About Us
At FamilyLife, we understand there is a gap between the intention we have for our families and what we actually experience in life. Too often, our relationships fall short of what we desire them to be.
But this isn’t what we were made for. Instead, we believe God made us to live in perfect community with Him and each other. We believe God’s word offers insight for us to bridge the gap — to make our intentions match the reality of our relationships. To that end, we create content and experiences to help families pursue what matters most and grow more fulfilling connections with God, each other, and their communities.
Why we exist
We exist to help families grow together and impact their corner of the world.
How we fulfill that purpose
Our mission is to effectively develop godly families who change the world one home at a time.
What we desire for the world
Our vision is that every home would be a godly home.
Who we are
1. Gospel Saturated
We are dependent on God’s Word and his Holy Spirit, consistently pointing families to the gospel as we journey with them.
2. Trusted Friends
We step into the joy and sorrow of family with empathy, honesty about our own brokenness, and confidence that Jesus can meet every need.
3. Always Learning
As we journey with families, we study them. We listen consistently, we make time to understand what we’ve heard, and we adapt our behavior and experiences to reflect what we’ve learned.
4. A Tandem Ministry
FamilyLife is proud to be a part of the Tandem family of ministries.
5. Donor Supported
The FamilyLife Trust [CC44403] is a New Zealand registered charity. The tax-deductible funds provided by our generous donors go directly towards launching and maintaining outreaches that meet families right where they are.
Who we are
1. Gospel Saturated
We are dependent on God’s Word and his Holy Spirit, consistently pointing families to the gospel as we journey with them.
2. Trusted Friends
We step into the joy and sorrow of family with empathy, honesty about our own brokenness, and confidence that Jesus can meet every need.
3. Always Learning
As we journey with families, we study them. We listen consistently, we make time to understand what we’ve heard, and we adapt our behavior and experiences to reflect what we’ve learned.
4. A Tandem Ministry
FamilyLife is proud to be a part of the Tandem family of ministries.
5. Donor Supported
The FamilyLife Trust [CC44403] is a New Zealand registered charity. The tax-deductible funds provided by our generous donors go directly towards launching and maintaining outreaches that meet families right where they are.
Donate
Our team is truly committed to bringing help and hope to marriages and families. Many of the team members raise their own salary to be able to carry out this mission. If you would like to invest in our staff, please click on the “GIVE” links below.
Meet the team
Wynand & Ellré Jacobs
For as long as Wynand can remember, he’s been passionate about helping people…
…understand each other. This passion led him to develop as a coach, author, and speaker and when that journey turned into a speciality working with married couples it became apparent that working with the team at FamilyLife would be the perfect “marriage”.
Wynand and Ellré originally hail from South Africa, but when they felt the lead of God to come to Aotearoa in 2017 they were in for the adventure that would shape them into the couple and family they’ve become today. “Dream big and do hard things” is their motto and they’re always ready to trust God to do the impossible through their lives.
On weekends they enjoy beach walks and breakfast at their favourite cafes. Ellré is a professionally trained musician and plays the cello and piano. Wynand plays guitar and occasionally you can still find them performing a guitar & cello duo at weddings and small events.
Daryl & Katie Fowles
We want marriages and families in our beautiful country to flourish and thrive. We have personally seen…
…the devastation that occurs in the wake of separated families. When a family is broken, the heartache and fallout can be immense. We want to do everything we can to help families in New Zealand find a better solution than separation or divorce.
Building successful relationships is not easy and that’s why we want marriages and families to be equipped with tools that can help make their relationships thrive.
Our family is passionate about God and relationships!
Garth & Kachina Kinley
We are South Island born and bred and currently call Dunedin home. As a family, we love getting out into nature and have loved…
…our Adventure Saturdays as a way to explore all that Otago has to offer.
With backgrounds in counselling and psychology, we have a deep heart for seeing people heal, grow, and live life with Christ at the centre.
We want to see marriages built up, strengthened, and truly thriving – being all that God intended them to be.
Ultimately, our heart is for people to come to know Christ and be empowered by Him to live their marriages in a way that reflects Him to those around them—so that the world may know that God loves them (John 17:23).
Chris Milne
As our team’s systems, communications and marketing little chief, Chris is a passionate…
…creative that values people, design and good communication & systems – both internally to staff as well as to those we serve as a ministry through our online marketing efforts.
Outside of work you’ll find Chris involved in leading worship and working with church creative teams to further their mission of the Great Commission.
Join the Team
If you would like to join us here at FamilyLife NZ on our mission to help couples stay successfully married for life, please take a look at the current available roles below or get in touch by filling out the form underneath that.
Current Available Roles
Events and Office Coordinator (part-time)
We are looking for an organised and detail-oriented person to join our team in Rosedale, Auckland. This is a paid, part-time position (20 hours per week) responsible for the end-to-end management of our events, general office administration, and resource centre. If you enjoy logistics, supporting a team, and helping families grow, we’d love to hear from you.
Fundraising and Executive Assistant (part-time)
We are seeking a relational and organised individual to join our team in Rosedale, Auckland. This is a paid, part-time position (20 hours per week) focused on supporting our Executive Director with fundraising initiatives, donor engagement, and general administration. If you are a proactive “finisher” who enjoys connecting with people and managing details, we’d love to hear from you.
FamilyLife Field Staff (Support-Funded Staff Role)
FamilyLife NZ is seeking mission-aligned leaders to join our team in a support-funded staff role.
This position involves contributing meaningfully to our work strengthening marriages and families across Aotearoa, while building a personal team of financial partners who make your role sustainable. You’ll receive training, coaching, and ongoing support as you grow both in impact and in partnership development.
This role is ideal for someone called to ministry, comfortable building relationships, and motivated by purpose rather than traditional employment structures.
Regional Marriage Mentoring coordinator (volunteer)
FamilyLife NZ is seeking volunteer Regional Coordinators to help strengthen and support Marriage Mentoring across Aotearoa.
This role involves encouraging and supporting trained mentor couples, building relationships with local churches and leaders, and helping coordinate mentoring activity within your region.
You’ll serve as a key connector between local mentors and the national team, helping ensure mentoring remains healthy, relational, and sustainable. Training, resources, and ongoing support are provided, with flexibility to serve alongside other commitments.