Kia ora, 

 

I am not Māori.  My ancestors come from England, Ireland and Scotland but my parents were born here in Cambridge as was I.

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I have lived under the shadow of Maungatautari and it has served as a constant reminder that I am home.  I walked the banks of the Waikato river as a child, swum in it as a teenager and I walk its banks again now as an adult.

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I have been married to Geoff for 40 years and we have three adult children. I am incredibly thankful to tangata whenua who allowed and welcomed my ancestors to this beautiful land.  However, I am saddened that the potential of our mutually beneficial relationship wasn’t realised and I am doing all I can to be the treaty partner that we should be.

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My hope is that my service on the board of Mana Hapori is one small way that I can help restore honour and integrity to this relationship, and at the same time build health in our community and its families.