Staff
Manager
Ofa Pouono
Staff
Lisa Thorne-Firth
Kia ora koutou, my name is Lisa Thorne. I am from Te Rarawa and have lived in Hamilton for 21 years. I started as a volunteer at Te Whare o Te Ata/Chartwell Community House with kete kai and have been a part time employee for 3 yrs.
Staff
Kelly Pepeha
Tena koutou
Ko Kelly toku ingoa.
Ko Taranaki te Maunga
Ko Aotea te Waka
Ko Ngati Ruanui, raua ko Ngaruahine nga iwi.
I am the night Security officer for Te Whare o Te Ata in the weekends.
Te Whare helps the Community with things like kai parcels, free wifi, and computer use, so come and see what is here and we can try and help you out.
Noho ora mai
Administrator
Jo Millar
Kia ora, my name is Jo Millar. I am the new Administrator for Te Whare o te Ata. I have lived and worked in Fairfield for nearly 30 years.
I am married to Ross, and we have 3 adult children living, and 2 grandchildren so far. All our 4 children went through Fairfield schools. I enjoy plants, crafts, family, Faith, and Social Justice.
I’m delighted to be based at te Whare o te Ata!
Staff
Panias Pepeha
Ko Pirongia raua ko Taupiri nga Maunga teitei
Ko Kawhia te Moana
Ko Tainui te Waka
Ko Ngati Hikairo i te rohe Potae no Waipapa Marae
Ko Ngati Mahuta i te rohe o Waikato no Waahi Pa
Ko Jack Te Papi Te Onehahau raua ko Rangi oku matua
Ko Jacqueline Pania Cunningham toku ingoa
Ko Pania ahau
Bachelor of Maori Visual Arts,
L7 Bicultural Social Work (partial)
Diploma in Te Aupikitanga ki te Reo Kairangi
Diploma of Teaching Rangakura
L4 National Certificate Administration
Te Whare o Te Ata Staff Member
Kete Kai
“Nau te rourou, naku te rourou, ka ora ai te Iwi”
Tena koutou tena koutou tena tatou katoa
Trustees
Chairperson
Ellie Wilkinson
Ellie Wilkinson joined the Board of TWOTA , June 2021 and has the role of Board Chairperson.
Ellie and her husband John have lived in the Fairfield/Chartwell Community for over 25 years. She has two adult children who attended Bankwood Primary school and Fairfield Intermediate and Fairfield College. She has five grandsons which live locally and enjoys spending time with them and watching them grow. Upon Completing her degree at the University of Waikato, Ellie worked in roles which have a strong focus on community development and improved well-being. Ellie has had a leadership role at the Settlement Centre Waikato for over 10 years supporting people in the ethnic communities to achieve their settlement goals.
Trustee
Hera McQueen
Wairua mauriora e aku nui, e aku rahi!
Ko Pirongia tōku maunga
Ko Waipa tōku awa
Ko Tainui tōku waka
Ko Waikato Tainui tōku iwi
Ko Ngāti Māhanga te hapu
Ko Te Papa o Rotu marae e mihi atu nei
Ko Simon McQueen toku hoa rangatira
Ko Hera McQueen ahau
Kia ora koutou katoa
I have an amazing blended whanau of 5 tamariki and 10 moko.
I am a proud teacher at Fairfield primary and have been for the last 15 years.
I love our community and am very honored to have been offered a position on the board at Te whare o te ata.
I am excited to grow with the Te Whare o te ata and what lays ahead for our community.
Nga mihi nui ki a koutou katoa
noho ora mai
Hera
Trustee
Joe Koti
Trustee
Brett Colin Falconer
Kia ora, my name is Brett Falconer
I'm 32 years old, married with 2 awesome little boys.
I grew up in this community and am absolutely committed to Fairfield.
I've been blessed to be a part of a great team running our community Youth Outreach Programme called Kenehi Youth for many years now and am currently employed at Fairfield College.
Treasurer
Anne Douglas
My name is Anne Douglas and I am the board Treasurer having joined the board in January 2021 after moving into Fairfield a number of years ago. Hamilton born & bred. I have two adult daughters and 2 mokopuna.
I have worked in the social service sector for 30 years and have been Finance Manager & Advisor with Community Waikato since 2007. I have a Graduate Diploma in Not for Profit Management
I am excited to be part of the team at TWOTA and with the Fairfield community work towards our vision that Fairfield is a healthy, safe, inclusive, community that values achievement and creativity.
Advisor
Viknesh Mahadevan
Trustee
Peter Humphrey
Kia ora,
Growing up on a council estate in Wales I always had a social worker in my life. In my 20s, I followed my partner home to New Zealand where I became married to her - a social worker. And after a range of different occupations alonsgide bringing up 3 children, I became a social worker.
We moved to the Claudelands area a couple of years ago and I had been looking for a local community I could be a part of. When I heard Te Whare o te Ata were looking for additional board members, I put my hand up immediately.
Before retiring, I spent 11 years managing the Hamilton Christian Night Shelters and was very involved in homelessness and housing issues not only at a local level but also at a national level too. l had the honor of being part of New Zealand's Coalition to end Homelessness and was the co-chair for several years.
My spare time has been spent volunteering for many organizations and committees in Waikato. From being a fireman/station officer, the deputy chair of Comunity Waikato, a member of the Community Organisation Grants Scheme, deputy chair of Oranga Tamariki Child Protection panel, a member of the single-year grants committee for Hamilton City Council, Chair of Center 401 mental health support agencies and also a member of Age-Friendly Hamilton Steering Group.
Having a daughter with special needs has meant that my other social justice interests have been around disability issues. This has involved advocating through the courts for better support for families looking after disabled family/whanau members but also helping individual families get support.
My kaupapa will always be ‘nothing about our community without our community. I look forward to making a contribution and supporting the Fairfield community.