WHO WE ARE
Hayden Ricketts, Co-Founder
Hayden is an ex-army officer and recently retired Lieutenant Colonel, having served 26 years in the infantry.
He has operational experience in the Middle East and Asia. He also served in Timor Leste, Egypt, Lebanon, and Indonesia and has been involved in training exercises with all of NZ’s defence partners in the Asia Pacific region, and further abroad.
Most recently, he has been involved in Defence Recruiting, Army Headquarters and capability purchasing and acquisition in Defence headquarters. He holds a master’s degree in international security and a second master’s degree in business administration.
In light of the changing global situation, Hayden strongly believes the New Zealand Defence Force has never been more poorly prepared for the variety of roles required to respond to these changes.
He has seen and experienced the most repercussions that low levels of investment have on our sailors, soldiers, and aviators of the Army, Navy, and Airforce.
Erin Speedy , Co-Founder
Erin Speedy is a military spouse, a mother of two and a wāhine who is deeply passionate about securing better serving conditions for uniformed personnel, military whānau and tamariki.
Having spent six years as a journalist in print, radio and TV, she is deeply passionate about ensuring the voices of those who can’t speak for themselves are heard.
She firmly believes that injustice lies in the shadows, and proper advocacy can not just bring sunlight, but also change.
Alongside Mission Homefront, she also runs her own marketing, strategic communications and branding business to help pay the bills and is backed by a Bachelor of Communications.
To Erin, success means creating a better future for all military whānau, ensuring families are not left struggling in survival or fight-or-flight mode. Her personal mission is to secure a brighter future for the tamariki of military personnel, who are born into this life without choice but deserve the stability of a strong whanau unit and support to thrive.
