in and partnering with organisations to assist them to align their workplace-based training to national standards and New Zealand’s qualification framework. In this role Sue has managed instructional design teams in the development of high-quality assessment resources for adventure qualifications. Her areas of expertise are in standard setting, resource development and online instructional design. With her very strong outdoor adventure practitioner background she is able to give clear focus on the requirements of adventure activities that meet operational contexts.
CHRIS KNOL
Chris’ career spans long experience as both an outdoor recreation practitioner/adventure tourism professional, alongside an extensive career in international aid and over-seas project development, throughout the Middle East, the Pacific, South-East and Central Asia and Europe.
Working within a central New Zealand Government context has seen Chris involved in almost every major adventure tourism safety development in New Zealand of the past 35 years.
Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, when a considerable focus on mitigating the dangers in outdoor adventure tourism was prevalent, Chris was closely involved in the development of the New Zealand national Risk Management Training scheme. As an owner/operator of an adventure tourist company (Wilderness Tours), Chris was intimately involved in managing the risks of taking tourists into the outdoors. This work lead Chris to becoming closely involved in the professionalisation of outdoor training standards and qualifications and he moved from practitioner to facilitator by shifting to Wellington to work with the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council, New Zealand Outdoor Instructors Association, and the New Zealand River Guides Association, as well as outdoor education teacher training standards in improving safety management in outdoor risk activities